Happy Mother's Day, aka I miss my Mother Day...

The sisters, John and I took my dad out for Mother's Day today.  We have been celebrating Mother's Day forever and couldn't imagine not doing so.  We went to Cafe 4 on Market Square for brunch. We enjoyed being out with Daddy, he enjoyed being out with us.  Still, I miss my mother so very much. 

We have been incredibly busy recently, some fun stuff along with dealing with the aftermath of some serious storms.  I will drop several backdated posts during the next week so stay tuned.

Finally, we received confirmation on our request for backcountry reservations at Glacier National Park for late summer, seven days, six nights.  I am pretty excited!  As it turns out, since we applied for reservations, work obligations for John have surfaced. He may or may not be able to go.  I have started preparations to potentially do this hike self-sufficient (but with our usual group).  It's time to get in hiking shape again.  Let the pain begin.

Hike: Ijams Nature Center  4.77 miles

          992' elevation gain, 947' elevation drop

Hike for the week: 13.24 miles  

Anthony Creek Trail, Campsite 9, and Backpack #73...

Backpack #73 is in the books and we had a great time!  The weekend kicked off around 7:00 PM  Friday night when John's nephew, Will, arrived.  We initially planned to take him to Barley's in the Old City for pizza and beer but, based on John's calculations, he would not arrive until after 8:00 PM. As it turned out, we were picking up  Barley's take out about the same time Will exited the interstate in Knoxville.  The three of us arrived at the house within minutes of each other, spot on to my estimate of 7:00 PM!

Friday night was a hang out and relax night.  I still had a bit of packing to do as I never seem to get it done ahead of time, Will and John talked and talked.  We went to bed a little later than usual and were up Saturday morning a little early than usual.  

The excitement level in the house increased significantly when Daniel and Lee arrived to have breakfast with their Huntsville cousin.   John prepared a breakfast of country biscuits, nationally famous but "just down the road"  Bentons bacon and country ham, coffee and juice.  The "boys" ate and talked while John and I finished our last minute preparations.   

 Country biscuits

 Benton's bacon and country ham (sorry about the awful picture)

 The guys, from left: Daniel, Lee, John and Will

Finally, about 30 minutes later than planned, we were ready to head to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Aside from an accident  just outside Townsend which delayed us some 15 minutes or so, the drive was uneventful.  As anyone who has backpacked in via Anthony Creek Trail knows, there is no overnight parking in the Cades Cove picnic area so I waited with the packs at the trail head while John and Will parked the cars near the Cades Cove  camp store and walked back.

We were amazed at the size difference in Will's pack (right) and our packs.  Will's pack is new, light weight technology.  Our packs are circa 2001 expedition size, purchased to carry 12 days worth of supplies for our Brooks Range, Alaska trip in August 2001.  I will purchase a new, lighter weight pack for our Glacier trip, John is considering a new pack.

The trail is a steady climb toward the Appalachian Trail and the guys quickly pulled ahead of me. I maintained a decent pace and fell only about 10 minutes behind. John knows I have a fear of water crossings so they stopped to be sure I made it safely across this bridge and tree carnage.  We saw several recently downed trees and attributed it to the heavy winds and rain that passed through the area in the last few weeks.

 John and Will on the trail

We arrived at Campsite #9 around 1:00 PM and immediately began the tasks of setting up camp. In prior conversation, Will had expressed interest in a future backpack across the Smoky's section of the AT so John was in a hurry to get him back on the trail.  His mission, to hike the additional 4.4 up and back to catch a glimpse of the AT and Spence Field Shelter.  Me, I was just interested in hiking toward the AT, taking in the views and snapping a few photos.   

Part of setting up camp included hanging our packs on the pulleys provided by the NPS.  No sense in tempting the bears by leaving them around camp.

This was our home for the night.  Although we have several lighter tents, John brought the heavy tent, which weighed a full 5.25 pounds more than Will's tent (below).  No wonder he had such a small pack.  John and I have been backpacking together for 11 years and have developed two specific tent criteria:  1) enough head room to sit up and change clothes comfortably and 2) enough body room so we each have a little space for our stuff.   We admired Will's tent but were not envious.

No sitting up here!

The views on Anthony Creek Trail to the AT are spectacular, especially without the summer foliage.  Below is a picture of Cades Cove (brown area in the valley) surrounded by mountains.  Behind the Cove is the ridge top we hiked last weekend.

Anthony Creek Trail connects to Bote Mountain Trail, which connects to the AT.  Sections of Bote Mountain Trail are a bit canyon like.  The trail walls in the picture below are taller than my 5'6" height.

Dress for dinner on Saturday night was backpacker semi-formal.  The temperature was cool and the atmosphere was a little damp so hats were required.  John wore the very latest in lightweight down jackets (Xmas gift!) providing maximum warmth with minimum weight.  His hat had a South American influence in both styling and color. 

Will wore the popular fleece fabrication in both his jacket and hat.  He sported fall's neutral color pallet of gray and black, with neutral pants.  These guys are such outdoor fashionistas!! ;-)

After dinner, Will struggled to start a fire.  Everything was damp from rain earlier in the week.  With some effort and a lot of huffing and puffing, the flames finally caught and we had a great fire for several hours.

Morning brought an overcast sky and the threat of rain.  Will was on Central Standard Time so we let him sleep while we enjoying coffee and sweet potato pancakes.  We kept thinking we should get him up before the rain, but we were in no rush and the morning was so relaxing.  Then we heard thunder.

Will woke up in just enough time to get most of his stuff in the pack and down a small cup of oatmeal before the sky opened up.  John had not quite finished packing (thanks to me, but that is another story) and he had to scramble to get his pack closed.  Not much fun in the rain.

The rain stopped long enough for us to hike out but as we reached the cars, it started again.  We drove into Townsend for an early lunch at the Front Porch (not particularly good) and Will headed back to Huntsville.



Glacier planning...

After some months of reading, mapping, plotting and conversation, the trail plans for a late summer backpack in Glacier National Park have come together.  I faxed the request to the National Park Service today.  Now we wait for April 16 (or a few days later) when the NPS randomly selects from trip requests received between January 1 thru April 15 and confirms backcountry campsites.  Between now and then, I will begin the process of working on Plan B, our backup trip, in the likely event our request is not one of the randomly selected trips.

On the short list:

Lost Coast Trail
Teaton Crest Trail, CO
Snowy Range Loop, WY
Sawtooths, ID
Candian Rockies
The Cascades

Backpack 68, Bob's Bald....

This backpack was billed as a winter event and it is the end of January, so we were not surprised to be a bit chilly as we headed out for our 1st backpack of the year. Our destination ... Bob's Bald in the southern section of the Cherokee National Forest.

We were on the trail around 2:30 PM. The skies were sunny but unfortunately, the sun did not take much chill out of the air and we started out totally bundled up; me in a long sleeve shirt, fleece vest, fleece jacket AND rain jacket. The higher we hiked, the higher our body temps climbed so we stopped several times to peel layers.

For the most part, the trail was clear. As we neared the bald, we encountered an inch or so of snow around a rhododendron thicket along with some water and slush. This indicated our hike out could be a frozen mess because the overnight temperature was expected to be in the mid 20's.
Sunset arrived on Bob's Bald around 6:00 PM. We cooked dinner in the dark, our meal, a less than satisfactory concoction that was suppose to be "Shepherd's Pie." It was too yucky to photograph (mashed potatoes, peas, corn, spices and soy meal starter) and not much better to eat.
Will and Kim warmly bundled against the cold
Duane cleaning up after dinner

A big fire with the express purpose of warming the group of 13

Warmed by a blazing fire, everyone stayed up till nearly 10:00 PM, very unusual on a cold, winter night. The later bedtime and warm sleeping bags resulted in difficulty getting out of the tent this morning. We had a relaxing few hours while we talked over breakfast, followed by the task of tearing down camp. While most of the group spent the late morning hours exploring areas adjacent to the bald, Will, Kim, John and I hurried down the trail. Kim had a previous engagement and I plan to leave for Virginia in the morning.

All in all, this was a lot of fun. Thanks for leading another great winter backpack, Ron!!

Backpack #67-GSMNP Campsite 2...

With a seasonal job coming up, John and I decided that this was the weekend to get in a final backpack before the holiday season. The weather looked good and friends, Will Skelton and Kim Robinette decided to go along too.

We left Knoxville on Saturday at 3:40 PM. This is a little late for a backpack but Will had meeting for most of the day, our hike was short and we didn't return to Eastern Standard Time until 2:00 AM. Daylight Savings Time meant the sun would not drop below the tress until until after 6:00 PM so, if we hiked fast, we could cover the 4 mile hike in daylight.

During our drive to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Will mentioned something about a trail short cut via the Goldmine Trail. The shortcut would slice some 2 miles off our hike and allow us time to set up camp and find firewood in the light. His map indicated the trail head was located somewhere in the Top of the World Community, a perimeter development near the Park boundary. We thought the shortcut was a great idea.

It took us a while and a couple of exploratory" walks to find the trail head. Once on the trail, we covered the .8-mile Goldmine Trail and a 1-mile section of the Cooper Road and Cane Creek trails in under an hour. We arrived at Campsite #2 with plenty of time to scavenge some downed wood for a fire, set up our tents, get water and settle in for a evening of just above freezing temperatures.

Somewhere in the Top of the World community looking for the Goldmine trail head. Fall colors are looking good!

John by campfire

Beverly by campfire

John fixed taco soup for our dinner. Yum-yum!

Sunday morning was a bit chilly but spectacular. We had a chance to look around, enjoy the clear blue sky and the last of the fall colors.

John and I had grits, bacon and coffee for breakfast. Will and Kim (above) had sweet potato pancakes and hash browns. Kim and I are spoiled campers because Will and John do all the cooking. Aside from Will's occasional liberal abuse of banana rum in his camp cooking.... pancakes, desserts, sauces and anything else he can find, he and John do a great job with KP.

A view of Cane Creek Trail.

The morning sun and shadows from the trunks of the trees made for interesting patterns with smoke from our morning campfire.

More pictures are in our Picasa gallery: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnandbeverly74/GSMNPCampsite2#

Maude's Crack and No Business Backpack

We had a great backpack! In spite of Saturday's early rain and gloom, the weather front had moved out and the sun was shining by the time we hit the trail. The temperature remained very comfortable for the entire trip.

The trailhead was located somewhere in the maze of gravel forest roads that wind deep into the Big South Fork. We started hiking near Terry Cemetery on a relatively flat trail along the Big South Fork plateau.

At the trailhead. From left, Kim, John, Ed and Steve.

Me, starting down Maude's Crack

Within the first mile, we hit Maude's Crack, our passageway down to No Business valley. Many mountain landmarks are named by (for) past residents and Maude's Crack is no exception. The generally accepted story is that the crack was named for Minnie Maude Roysdon who, after her house burned down, used the crack to travel between her homestead and the temporary rock shelter that she and her husband lived in during reconstruction.

A recent Knoxville News Sentinel article by Morgan Simmons, says "being in Maude's Crack is not unlike being in a cave. The footing is muddy and slick, and the gradient is nearly vertical." Boy, amen to that! The opening in the rock formation was barely wide enough for us to get through wearing our internal frame packs. We absolutely could not turn sideways. Steve, who was shouldering an external frame pack, had to carry it in his hands because the frame was too wide.

I put my camera over my shoulder and took this picture of John. You can barely see the light behind him where the crack begins.

Will (in front) and Kim preparing to exit out of the crack. I, for one, was really happy to be out!

We continued on the trail for a while and finally stopped on the river banks of the Big South Fork River to enjoy lunch amidst the wildflowers.

Kim and Will enjoying lunch

Giant Yellow Trillium

Woodland Violet

My favorite flower is the violet. As a child I use to make bouquets from violets in the yard. These days, I wait as long as possible before spring mowing so I can enjoy the rich purple blooms (yes, I have a yard full of violets).

This is a piece of foundation from one of the homesteads that once dotted the No Business Creek community. The rugged mountain community consisted of a homes, a small store and a post office. Mail was delivered by a postman on horse back. The name of the community is rumored to come from the often heard comment "we have No Business being down here."

Steve headed up the trail (actually he is turned around looking backward), We have just crossed No Business Creek for the 3rd or 4th time.

John and me in camp, under the tarp. At 4:00 PM, just as we pitched our tents and set up the tarp, it started raining again. It rained for a while then quit before bedtime. We stayed nice and dry.
Our tent along No Business Creek. We were camped just on the other side of another home site in the No Business Creek Community.

Sunday morning, John made a fine breakfast of sweet potato pancakes and bacon. The bacon was the precooked variety so we has no refrigeration issues. Yummy!

Our hike out included a stop at the Boyette homestead. The Boyette home was the last one in valley and on one of the nicest tracts of land in the community.

Ed sitting on the Boyette homestead foundation. Rocks from the foundation, pieces of rock wall and the incredible chimney are the only remnants of a life once lived here.

Ahhhh!

Trail to the Boyette homestead

Additional photos are located here: http://smithposts.smugmug.com/gallery/4763353_PTkUZ#282420521_qYSoi

and here: http://picasaweb.google.com/theskeltonview/NoBusinessCreekBackpackApril19202008

Grassy Ridge Backpack

The weather Saturday morning was ominous. As we pulled out of town (around 10:40 AM), dark clouds hung low in Knoxville. When we reached Elizabethton, dark clouds gave way to light rain and fog. A lunch break in one of several Elizabethton Mexican restaurants along Highway 91, did little to cheer us up. We all considered Plan B (bailing), but kept our thoughts to ourselves as we returned to our cars and headed to Carver's Gap, the starting point of our winter backpack. Looked like we were in for just about the worst possible weather for camping on an open bald, rain (with no place to pitch a tarp) and temperatures just above freezing. Could be a long afternoon and evening trapped in our tents.

A 3,900' climb on a very windy road is required to reach Carver's Gap. Much to our surprise, the higher we drove, the drier the road became. Somewhere along the road, we broke through the clouds and the traces of rain disappeared completely. Although we piled out of our cars and smack into a brisk wind, the sun was shining and we could see big patches of blue sky!

Carver's Gap, elevation 5,512' is located in Tennessee at the crossing point of the Appalachian Trail between Roan Mountain and Round Bald. It is the low point in the Roan Mountain ridgeline and just a few steps away from the North Carolina border. We parked in the Gap and picked up the AT headed north, our hike would take us across the first three balds beyond Roan Mountain.

Our group crossing over Round Bald. The beginning of the climb to the top of Jane's Bald is located on the middle left of the photo (the grassy mountain side)

Picture from the top of Jane Bald looking back toward Round Bald (the 1st visible grassy bald)

Rhododendron and the mountains of North Carolina

The trail was muddy from several days of rain and our boots quickly became heavy with the dark, black soil. We crossed the first bald, Round Bald (5826') at a fast pace, stopping at the top to take pictures of the panoramic views....low hanging clouds floating in and out of mountain ridges, as far as the eye could see. The wind remained brisk so we hurried down the back side and up the next bald, Jane Bald (5807'). The AT turns to the left on top of Jane Bald but we took the right fork toward Grassy Ridge, our destination for the evening.

Blue skies, low clouds and sunshine from the back of Grassy Ridge. A mountain range peaks above the clouds in the left side of the photo, just above the pine trees.

After stopping for more photos on the back side of Grassy Ridge, we hiked to our campsite for the evening, an open field with a vicious wind blowing up the back, over the top and down the other side. Level campsites are plentiful but a person is really "out there" with the weather. We were lucky, the temperature remained around freezing although the wind chill took it down to the 20's.

Bill gazing at the ever changing clouds

Our campsite, beautiful but exposed.

Andy and Jonathon

We arrived around 4:00 PM, set up camp and spent time gathering wood. We never did use the wood, the wind was just too strong and flying embers would be risky. I stayed warm and toasty until we settled down for dinner. Hand warmers kept my hands warm, an assortment of fleece, down, wool and wind resistant fabrics kept my body warm, but I still had issues with my feet. Other members of our group were a little colder and pealed off for the comfort of their sleeping bags around 7:00 PM. Bill and Silke headed to their tent shortly after so John and I packed up our cooking equipment and returned our tent.

Me, gathering wood for the fire we didn't burn. It will be a nice surprise for the next group of campers :-)

Sunset from our campsite

John in the tent

Oh, 7:30 PM is too early to crawl in the tent! John lay outside on the ground for a while and gazed up at the clear sky filled with bright, sparkling stars. It was such an incredible sight! We finally settled down a little after 8:00 PM. Amazingly enough, we slept most of the night but were quite really to get up around 7:00 AM.

The wind really blasted against the walls of our tent around during the early part of the night. Somewhere around midnight it stopped but resumed an hour or so before we crawled out at 7:00 AM. We ate breakfast with the wind hitting our backs, it was a chilly affair. We hit the trail a little after 9:00 AM, retracing our steps of the day before. Another lunch, this time in Johnson City and the return drive home. I have been hungry and chilled since. I am looking forward to a good night's sleep, but hopefully not starting at 7:00 PM.

Headed down Round Bald and back to the car. The low frost line indicates a low cloud line

From right to left: Bill, Silke, Jonathon with Andy standing behind Jonathon.