Unaka Mountain, TN/NC

It should come as no surprise that I’m behind on my posts again; not necessarily behind on my outdoor pursuits, just blogging about them. As it stands, I have 2 posts to write after this one and, as I plan to take full advantage of the fall weather, hopefully many more to come. We’ll see how good I am at playing catch-up.

As my dedicated fan-base has likely noticed, I’ve spent a lot of time in Unicoi Co., TN recently. Diana lives in Erwin and the county offers miles and miles of hiking trails ancient and new; this makes my hike-selection much easier. Unicoi Co. is dominated by mountains – other than a narrow valley which is home to the towns of Erwin and Unicoi, the terrain is quite rugged; and over half of the county is owned by the federal government which provides a significant swath of real estate for wilderness exploration.

Of the many mountains within and along the borders of Unicoi Co., there is perhaps no more well-known than Unaka Mountain. This namesake of the Unaka Range - the mountains which trace the TN/NC border along the county’s eastern edge - towers above Erwin and Unicoi and is easily viewed while traveling down Interstate-26. While Unaka Mountain isn’t even in the top-10 in elevation among the peaks of the Unaka Range (the summits of the Roan Highlands are included in the Unaka Range and are much taller), it still offers beautiful views and great hiking.

Several weeks ago, I decided to get an unusually early start to a hike along Unaka Mountain. It was the first cool day we’ve seen since spring and I had hoped to be greeted by dense fog covering the mountain for an other-worldly hike in the clouds. By the time I reached the summit (easily accessible via Unaka Mountain Road) however, the fog had faded; but the early morning light and the high elevation provided for views that were welcome in place of the clouds.

 

 

 

 

I hiked along both Horseback Ridge and Stamping Ground Ridge, prominent ridges that descend into the valleys below, and the views along the well-maintained trails were spectacular. It didn’t take long for the crisp, refreshing morning air to yield to the thick, warm air of early afternoon – I was so excited to wear a fleece for the first time in months, but it was soaked with sweat and strapped to my pack after a couple of hours.

 

 

 

 

 

After hiking a little over a mile along each ridge, I drove down Unaka Mountain Road to the point where it is nearest to the Appalachian Trail. The AT follows near the eastern edge of the county and climbs over the true summit of Unaka, which sports a beautiful spruce forest more common at more northern latitudes. I parked the 4Runner near the short side-trail that leads to the AT and began my climb. This a very peaceful section of the AT as the trail meaders through the changing forest-types, ascending over 1.5 miles to the summit.

 

 

No views are to be found at the top – the dense spruce canopy prevents any line of sight to the coves miles below and creates an eerie forest environment otherwise found only in the Roan Highlands to the north. Once I reached the summit, I searched for the USGS survey marker signifying the peak. After about 30 minutes of wandering the area and searching the ground and rocks near the top, I gave up. I strapped on my pack and climbed back down to the 4Runner.

Hiking in cooler weather is so revitalizing, and it was good to get a brief glimpse of the seasons ahead. Although I was alone in my hike and it was relatively uneventful, I had a wonderful time – the great views and great weather filled my heart with an alacrity for more gorgeous hikes so uneventfully fulfilling.

Thanks for reading!

Bald Mountains, TN/NC (again)

When I go out to eat, I hate to visit restaurants at which I’ve recently eaten – I try to maintain a rotation that keeps repeat visits far apart. There are some exceptions to this (having a girlfriend certainly makes restaurant-selection a complicated affair), but a list of restaurants at which I would regularly eat is another blog altogether.

 

I take a similar approach to my selection for hiking destinations. Our region has so many beautiful places to visit – waterfalls, scenic views, etc. – but there’s a limit to its splendor. While I certainly haven’t seen all there is to see in the area (not by a long shot), there are plenty of factors which limit my hiking selections: time, daylight, hunting seasons, how spry I’m feeling, etc. But perhaps the greatest limitation is those hiking with me. I’m perfectly happy to dive into briar-thickets and laurel-hells, climb treacherous cliffs and lose myself in a trail-less wilderness on my own; but I’m not comfortable with such recklessness when friends or a girlfriend are in tow (except for Micah, he doesn’t care).

So a few weeks ago, I set out on a hike about which I’ve previously blogged (http://faroutsidethewire.blogspot.com/2012/10/bald-mountains-tnnc.html) with Diana, Micah, and our friend Josh. While our time-limitations and the size of our party restricted our destinations to only a few hikes, this hike along a remarkable stretch of the Appalachian Trail was perfect. My previous hike had been last fall, during peak foliage, and was absolutely gorgeous; being in the middle of summer, this hike was quite different. Everything was so lush and green, albeit the views were slightly more hazy.

Josh dangling his feet into TN

I’ll spare you most of the gory technical details of the hike, but it’s about 4 miles out-and-back with very little elevation change. We began in the shadow of Camp Creek Bald and followed the white blazes of the AT past the spur trails for Blackstaff and Whiterock Cliffs. From here, we continued to wind over the ridgeline of the Bald Mountains until we reached the portion of the trail which climbs from beneath the canopy onto the appropriately-named Firescald Ridge. The exposed, narrow, rugged ridgeline is surrounded by laurel and offers sweeping views into both Tennessee and North Carolina.

Diana, leading us onto Firescald Ridge

 

 

Micah's just happy to be out of the house

 

Diana, adorably enjoying her lunch
 

Why would you bring honey?
 

 

 

 

 

Look at her!

From this section of ridgeline, the AT continues north for quite a distance toward its Unicoi County portion where it actually turns south (despite still being north-bound) to reach Sam’s Gap. But on this hike, we turned around at this point and made our way back to the 4Runner. It was a beautiful day for a hike, and given the heat and humidity that day, I think we all welcomed the hike's brevity.

 

I’ve never been a very decisive person (with restaurants or with hikes), so it’s often nice to have certain factors which serve to narrow the options (right, Tolliver?). And when all the options are so wonderful, especially this hike, I don’t have much reason to complain. Too many options is certainly a good problem to have.

Thanks for reading!

Black Bear Scouting - (location undisclosed)

In anticipation of the upcoming hunting seasons, I realized I was woefully behind in my preparation; my varied outdoor interests don’t end at hiking and bushcraft – I enjoy hunting and fishing as well.  Over the past few years, I’ve taken particular interest in hunting black bear, game in which our region is abundant. I’ve never killed a black bear, but the excitement of the hunt and simply being outdoors and having a forced timeout from the loudness that fills our lives (and even most hikes) is so appealing – and the results of a successful hunt, the meat, the hide, the skull, are pretty appealing too.

 

In regards to hunting, particularly black bear, the old adage is true – when you fail to plan, you plan to fail. So I took some much-needed PTO last week and wandered into the woods of Unicoi Co. to scout a few places I’ve never hunted (or hiked) before. I had done some intensive map-study prior to heading out and had noted a few locations I thought would be my best bets for encountering a bear.

As is typical for days I take off work, the forecast called for rain; and it was quite believable judging from the sky overhead as I hit the trail. I put on my rain-jacket and pack-cover in anticipation of the rain, and after 30 minutes of quietly hiking up a few old trails I was begging for rain – the only thing thicker than the humidity was the gnat-swarm that followed me. My two layers of clothing were soaked in sweat and I killed a few gnats with each blink.

 

The rain never did fall; and after 2 hours and a couple of miles of hiking, I hadn’t seen a single sign. No scat, no tracks, no claw-marks on trees. Not a thing. I climbed down a rocky ridge to a worn but overgrown trail in the bed of an old logging road, when I heard movement up the trail. I turned to investigate and I saw the best sign for which I could’ve hoped…

 

 

Junior is obviously too small to kill, but his mommy won’t be; and I’m sure she was somewhere nearby. I stood in the middle of the trail for about 30 minutes – the cub stayed on the trail ahead of me for about 5 minutes and slowly made his way up the mountain, off-trail and out-of-sight. I don’t believe he realized I was close – my limited camouflage and aura of Scent-A-Way must have hidden my presence well enough. I didn’t want to follow him and upset his guardian, so I stayed put, blazed a tree near where he had stood, marked the location on my map, and then made my way back to my 4Runner. I’ll return in a week or so to explore farther up the trail and the barren ridges above it – hopefully future scouting trips and this season will be equally successful.

Thanks for reading!