CMC Weekly Hike News
10/27/04
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Looking Ahead....
All Day Saturday & Sunday
ALL DAY No. A0404-395 Oct. 29-31 Backpack (GSMNP Tremont area) 9:00 AM Hike 37.8, Drive 200, 6000 ft. ascent, Rated AA+-AA+ Don Gardner 828-754-4067 gardog3@charter.net 900M This backpack trip is designed to hike trails in the western part of GSMNP that are too far to be covered by a daytrip from Asheville. We will start and end at Tremont (GSMIT), hiking Friday, Saturday and Sunday, staying at Backcountry campsites. NOTE: Hikers must make reservations with Don Gardner as soon as possible but no later than Oct. 1. Don will communicate with participants before the backpack to discuss the trails to be hiked. Topos: Thunderhead Mtn., Cades Cove; also Natl. Geographic map of GSMNP
SATURDAY No. A0404-396 Oct. 30 Pilot Rock – Thompson Ridge 8:00 AM Hike 8.5, Drive 80, 2000’ ascent, Rated B-AA Lenny Bernstein 828-236-0192 lsberns@worldnet.att.net P400 We will hike up the well-graded Pilot Rock trail to our lunch spot near the Pisgah Inn, and then down the Thompson Ridge trail. We expect good views. Short car shuttle.Topos: Dunsmore Mtn., Cruso; also Nat’l. Geographic map of Pisgah Ranger District
ALL DAY No. A0404-103 Oct. 31 Coon Tree – Bennett Gap – Avery Creek Loop 8:00 AM Hike 10, Drive 68, 2650’ ascent, Rated A-AA John Pawcio 828-299-8126 jpawcio@tycovalves.com P400 This hike will combine late leaf colors with fine views on the Buckwheat Knob Trail and along beautiful Avery Creek. Fairly strenuous with two solid uphill climbs. Second meeting place: PNF Ranger Station at 8:30 AM. Topos: Pisgah Forest, Shining Rock; also Nat’l. Geographic Pisgah Ranger District map
All-day hikes submitted by Bruce Bente 692-0116, bbente@cytechusa.com . Driving distance is round-trip from Asheville. All Saturday and Sunday hikes assemble at Westgate Shopping Center near I-240 UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.
Half Day Sunday
HALF-DAY No. H0404-344 Oct. 31 Pulliam Creek in the Green 12:30 PM River Gamelands Hike 6.5, Drive 40, 900’ ascent, Rated B-C Becky Elston, 828-749-1886 abbybail@tds.net Note early start time. A pretty in-and-out hike, partially along Pulliam Creek. After we cross the creek, we will see views of the Green River and the famous "Narrows." We will stop at a great spot on the Green River for a snack. Hikers to form carpools at Westgate and meet hike leader at 1:00 PM on the NW corner at Cracker Barrel, Exit 53 (old exit 22 off I-26). Hikers are welcome to join leader after hike for dinner at Cracker Barrel.
Half Day hikes submitted by Paula Robbins 828-687-1651 paularww@bellsouth.net and Pat Elias 828-281-3253 peliasy@aol.com . Leaders: Mail please mail your sign-up sheets. Meet at Westgate unless otherwise noted.
All Day Wednesday
WEDNESDAY No. W0404-405 Oct. 27 MST: Mills River Overlook to Pisgah Inn, and return 8:30 AM Hike 9.2, Drive 30, 2000 ft. ascent, Rated A-A Ken & Carol Deal 828-281-4530 KMCDeal@aol.com P400 We will start at the Mills River Overlook and follow the MST across Little Pisgah, past the site of the old Buck Spring Lodge, to the Pisgah Inn. We plan to eat lunch at the Pisgah Inn so lunch break will be longer than usual. There are 2 steep climbs, with switchbacks. We’ll retrace our steps back to the Mills River Overlook after lunch.
WEDNESDAY No. W0404-002 Nov. 3 MST: Balsam Gap to Mt Mitchell Rd via Blackstock Knob 8:30 AM Hike 5, drive 55, 1200 ft. ascent, Rated C-B Elisabeth Feil, 828-684-8719 hofeil@brinet.com Only meeting place: Folk Art Center, lower parking lot. This moderate car switch hike is one of the great trails our crews have created. It includes part of the old Mitchell Trail above 6000 ft. Total elevation gain is about 1200’. Let’s hope for good weather to enjoy the outstanding views.
Wednesday Hikes are submitted by Paula McNabb, 828- 274-0057 gcmcnabb@charter.net and Ann Gleason, 828-859-9387, cowbonetail@yahoo.com . The meeting place for each hike will be designated by the hike leader and will appear in the hike description. Driving mileage will be listed, round trip, from the first designated meeting place.
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Looking Back......
ALL DAY No. A0404-272 Oct. 24 Deep Creek – Kephart’s Last Stand 7:30 AM Hike 12.5, Drive 135, 2200 ft. ascent, Rated AA-AA Danny Bernstein, 828-236-0192 danny@hikertohiker.org 900M Note earlier starting time. This lovely hike starts at the Deep Creek entrance of GSMNP, outside Bryson City. The hike follows Indian Creek to the Sunkota Ridge Trail, in the heart of ancestral Cherokee country. We go down to Campsite #57, Horace Kephart’s last permanent campsite. We will look for a millstone placed by the Boy Scouts in 1931. Then we follow Deep Creek Trail back to the cars. Some rockhopping. After the hike, we will visit Kephart’s grave in Bryson City. This hike is the CMC contribution to the Buncombe County “Together We Read” program, which, this year, is reading “Our Southern Highlanders” by Horace Kephart. Second meeting place: Rest area on US 23/74 near Waynesville at 8:00 AM. Topos: Bryson City, Clingman’s Dome; also Nat’l. Geographic map of GSMNP
Post Hike Report: Six of us, including four guests, came on this outstanding hike to enjoy the last colors of the season and pay homage to Horace Kephart. John and Wanda, a hiking couple from Reams Creek had read the article in the Friday's Sports section and decided to come. Alex, a young fit woman from Burlington who came from Mexico to study English, enjoyed her first colorful fall. Ridge, a trail maintainer from SC, knew all about Kephart and contributed good information. Even in the early morning fog, we saw several people on the loop trail. The Sunkota trail, a trail which is not done often by the club, provided the height to appreciate the yellows and reds of the trees down below. We found the millstone which was put there by the Boy Scouts in 1931. We also stopped in Bryson City and visited Kephart's grave site. We saw 11 backpackers on the trail and one guy on horseback. We all had a great time. Danny Bernstein
Hike sparks memories along historic WNC trail
This article appeared in last Friday's Asheville Citizen Times thanks to Danny Bernstein
REGISTER FOR THE HIKE The Carolina Mountain Club's hike to Kephart's Deep Creek campground is 12.5 miles and makes an ascent of 2,200 feet. Hike leader Danny Bernstein advises that hikers wear well- broken-in hiking boots, shorts or hiking pants (no jeans), a T-shirt as an under layer, and a fleece shirt or jacket. They should also bring a rain jacket, two quarts of water, and lunch and snacks. Everything should fit in a pack, with nothing to be carried by hand or attached to one's waist. Visit the club's website at www.carolinamtnclub.org for complete information. To register, call the leader, Danny Bernstein, at 236-0192 today or tomorrow.
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By Rob Neufeld Oct. 21, 2004 10:04 a.m. Not long before he died in a car accident in 1931, Horace Kephart, founding father of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, rode up Deep Creek to camp out in his favorite territory for the last time in his life.
This Sunday, the Carolina Mountain Club combines a homage with a good walk, taking hikers to the campsite before concluding at Kephart's grave in the Bryson City Cemetery.
Last week, with veteran hike leaders Danny Bernstein and Dave Wetmore, I went for a trial run - if you can call two miles an hour a run. I added pounds to my pack by carrying along the book that had inspired the pilgrimage, Kephart's "Our Southern Highlanders." Thousands of Western North Carolinians from Madison to Polk County have been reading the classic as part of the community discussion program, "Together We Read."
Although I never found an opportunity to dive into the text in transit, our threesome did plunge into reveries and discussions that placed Kephart in a modern perspective. That is, the walk made the book come alive through the comparison and contrast of historical contexts.
The CCC was the first topic that emerged while we hiked through time and forests - and I am not referring to the over-clever "three Cs" phrase I squeezed out in the previous sentence. I am referring to the Civilian Conservation Corps, the New Deal program that hired Depression-era stalwarts to construct, among other things, the path that leads to the Deep Creek Campground by way of Sunkota Ridge.
"Kephart came by way of Deep Creek, not Sunkota Ridge" Bernstein said, "and he came by horse. His party used horses to carry the tents, guns and food supplies that were to serve them for two weeks. Their tents were heavy and their food was not freeze-dried."
To avoid an up-one-way-and-back-the-same route, we set out to engage in an anachronism. Bison, Cherokee and Kephart cohorts had never traveled the side-winding trail the CCC had blazed and we enjoyed. Our freedom from historical authenticity enhanced the enjoyment, for the Sunkota path lacked the muddy troughs that we would encounter occasionally along the horse-frequented Deep Creek trail heading back.
"Hiking can be a social activity," Bernstein exclaimed, as my reporter's agenda had us conversing more than the deer and squirrels might have wished. "When I lead a hike," Wetmore said, "I use the sound of people talking behind me to judge if I'm moving too far ahead of them."
Before we even got past the trailhead, lively exchanges between Bernstein and Wetmore illustrated their point about sociability. According to Bernstein's altimeter, we were at 1,710 feet above sea level. Wetmore's GPS read 1,914. That was an occasion for some playful disagreement.
Then, stashing their instruments, my guides turned their attention to other intriguing matters as we approached our climb via Indian Creek Trail, a level, 1.7-mile scenic loop included in "Day Hikes in the Smokies."
"This used to be Indian Creek Road," Wetmore noted. "It was more civilized in Kephart's day than it is now. There were houses, electric lights and telephones." Using maps that Kephart had drawn in his notebooks (now owned by Western Carolina University), Wetmore had found the copper mines that had attracted miners and families since the 1890s.
"This was not a backwoods," Wetmore added. "Horace had a tendency to ignore all the modern stuff."
Before crossing the boundary from joggers' and tourists' lane to deep country, we met a couple that had been camping at remote Site 60 along Deep Creek for three days. "We saw no other person the whole time," the woman said, "but we did see a baby bear treed by two dogs." Dogs, Wetmore explained, were sometimes let loose by hunters before the season started in order to give them practice running.
Then, goodbye Indian Creek, hello Sunkota. "Let's play a game," Bernstein offered. "Let's guess how many people we'll see in the next 12 miles before we come back to the loop."
Wetmore guessed two. I ventured five. Bernstein took the challenge and said zero. Late in the afternoon, we came across our sole fellow hiker, a man moving along with two poles, designed to save wear and tear on his knees.
The camping couple's bear story inspired Wetmore do what Kephart's guides would have done, tell bear stories. He had some doosies. Like the one about the Deep Creek leaper who had become a master backpack thief.
Whenever he spied campers doffing their backpacks, he'd make himself fearsome and charge, only interested in the prize they'd leave behind. He also learned to climb trees and jump on and snap the ropes that held campers' precious foodstuffs aloft. Hence his nickname.
Then there was the bear named Victory for the white V on his chest. He had hung around Smokemont in the 1940s. Once, a ranger had rushed into a restroom there when he'd heard human screams coming from it, and had found blood all over the floor. It seems Victory had come to share the facilities with a man who at first called "Howdy" from his stall, but had then, upon identifying his mate, ran out with his pants at his ankles, tripping and cutting his mouth.
The woods enveloped us, but the path was clear, thanks to the efforts of licensed volunteers such as Bernstein, who kept tossing fallen branches off the track. Kephart's classic outdoors manual, "Camping and Woodcraft," came up, as we considered ways of marking one's route, the method of fording streams, the science of keeping warm, and camp cookery.
Bernstein warned against drinking creek water, even at the heads of streams because of the bacterial organism, giardia, introduced through animal feces.
"I drink the water all the time," Wetmore confided, "and nothing has happened to me. The water was probably worse when farmers used the ridges to pasture their livestock. There were fewer trees where grazing took place, too."
Around Kephart's time was when the chestnut blight hit Western North Carolina, and there are some mountaineers who say the most memorable moment in their lives was when the blight crested their ridges. In "Our Southern Highlanders," Kephart becomes almost apocalyptic about the loss of trees to various causes.
The keynote to the hike was sounded by Bernstein, who said that hiking teaches perseverance and more - the ability to see ahead to a distant goal. You learn a lot about character going with people on a hike, Wetmore agreed.
Kephart had treasured the stout-hearted characters - human and animal - he had met in what he'd called "The Back of Beyond." At his gravesite, invigorated by a day of woodland walking, I wanted to foresee how the character that Kephart saw in mountain people would wrestle with modern survival challenges.
Rob Neufeld writes the weekly "Choice Books" and "Visiting Our Past" columns for the Citizen-Times, and may be reached at robneufeld@hotmail.com .
OTHER UPCOMING KEPHART PROGRAMS
Western North Carolina's region-wide reading and discussion program, "Together We Read," has taken up Horace Kephart's book, "Our Southern Highlanders" this year. Seventeen counties have sponsored programs. Here are some upcoming ones.
Sun., Oct. 24, 2 p.m.: Book discussion on "Our Southern Highlanders" led by Dr. Scott Philyaw, Associate Professor of History at WCU, at Albert Carlton-Cashiers Library, Cashiers. Call 743-0215.
Wed., Oct. 27, 1:30 p.m.: Talk by Dr. Charlotte Ross, folklorist at Appalachian State University, about "The Ethnic Mix on the Appalachian Frontier," in the Isothermal Community College Lecture Room, Columbus. Call 894-3092.
Fri., Oct. 29, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Gala at Mars Hill College, including a heritage show in the Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies, reader's theater in Owen Theater, music and a museum tour, and a professor-led book discussion on "Our Southern Highlanders" (at 3 p.m.). Call 689-1443.
Thurs., Nov. 4, 7 p.m.: Presentation by George Ellison on "A Place of Refuge: Horace Kephart, Our Southern Highlanders, and the Making of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park" at Henderson County Public Library, 301 N. Washington St., Hendersonville. Call 697-4725.
Sat., Nov. 6, 7 p.m.: Reader's Theater performance of "Our Southern Highlanders" at Fairview Library at 1 Taylor Rd., Fairview, with a display of Kephart photographs, authentic mountain music, and sampling of foods from early twentieth century Appalachian recipes. Call 628-5837.
Sun., Nov. 14, 2 p.m. Lecture by Richard D. Starnes, author and Western Carolina University history professor, on "Natives, Newcomers, and Summer People: Tourism, History, and Culture in North Carolina" at Lanier Library, 72 Chestnut St., Tryon. Call 859-9535.
Sun., Nov. 21, 2 p.m. "Together We Read," gala finale at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St., Asheville, featuring a summary of experiences by George Ellison, ballad- singing by Denise Norton O'Sullivan, an entertaining survey of major achievements in Western North Carolina heritage, awards, and a reception. Call 255-5203.
"Together We Read" continues to encourage book discussions by independent groups and classroom reading and writing programs in schools. It also solicits votes for next year's community reading book. Pick up a guide and ballot at libraries and bookstores, or visit www.togetherweread.org . Call 768-2665 for more information.
Half Day Sunday
HALF DAY No. H0404-094 Oct. 24 Vineyard Gap Loop 1:00 PM Hike 6, Drive 55, Rated B-C Ruth Hartzler, 828-251-0886 ruthmtn@aol.com P400 Note early starting time. A loop hike from the Turkey Pen parking area following the Forge Mountain Ridge to Vineyard Gap, then along the bank of the South Mills River with several views of the river, and ending with a short, steep climb. Hoping for fall color. Second meeting place at Turkey Pen parking lot at 1:30 PM.
Post Hike Report: Nine hikers enjoyed fall colors along the ridge on the Vineyard Gap Trail. After a steep downward trek to the river, we stopped to enjoy several views of the Mills River . Since the group included a new hiker, the conversation included hiking gear. The snack break was at the river's edge. Several hikers had retired fairly recently. So there was a lot of conversation about giving up old identities and launching into new lifestyles and interests. Thanks to Bruce, Tommie and Rusty for clearing several messy blow downs on the scouting trip! Ruth
All Day Wednesday
WEDNESDAY No. W0404-404 Oct. 20 AT: Lemon Gap to Garenflo Gap 8:30 AM Hike 7.4, drive 125, 1720’ ascent, rated B-A Curt Holladay, 828-692-9477 caholady@bellsouth.net We will start the hike northbound on the AT at Lemon Gap and climb about 700’ up to the Walnut Mt. Shelter. The trail descends 600’ to Kale Gap through open forests and begins to ascend through Catpen Gap to the summit of Bluff Mt. (4686’). It is all downhill from Bluff Mt. to Garenflo Gap about three miles. Car shuttle.
HikingNews....
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Hiking Survey!
Dear Alliance members,
As trails play an increasingly prominent role in the daily life of Americans, the connection between art and trails is growing. Art on trails is expressed in a multitude of forms and serves many functions: celebration, placemaking, interpretation and inspiration, just to name a few. Art can also be a catalyst for greater public involvement, resulting in new trail development, restoration, and improved trail stewardship.
Artful Ways is a national survey of art on trails of all kinds - walking, hiking, cycling, paddling, equestrian and off-road. The survey is being conducted by American Trails in cooperation with the National Park Service. We seek practical information about art on trails: what kind of art, how it is funded, how artists are selected, and what is the impact of art on the trail and community. The survey findings will be shared on the AmericanTrails website www.AmericanTrails.org and at the 2004 National Trails Symposium in Austin, Texas (October 21-24). They will also guide development of a new grants program supporting art on National Recreation Trails. Thank you for participating!
Fill Out the Survey! http://www.magnetmail.net/forms/display_form.cfm?fid=2679&rtype=nonmm