DENNIS COVE

 

 

Christy and I spent this Labor Day weekend camping in a new area.  Christy purchased her latest toy, a whitewater kayak, on EBay the week before.  We had to drive to Kingsport, TN, to pick it up, so we decided we might as well camp somewhere in that direction.  Briefly we considered going up to Cumberland Gap National Park, on the border of Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.  Ultimately we decided that we didn’t want to drive that far (having just returned from the Rockies will do that).  Instead, we headed to the Cherokee National Forest in northeast Tennessee.

 

We took the new I-26 up from Asheville to Kingsport and picked up the kayak.  Then we backtracked to Johnson City, and drove through Elizabethtown.  Our first goal for the weekend was to find a place where Christy could try out her boat.  Initially I thought of Watauga Lake, but decided we’d be better off avoiding the powerboats and jet skis.  Just downstream from Watauga Lake is Wilbur Lake, which is a much smaller body of water.  From driving by there previously, I knew it was pretty.  Plus, it was an easy drive from where we were planning on camping.

 

We drove up the road to Watauga Dam(n), passing the smaller Wilbur Dam(n) along the way.  Above Wilbur Dam, the long but narrow Wilbur Lake stretches through a rugged gorge.  Just before a bridge over the river we found a picnic area with a convenient put-in.  Christy unloaded the new kayak, while I inflated a boat I’d borrowed (some time ago) from a friend.  We put in a few minutes later, and headed upstream.

 

Although we were in a lake, we had to fight a strong current.  Watauga Dam is only a mile or two upstream, and the TVA was releasing a lot of water in response to heavy rains in the area over the past few days.  I found the going difficult, while Christy found it nearly impossible.  Clearly her whitewater kayak was not meant to be paddled upstream.  She spun in circles frequently as we passed a couple of fishermen under the bridge.  Beyond we spooked some geese and reached another put-in just downstream from an RV campground.  At this point, the lake narrowed further, and the current strengthened.  We fought it a little longer, before giving up and heading back.

 

Going the other direction was much easier, and Christy had better luck steering her boat.  When we reached the take-out, Christy decided she’d had enough.  She decided to take out and do a 45-minute run.  While she was running, I continued to the other end of the lake.

 

I followed the rocky cliffs along the far shore all the way to the dam.  Along the way, I spotted a groundhog wandering along the bank.  The highlight of this area was fog rising off the surface of the lake.  Although it was a fairly cool and cloudy day, the fog seemed completely out of place.  I’m guessing that it was caused by the difference in temperature between the air and the water, but that might be completely wrong.

 

We returned to the car and headed for camp.  Along the way we stopped for groceries and firewood.  In Hampton, TN, we turned towards Boone on 321.  After only a short distance, we found the road to Dennis Cove.  I had dayhiked in this area previously, but I’d never stayed at the Dennis Cove campground.  I remembered liking the area though, and was hoping that it would be far enough out of the way that it wouldn’t be crowded on a holiday weekend.  In fact, my biggest concern was that it might be full.  My recollection was that it was a pretty small campground.

 

I didn’t need to worry.  When we arrived, there was exactly one occupied campsite out of 15.  We had our choice of sites, but it wasn’t easy.  Almost all of the sites in this campground are attractive.  We ended up choosing site #6, which is situated right on the bank of Laurel Fork Creek.  Abundant Rhododendron provided ample privacy, even after a few other groups showed up later that weekend.  The only drawback to the campground is that alcoholic beverages are prohibited.  That was one rule that we enjoyed violating – repeatedly.  Apparently we weren’t the only ones, considering the contents of the dumpsters.

 

Another appealing aspect of the Dennis Cove campground is the proximity of hiking trails in the area.  The Appalachian Trail passes through Dennis Cove about a mile from the campground, on its way between Whiterocks Mountain and the Laurel Fork Gorge.  At the campground itself, the Upper Laurel Fork Trail follows the creek some 8-10 miles upstream.  I was looking forward to taking advantage of some of those hiking options while we were there.

 

That evening, Christy and I grilled steaks and enjoyed a variety of illegal beverages.  One of the things I learned in college is that drinking alcohol is a lot more fun when it’s against the rules!  Later we managed to coax a fire out of damp wood just in time for the arrival of Christy’s sister, Megan, Megan’s boyfriend, Forest, and our nephew, Nathan.  They had left Charlotte after Forest finished work that afternoon.  We all feasted on smores before heading to bed.

 

We slept in a bit the next morning.  My plan for the weekend was somewhat less ambitious than normal.  For one thing, everyone was exhausted and was looking for the chance to relax.  For another, I had injured my right calf while running a couple of weeks before.  On Friday I had attempted to run again for the first time, and I re-injured it.  Since I was hobbling, I didn’t want to attempt a strenuous hike.  Steep climbs definitely seemed to aggravate it.

 

After some blueberry pancakes, we planned our day’s hike.  Originally I’d planned on hiking the Upper Laurel Fork Trail to Frog Level.  From there, we’d use the Lacy Trap Trail to connect with the AT on Whiterocks Mountain.  A descent of the AT would leave us just down the road from the campground.  That was before I found out that Megan, Forest, and Nathan didn’t have spare shoes.  The Upper Laurel Fork Trail crosses the creek 25 times, and the water was up.  I reconsidered, and decided to take them to the Laurel Fork Gorge instead.  The hike on the AT through the gorge is fantastic, and it’s only 3 miles round-trip to Laurel Fork Falls.  Plus, all of the creek crossings are on bridges.  Extending the hike to the impressive cliff of Buckled Rock would double the length of the hike, if we chose to do so.

 

We rearranged the cars and drove down to the AT trailhead.  There were only a few cars here, which was considerably less than there had been the previous afternoon.  We picked up the AT, which follows an old railroad grade to an attractive footbridge over the creek.  Beyond we rejoined the grade, passing through several cuts where the tracks were blasted through the mountain.  Soon we found ourselves high above the creek, which was tumbling down through the gorge below.  Then we reached the side trail to Potato Top.

 

It had been several years since my last hike to Potato Top.  Unfortunately, I tend to forget how difficult some hikes are after a few years go by.  I knew the climb was a bit challenging, but it was less than ¼ mile to the top.  How tough could that be?

 

I don’t think anyone was happy with me when we reached the top.  My calf was screaming at me, thanks to the steep climb up the boulders.  Everyone else was a bit worn out, except Nathan, who had practically run to the top.  Even Saucony was a little overheated.  At least we were able to enjoy a refreshing breeze and a fine view of the gorge from the top of the cliffs.

 

Going back down was a bit tedious.  At the bottom, Megan and Forest decided they were ready to head back.  Nathan decided to join us as we hiked the rest of the way to the falls. 

 

We followed the railroad grade a short distance before beginning a long, rocky descent.  10 minutes later, we were rewarded with a view from the base of one of eastern Tennessee’s finest waterfalls.  This is a waterfall I’ve been to several times, but I never get tired of it.  When we arrived, I was surprised to find only one family there.  They left a few minutes later, and we actually had the falls to ourselves for lunch.

 

Nathan’s feet were bothering him, so we decided to hike back rather than extend the hike.  We returned to camp by mid-afternoon.  Since it was still early, Christy and I went for another short hike.  This time, we started from our campsite and hiked upstream along Laurel Fork.  This trail also follows an old railroad grade, but there are no bridges at the frequent creek crossings.  The high water turned an easy hike into a challenging one.  Christy and I hiked in sandals so we wouldn’t have to change shoes every few minutes.  This turned out to be a good strategy.

 

The first crossing was thigh deep, and rock hopping was not an option.  At the next one, I chose the wrong spot to cross, and nearly went for an inadvertent swim.  Christy used some boulders and a fallen tree to cross.  At first this looked dicey, but it turned out to be the best route.  The third crossing was a standard ford, and it led to an area of blooming Cardinal flowers and interesting mushrooms.  Just after crossing, we met a group of dayhikers heading the other way.  They promised us an impressive waterfall was just a few minutes ahead.

 

They weren’t exaggerating.  We reached Dennis Cove Falls without having to cross the creek again.  The trail stays above the creek at the falls, but two side trails provide access to viewpoints.  The falls are really a long series of cascades and smaller drops.  The first side trail provides a view from the very base.  This view was nice, but the sun was in the worst possible spot, and it was hard to see much.  The second side trail took us to the base of the first and most impressive drop.  This was a very attractive waterfall!  Although I’d never heard about it before, it was nearly as nice as Laurel Fork Falls downstream.  I spent about 30 minutes taking photographs, using the new tripod Christy had bought me for my birthday.  Although it was a sunny day, it was late enough that the sun was screened by the trees.  Conditions weren’t optimal, but they were much better than they had been earlier at Laurel Fork Falls.

 

The National Geographic map of the area shows more waterfalls upstream.  I’d like to go back to this area sometime and explore further.  For this day though, our explorations were over.  We left the fishermen we’d met there behind (who were fishing with illegal bait) and headed back downstream.  The hike out was much faster, largely because we knew the best places to ford the creek.  We returned to camp shortly after 5pm and prepared dinner.  That evening, we had chicken and rice wraps, more illegal beverages, and another campfire.  We all played cards for a while, before heading to bed.

 

That night, the rain that had held off for two days finally came.  It started well after midnight, and sent Forest and Megan scrambling to attach the fly to their tent.  All through the night, I was disturbed by dreams that we had left the car windows down.  When we finally got up that morning, it was still raining.  Christy and I lounged in the tent for a while before deciding to skip our planned mountain bike ride and head home.  Cooking breakfast in the rain has never been my favorite thing, so we decided to head for Boone and the Boone Bagelry.

 

We reluctantly crawled from the tent and began packing up.  It was then that Christy discovered that I’d left some gear outside the car the night before.  Now I understood my dream about leaving the car windows down.  The dream had been a little off base, but not much.  I had been in the process of moving gear from Megan’s car back to ours when I’d gotten distracted.  Dinner ensued, and I forgot all about the equipment that was sitting on the ground between our cars.  Unfortunately, the gear included Christy’s bag of schoolwork and her new laptop.  Luckily for me, the bag is waterproof.  I’m pleased to report that the waterproof bag passed its test, and that I haven’t been kicked out of the house.

 

We headed to Boone, where the Boone Bagelry was packed, as always.  After a late breakfast, we headed home.  It was nice to get home early, especially since I had a lot to do before my business trip to Vancouver the next day.  Christy and I definitely plan to return to camp again at Dennis Cove.  It’s now one of our favorite campgrounds, and there are still several hikes in the area that I’d like to do. 




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