Route: Spence Field shelter to backcountry campsite #83 (Jct. of Hazel Creek and
Bone Valley trails) via Eagle Creek, AT, Jenkins Ridge and Hazel Creek trails
Statistics: 13.9 miles traveled. 2,540' of hill climbing and 4,883' of descending.
Average hiking speed 1.5 mph.
The morning began with me shooing-off the Spence Field shelter's resident
bear so I could retrieve my food supply from the hanging cable storage system. Dawn usually comes early when you are
atop the mountains but even so it was still quite dark at 6:30 am. I don't carry a thermometer but the temperature was
probably about 48 or 50 F -- not as cool as I'd expected. I'm sleeping in a very lightweight sleeping
"sack" on this trip (Marmot Trails Long) which is usually good down to around 55 F. Any cooler than that and I have to add clothing over
my "Nature's Own" pajamas or else become just another slab of shivering flesh in an outdoor meat locker. Last night
in addition to the sleeping bag I slept in two pair of wool socks, a pair of synthetic hiking pants, a long-sleeve shirt and
a PolarTec fleece jacket. I have warmer sleeping bags but they alone weigh more than the combined weight all of the
other items listed above. I hate trying to sleep in a too-hot sleeping bag which is usually the case in summer weather
in the Smokies with bags rated for 45 F or cooler. Getting in and out of the sleeping bag a few times during the night
to perform bear repelling duties didn't help any either. All-in-all I got only about 3 hours sleep. The spring
water about 200 yards down Eagle Creek trail from the shelter was shockingly cold at 6:30 am--so much so that I decide after
a splash on my face that I don't need to wash my hair this morning.
Breakfast on the trail when backpacking is usually something that was dehydrated months or years before
you ate it. Typically I like instant oatmeal in a variety of flavors. I boil spring or creek water using a backpacking
stove (MSR Dragonfly) and use the hot water to prepare the oatmeal and a hot beverage. While waiting for the water to
boil (usually about 5 minutes or less for a full liter of water) I start repacking my gear in preparation for departure.
A normal time from wake-up to hitting the trail in the mornings is about 1-1/2 hours. If I hurry it takes only about
90 minutes. Seriously, I can get going about 20 minutes quicker than that when I stay in a shelter since I don't have
the tent to take-down and repack. The trouble, however, with shelter hiking is that there are often enough interesting
people to chat with that you go much slower than you otherwise would if staying in a tent on an individual campsite.
Such was the case this morning as we chatted and laughed about the evening bear encounters and had a good laugh at the
expense of the sleepy-head who'd visited the toilet so soon after it had been raided by the upset camp bear.
Finally at 8 am I hit the trail while at least one of the other four is still snoozing in his sleeping bag.
No one in the shelter is hiking my direction today so I can expect lots of solitude for at least the first half of the day.
Morning bird sounds are now much diminished from their mating season frenzy that entertained me in May and
June. About all I hear this morning are the alarm calls of a Wood Thrush and the "veer, veer, veer" call notes
of a Veery (a type of warbler); there are no mating songs at all. Soon these birds will begin their long migration south
to the tropics of Central and South America for the winter season. The sky has been mostly clear since about 1 am (imagine
how I knew that!) and the moon was full last night. Early morning sunlight reveals a stunning display of crimson colored
fruit on the Mountain Ash trees found along the trails at these elevations (the shelter is at 4,900'). Bears typically don't eat the fruit from
these trees until early winter but judging from the scat I've seen on the trails they are eating them now. Reports suggest
the food crop for wild critters is in short supply this year. That is probably the reason many bears are more interested
in hikers and campsites than they otherwise would be if nuts and berry crops were plentiful.
I was on the Eagle Creek and AT trails only for short segments this day before getting to
the upper elevation start of Jenkins Ridge trail. This trail is just a short distance from the real "Rocky Top" that
is mentioned in the song of the same name so often sung by UT sports fans. Click here for the history of the Rocky Top song. Janice and I visited Rocky Top earlier this year (but she
wouldn't sing the song--something about having put up with too many UT football games....). I've not previously hiked
Jenkins Ridge trail so I'm looking forward to the new vistas plus that "something extra" that only hiking these trails gives
you. I'm about to get all the "extra" I want from this trail.
Jenkins Ridge trail: My advice is to look for some other trail to hike until this is the one of the
only ones left to experience. Most trails in the Smokies dole out their fair share of challenges in the form of uneven
footing, steep slopes, unbridged creek crossings, briars, stinging nettle, downed trees, slippery surfaces, etc. You can normally
anticipate and plan ahead for some or all of those things when hiking backcountry trails in the Smokies by careful reading
of trail descriptions in hiking guides. The hiking guides together with an examination of the trail routing on topographical
maps will usually prepare you adequately for what special brand of misery each trail is going to deal you. Overcoming
these challenges while experiencing the solitude, nature and views are what make hikes so rewarding for me. However,
if the degree of challenge doled-out by Jenkins Ridge trail is any measure of reward then this day's hike was VERY rewarding.
I'll especially remember those sections of the trail which had 28% grades (10 - 12% are normal grades for trails on slopes
in the Smokies). While it isn't terribly uncommon to find trails with 50 to 100 yard lengths of very steep
slopes, Jenkins Ridge gets the blue ribbon with its multiple sections of 1/4 - 3/4 mile lengths of uninterrupted 21 -
28% grades. How steep is that? You can just barely go down a 25% grade without side-stepping down the hill.
28% grade is most definitely a side-step-down-the-trail slope in order to keep from falling on your behind. Climbing
28% grade trails usually has you almost on all fours. Now imagine doing this for a total distance of one mile or more.
That is Jenkins Ridge trail. Oh yeah, horseback riders use this trail too and judging from the long skid marks
from their horses' hooves they appear to have had their fair share of problems negotiating the steep slopes. Of course
places the trail is wet become very slippery and often muddy. I was lucky I'd elected to hike "down" the trail
because I don't think I could have lugged my 46 lb. pack in the opposite direction for the full 6.5 mile length of the difficult
section. The last 2.4 miles of this 8.9 mile trail were very pleasant with a gradual 8% slope, grassy borders and lovely
walking surfaces. Such is the fun to be had with hiking hobby like mine. Next time I read in the hiking guide
that the trail is, "depending upon the direction of travel, either a lung buster or knee breaker" I'll pay more attention.
There were a few enjoyable highlights along this wicked section of Jenkins Ridge trail to include the grassy
balds atop three prominent "knobs" and "gaps" plus an abundance of lovely mushrooms and other fungii. Click to see a few reduced-size photos of various mushrooms seen along this section of the trail.
Nonetheless, after 6.5 miles on the "original" Jenkins Ridge trail I was more than ready for the final 2.4
miles of the "renamed section" that began at Pickens Gap. The Hazel Creek Camp of the C.C.C. constructed this section
of trail in the 1930's from Pickens Gap down to Hazel Creek and it is still one of the nicest trails in the Smokies.
This section was once part of the Lakeshore Trail system but about ten years ago the park service closed a
difficult section of the trail that traversed along Pinnacle Creek (15 unbridged stream crossings) and built a new
connector joining Proctor with Eagle Creek. The remaining old trail segment was renamed Jenkins Ridge trail which extended
the length of the original Jenkins Ridge trail from 6.5 to 8.9 miles. The only thing these two sections of the
trail share is a name for they could not be more different in character.
Just a mile or so down the trail from Pickens Gap I passed the confluence of Sugar Fork and Little Fork
creeks which is where the famous backcountry author Horace Kephart lived in an old abandoned copper mine caretaker's cabin
for his first three and one-half years in the region (1904 - 1908?). Kephart is famous for his book Our Southern Highlanders
and the work he did to establish the route for the Appalachian Trail thru what is now the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park. I saw no obvious sign of the old cabin which was probably destroyed when the copper mine was reopened and used
from 1942 until being purchased during the land acquisition for the Fontana Dam project.
Sugar Fork Creek was a constant pleasant companion down the last couple of miles of Jenkins Ridge trail
and by the time I'd arrived at the junction with Hazel Creek trail I'd sweetened my sour attitude from the Jenkins Ridge experience.
There are lots of old cemeteries in this part of the park and you can see their entrances alongside the hiking trails.
My old topographic map shows at least five cemeteries in the Hazel Creek area but I'm sure there are more. Whenever
I hike with Janice we always make a side trip to experience the cemeteries but for some reason I don't do this when hiking
alone. It is times like these when I most miss Jan's natural curiosity and the intellectual presence she brings to each
hiking adventure. Twice each year (Decoration Day and one other) the park service provides free transportation across
Fontana Lake to the Hazel Creek area and from the dock they use 4WD vehicles to shuttle family members who have relatives
buried in these now isolated cemeteries.
A left turn onto Hazel Creek trail and uphill for another 8/10ths of a mile puts me at backcountry campsite
#83 and the start of Bone Valley trail. I make camp here (tent camping) and after rinsing-out and hanging my sweat-soaked
clothing followed by a short rest break I stroll up the 1.8 mile long Bone Valley trail--sans the 46 lb. pack.
Unfortunately I also left behind my TEVA sandals and find I have to wade across four different creeks barefooted before reaching
yet another (5th) unbridged creek crossing near the end of Bone Valley trail. I decide there was nothing much to
see and the rapidly failing light persuades me to reverse course. Four more times barefooted across the creek
(did I mention those submerged rocks and gravel aren't all smooth and flat?) and I'm back in camp. Note:
I returned later this year to hike Bone Valley trail and explore the cabin and cemetery at its upper end. Look
for the journal in Hiking Archives, S.W. Smokies section.
Two other gents from Greensboro and a town north of Raleigh, NC have setup their tent opposite
a small berm from my campsite. They'd taken a ferry from Fontana Marina to the boat dock near the low elevation end
of Hazel Creek trail and were planning to stay for a few days of trout fishing and solitude. They were gathering firewood
while I explored Bone Valley trail. I quietly salivated over the ice chest with cold beer they'd toted in on a wheeled
cart but none was offered and I was too proud to ask.
Dinner was one of those Lipton/Knorr chicken-flavored pasta dishes that you cook in two cups of boiling
water for about 10 minutes. I added a foil pack of chicken breast chunks to the finished product and it was most delicious.
I strolled around the campground (#83 is very large as backcountry sites go) and revisited the NC gents while sipping a cup
of herbal tea. They'd discovered their chicken breasts (intended for dinner) were still frozen solid so it was
going to be dinner by moonlight for them. By 8 pm I'd retired to my one-person tent (MSR Hubba) where I promptly fell asleep for the next 10 hours.
So far I've hiked 19.3 miles in two days which represents the halfway point of my planned journey and I
go to sleep thinking about what I'll see Saturday along Hazel Creek and in the old community of Proctor, circa from 1830.
