BOOGERMAN & THE MUMMIES

As usual, Christy and I had big plans for spring break. As usual, those plans were derailed before our trip got off the ground. Originally we’d planned to spend most of our week off with Christy’s friend in Cleveland, TN. Christy was looking forward to visiting her friend, while I was eager to do some hiking on the Cumberland Plateau. I had several exciting hikes planned, including Fall Creek Falls State Park, Savage Gulf, and Virgin Falls.

Our plans came unraveled on Monday morning, the day before we were scheduled to leave. Christy was putting away laundry when she injured her back. The injury proved to be a bulging disc. Even before an emergency trip to the chiropractor, we realized that our trip was shot. Clearly the moral to this story is to avoid doing laundry at all costs.

We ended up enjoying several days of down time at home. That was nice to a point, but by mid-week I was getting stir crazy. Christy was gradually getting better, and I needed some time in the woods.

Since Christy would be home with the dogs, I decided to do a backpacking trip in the Smokies. My first thought was to do a trip to Raven Fork. I could visit Enloe Creek Falls and bushwhack and creek walk to Three Forks and waterfalls in the Raven Fork Gorge. However, a call to the Smokies backcountry office revealed that the campsites at Raven Fork were fully booked. I could’ve stayed at the McGee Springs campsite instead, but had second thoughts. Generally I avoid hardcore off-trail hiking and bushwhacking on solo trips.

I eventually settled on a return trip to Cataloochee Valley. It’d been 10 years since my last visit (https://www.angelfire.com/trek/fungi/Smokies/Cataloochee_5-02.html), and I was itching to go back. I really wanted to hike the Boogerman Trail again, and I was craving another visit to Hemphill Bald. Plus, a return visit would give me a chance to hike several new trails.

I was also eager to try out my new backpack. Earlier in the week I’d purchased a new Osprey Atmos 65 backpack. The new pack is a bit smaller, and a lot lighter (2 ½ pounds less) than my old pack. I was looking forward to seeing how it did on the trail.

I headed for the Smokies on Friday morning. The drive to Asheville was fairly quiet, with the exception of passing the aftermath of a major accident on I-26 at the bridge over the Green River. Several days earlier a tanker truck hauling sulfuric acid wrecked on the bridge and caught fire. Authorities claim that the acid did not pollute the river, which is well known for being one of the most pristine waterways in the southeast. When I arrived the westbound lanes were open, but the eastbound lanes were completely closed. The highway was completely re-opened on Saturday.

I reached Cataloochee Valley around 10:30. I picked up a backcountry permit and drove to the end of the road and the Rough Fork Trailhead. Along the way I passed a herd of elk lounging in a meadow. There were quite a few females on hand, but no bulls in the area.

I started my hike on the Rough Fork Trail at 11am. I followed the trail, which is a continuation of the road, along Rough Fork. Rough Fork was running full after a day of steady rain. In fact, the creek was actually out of its banks in a couple of places.

After a mile or so I arrived at Woody Place. Woody Place is an old homestead on Rough Fork. The house is open to the public, and it is rather impressive. It’s a two-story building, and it’s in good condition. Just beyond the home is a spring house not far from the creek.

From there the trail climbed gradually to campsite 40, which is ok but not terribly exciting. Beyond the campsite the trail left the creek behind. I eventually crested a ridge before arriving at a junction with the Caldwell Fork Trail. At that point I began a descent into the valley. These trails were decorated with fresh spring green and lots of wildflowers, including assorted violets and trilliums. The trail also passes under some impressive trees. The most notable was at Big Poplars. Big Poplars features a single massive tuliptree. I’m not sure why it is called Big Poplars, as there is only one. Regardless, the site was well worth a visit.

I arrived at the Caldwell Fork backcountry site not long after leaving Big Poplars. When I arrived I was surprised to find only one other group camped there. I was expecting the area to be crowded, since it was a holiday weekend. The crowds never materialized though. In fact, I didn’t even see very many folks on the trails.

I set up camp near the creek and had lunch. After eating, I set out for an afternoon dayhike to Hemphill Bald. I carried my new pack on my dayhike, after unloading all of my camping gear. One thing I like about this pack is its versatility. It’s much more manageable for a dayhike than my old pack, which is big, heavy, and awkward when mostly empty.

The hike started with a footlog crossing over Caldwell Fork. Not far beyond, I picked up the Hemphill Bald Trail (formerly known as the Double Gap Trail). I followed this trail up the mountain, following a pleasant mountain stream. This trail features some large trees, but the real highlight was an impressive display of wildflowers. I saw several varieties of trillium and lots of violets, along with several flowers I couldn’t identify. Higher up, I ran into trout lilies, bluets, and more.

I reached the Cataloochee Divide Trail at Double Gap. The Cataloochee Divide Trail follows a high ridgeline along the park boundary. At Double Gap I had a fine view of grassy Hemphill Bald ahead. Hemphill Bald is interesting in that half of the mountain features open, grassy fields, while the other half is wooded. The wooded half is inside the park, while the open portion is owned by the Cataloochee Ranch. Happily, the Cataloochee Ranch placed a conservation easement on the upper part of the bald some years ago. Although the land is still privately owned, the easement prevents future development. Although the scenic part of the peak is outside of the park, it appears that the owners allow public access.

From Double Gap I followed the Cataloochee Divide Trail along a fence at the edge of the woods. One final climb ensued before I reached the summit. Even before the top, I was treated to views of the mountains to the northeast. At the top I found a lone tree in a sea of ankle-high grass. The view from here is astonishing, as it manages to stretch from Roan Mountain, in the northwest corner of North Carolina, all the way to Standing Indian, on the Georgia state line southwest of Franklin. It’s incredible to think that all of that can be visible from a single point. Within that view are some other notable summits, including Cold Mountain, Mount Pisgah, and Mount Mitchell. My favorite view though was of the Plott Balsams directly across from me.

I wasn’t able to stay on Hemphill Bald as long as I would’ve liked. It was already after 5pm, and I wanted to get back to camp before dark. I hiked back down quickly, which was easy since it was all downhill. Back at camp I was pleased to see that the area was still nearly deserted. I filtered water and rehydrated and heated dinner before dark. Afterwards I read by the light of my headlamp before retiring. I slept poorly for the first couple of hours thanks to a brilliant full moon that was shining directly into my tent. I fell asleep for good after midnight though, and slept straight through the rest of the night.

Getting up at 7am on Saturday morning was difficult because it was chilly. Temperatures were in the 30’s, but at least it wasn’t below freezing. I had cold granola cereal for breakfast and wished that I’d brought coffee to help warm up. I broke camp before 9am and hit the trail with a long day ahead of me.

I started out hiking the Caldwell Fork Trail downstream. This first part of the trail stayed high above the creek, but it was still a lovely walk featuring large trees and abundant wildflowers. I wasn’t far from camp when I had the first notable wildlife encounter of the trip. I rounded a bend and spotted a wild turkey in the trail ahead of me. He puffed his feathers up like a peacock and held his ground, like he was challenging me. I started towards him, but he disappeared into the woods before I could get close enough for a photo. I reached the point where he’d been a minute later, but of course he was long gone. I had just put my camera away when I heard a stick crack nearby. I looked up just as a large black bear dashed out of the woods and across the trail about 100’ ahead. He disappeared long before I could retrieve my camera. I did pause for a couple of minutes to let my pulse return to normal before resuming the hike.

I reached the junction with the Big Fork Ridge Trail a few minutes later. That was my planned exit route, but it wasn’t even 10am. I wasn’t necessarily that eager to leave the Smokies. So I passed the side trail and continued ahead on the Caldwell Fork Trail. My plan was to hike the six-mile Boogerman Loop before returning to this point for the hike out.

I reached the junction with the Boogerman Trail 10 minutes later. I hiked the loop counter-clockwise, starting up the Boogerman Trail along Smoke Branch. The first part of the trail passes a number of old homesteads. This area features some impressive rock walls left behind by early settlers. I also spotted the remains of foundations and a piece of machinery.

According to my guidebook, the Boogerman Trail follows the route of a road built by Robert Palmer. Apparently he built it before he became famous for such hits as “Addicted to Love”, “Sailing Shoes”, and my personal favorite, “Sneaking Sally Through The Alley”. In addition to abundant wildflowers and old ruins, the trail passes through a beautiful forest featuring many massive Tuliptrees. Although this area was settled, Mr. Palmer had refused to allow logging on his land. We can thank him for preserving this beautiful corner of the Smokies.

I climbed away from Smoke Branch and traversed a series of wooded ridges. I passed through a lovely grove of Tuliptrees about halfway through the loop. Later, after a notable descent, I passed the biggest tree of the hike. This particular Tuliptree is just off the trail and is impossible to miss. Nearby I found a handful of Showy Orchids in bloom. I stopped for some photos before resuming the hike. A few minutes later, an owl swooped past and landed in a nearby tree. Unfortunately it was hidden in the shadows to the extent that a photo was impossible. Near the end of the trail I passed through a healthy hemlock grove that has been treated with pesticides. It’s nice to see that some of the Park’s majestic hemlocks may survive.

I rejoined the Caldwell Fork Trail a bit later. This part of the trail follows the creek closely, crossing it numerous times on footlogs. Unfortunately one of those footlogs was damaged by a falling tree and was recently removed by the Park Service. A replacement hasn’t been installed, so I had to wade the creek. The stream was as cold as expected, and a good bit deeper! The water was over knee deep and swift. I forded carefully, and stopped for a light lunch on the far side.

The rest of the loop was a pleasant walk along the rushing stream. More footlogs ensued before I closed the loop at Smoke Branch. From there it was just a short walk to the Big Fork Ridge junction.

I followed this trail back down to the creek, which I crossed on one final footlog. The forested bottomland on the far side apparently once housed a school, but I didn’t see any sign of it. From there I made a steady climb up Big Fork Ridge. Along the way I passed a group of hikers, which was almost startling. I had seen one group of dayhikers on the Boogerman Trail and a few others along Caldwell Fork, but overall this part of the park was surprisingly quiet. My guess is that a lot of people were scared off by the warning signs posted by the Park Service at the trailheads regarding the missing footlog. There’s nothing like the promise of having to wade a cold, swift river to thin out the herd.

The Big Fork Ridge Trail was pleasant but not terribly exciting. The most interesting thing about the trail is that it passes a large fenced enclosure near the end. I’m not certain, but I’m guessing that it may have been used to house the elk before they were released in Cataloochee Valley.

The hike ended with a final footlog crossing of Rough Fork. Once across the creek, I walked down the road 100 yards to return to my car.

My hike was quite enjoyable. Highlights included the large trees, impressive wildflowers, views from Hemphill Bald, plentiful wildlife, and the surprising solitude. I’ve now hiked all of the trails on the south side of Cataloochee Valley, with the exception of the short stretch of the Cataloochee Divide Trail between Double Gap and Purchase Gap. I’ll have to make a return visit to Hemphill Bald to cover that stretch of trail.

The jury is still out on my new pack. My upper back and neck were very sore the day after my trip. However, I’m not sure if that was due to the pack or if I’d slept awkwardly. I also ended up with an extremely sore right Achilles tendon, but I think that had more to do with hiking 24 miles in 2 days than the pack.

The drive home was uneventful, as I-26 had been reopened. I spent that evening with Christy and our neighbors. Christy’s back was gradually improving, but it was still nowhere near 100%. On Easter Sunday Christy and I went with her parents, her sister, our brother-in-law, and our nephew to see the mummy exhibit at Discovery Place in Charlotte. It’s a traveling exhibit, and we’d purchased tickets for the previous Monday. That was the morning that Christy hurt her back though, and Sunday was the exhibit’s last day. We were able to change our tickets to Sunday afternoon, and I’m glad we went. The exhibit featured human and animal mummies from Egypt, Peru, Chile, various parts of Europe, and elsewhere. Some of the mummies were intentionally preserved by various cultures (primarily Egypt, Peru, and Chile), while others occurred naturally. The exhibit was fascinating, and I ‘m glad we were able to take advantage of the opportunity to see it.

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