| May 13, 2005 |
| Sun shiny day
hiking up Buck Mountain with a lot of little water falls, switch
backs up hill and very wet from last nights rain. Broke out
into an open pasture field full of red clovers and grasses dotted
with yellow buttercups. Found evidence of an old homestead
foundation and an old cellar. Saw many butterflies and heard
many chirping birds. |
| I stopped
under the shade of white pines and had a snack. I'm eating a
golden delicious apple which was the first attempt to try and eat an
apple since I left the smokies. |
| Most of the
day I was walking either in white pine forests or hemlock forests.
The ground was covered purple violets. I got to the Isaac
Cemetery, stopped there and checked the old tombstones. |
| The high
light of the day was see Joan Falls, it's a 100' drop falls. I
ate my lunch there with the Boyd's that I've been hiking with or
sheltered with. |
I followed up
a ways, then through another controlled burned area removing the
rhododendrons that were in the trail way. I also some wild
orchids, which the first I've seen blooming within a wet seep area.
I tented somewhere in the Laurel Fork area.
NOTE: I got a little confused on
the dates here, but will continue to the end of this tape.
(Kathy) |
| On Thursday it
was a sun shiny day I left about 9am. I had about 5 more miles
to reach Moreland Gap Shelter. I takes a long time to hike 5
miles although I hiked it in about 4 hours stopping a time or two to
rest. I followed along Laurel Fork creek, with large boulders
along side the trail. The rocks were covered with moss green,
liken green, and rust brown mosses. I saw squaw roots blooming
for the first time. Pine tree moss in the woods and yellow
violets. I've been told that they are called Canada Violets. |
|
Reached White Rock Mountain 4,206'.
It was straight up and straight down with large granite
boulders both in the trail way as well as in the sounding areas.
I stopped to rest and hues of blue mountains on both sides. I
had to leave the area fairly soon because of the gnats and flies.
I still have 6 miles to go to Dennis Cove. It seemed to me
like White Rock Mt. went on and on and on. When I finally got
off White Rock Mt. there was a grove of locus trees and cherry
trees. |
|
I arrive in Dennis Cove around 6:30pm and had to
hike 3 tenths of a mile to Laurel Fork Hostel Lodge where I stayed
last night. I had a cabin by myself . |
Friday and it started to rain so I ducked into the Watauga Dam
Shelter. I could tell that Watauga Lake was deep and on of the
local people told me that it was 300' feet deep. I met a
mother and son hiking with their golden retriever pup and the mother
was from Finally OH and the son had moved into the Hampton area
recently. I just finished a bite of lunch and going to try and
make another 7 miles today if I can, getting into the Vandeventer
Shelter. I'm hiking on Watauga Lake road and
there's this huge big rock cliff and looking on top I see pink
Azaleas in bloom. I looking down the dam right now, but I
looking past down into a huge big canyon. Watauga Dam
length is 900', height 318' and built by the TVA in 1942 through
1949 as a unit of its small multi-purpose system of small
dams. |
|
Who ever told me that this section from US
19 to Damascus was down hill all the way, certainly are dead wrong
because there has been some real steep areas, but I have to agree
the trail is little bit smoother. I'm sitting a big boulder
looking out over the lake and I can see the humidity in the air and
the leaves on the tree are turning up. |
|
I'm standing on top of huge big boulders, I
don't dare to move one way or the another or I could fall off wither
side. The only place to go is down the rock steps and hope for
the best. I made it down the rocks steps without any mishaps,
which is good. |
|
It's interesting how your mind will drift
on the trail, coming down I was thinking what I had to eat for
breakfast this morning. I had beagle with a cream cheese on it
and coffee and orange juice. For lunch, before I left I bought
another beagle with cream cheese on it and a can of Mt. Dew.
Last night I had a boiled potatoes with bunches of butter on it and
I hadn't had any bread for a long time and there happened to be
fresh loaf of bread and I had 4 pieces of bread with butter on it.
I was just now thinking on the trail that I hadn't been to AYCE
Restaurant since Georgia. I would like to have rack of beef, a
lot of hot vegetables and a salad. |
|
I am at Iron Mountain Gap and in the Big
Laurel Wilderness of the Cherokee National Forest. Boy I'm in
luck today trail angles and left beer and pop along side of the road
for through hikers to enjoy. Mickey and Mallory, I think I
might know Mickey, but not so sure I know Mallory. Also just
standing here I see my first lady slipper in bloom. |
|
This Iron Mountain is just like all the
rest, just straight up. Here come these awful boulders, so I
must be near the top or on the top, plus I feel a good cool breeze.
That's one thing going for me today. I can't believe this, I
just dropped my pants; I have a can of pop in one pocket, my maps in
the other and my tape recorder in my back pocket and my pocket book
in my other front pocket, this is just enough weight with my
climbing down the hill, it kept the gravity going down. When I
get Damascus, I'll have to replace these pants...I had them over my
short because of the pockets, but the elastic in the top is just
about ready to break. I'm glad there wasn't anybody behind me to see
me drop my pants. |
|
I just had Moose from Vermont pass me by,
he was telling me that tonight's shelter had water , but it was
about 1/2 mile straight down and told me to get my water at the
spring and even cook my dinner there before I went on to the
shelter, and carry just enough water for the morning. Good
advice! |
It's not surprising why they call this Iron
Mountain, because of the color of these boulders and stones. I
finally made it to the spring. What little bit of water there
was in it was not a very good spring at all. I got enough water for
tonight and I'm going to eat a cold supper and probably cold cereal
in the morning. It's probably about 4 miles past the shelter
for a reliable water source. There is a beautiful sunset off
to the west. A gold and white in color. I arrived at
Vandeventer Shelter a 8pm. Mimi and her husband "Mud Bud" was
there already set up. I was surprised to see anyone there.
When we arrived Simon and I were extremely tired and in bed by
8:30pm. Even thought it was Friday the 13th we were lucky, the
trail angels left the pop and I had a hiker tell me to take plenty
of water because there wasn't any water close to the shelter and
also we beat the storm and didn't have any problems with the storm
until late in the night. We didn't get our feathers wet.
So all in all it was a lucky day and a good day for hiking.
Simon says "Where's the sofa?" |
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