Appalachian Trail: Devil Fork Gap to Hogback Ridge Shelter

The other day I made plans to meet up with a good friend from elementary and high school. His name is Colin and he is currently thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. Greeneville is pretty close to the trail and he happened to be in the vicinity so we met at Devil Fork Gap where the trail crosses NC Highway 212 just feet from the boundary with Tennessee. When I pulled up in my car, Colin (trail name Scarecrow) was already there waiting and we hit the trail soon after my arrival. It was exciting to think that the last time I had hiked this section of trail was nearly 13 years ago during my thru-hike!

After we started on the trail, we soon crossed over a livestock stile and headed into the woods.

We ascended up a small mountain and then descended down to another road. After crossing the road we again began an ascent. Soon we passed a small cemetery plot

and then found ourselves roughly following a small flowing stream. Eventually the trail led to an old habitation site, a cabin mouldering back to the earth. There was a small waterfall where the trail crossed over the stream.

As we ascended higher the trail got steep. Luckily great conversation about old times and family kept our minds off the climb. When we had ascended to the top of a ridge we were treated to a great view of some of the distant mountains.

While the trees in the lower elevations are starting to leaf out, the ones up on the mountains still have a while to go before they get their greenery. The bare branches allow for better views and for sunlight to reach below the forest canopy and reach the abundant wildflowers.

We spent some time traversing the ridge, mostly ascending but also descending for short stretches. Eventually we found ourselves at a junction in the trail. A side trail led to the Hogback Ridge Shelter and we followed the trail so Colin could get some water and we could relax for a bit.

According to my journal I stayed at the Hogback Ridge Shelter when I had thru-hiked, seeing it did not inspire any memories. A barbed-wire fence that ran parallel to a long portion of the trail did seem to look familiar though. I remembered walking along the fence as a light drizzle changed over to flurries and my journal seems to confirm this.

When Colin had returned from getting water we relaxed for a few minutes before it was time to get moving again. Colin would be heading north while I would retrace our steps back to Devil Fork Gap. We got a photo of the two of us together

and then I watched as Colin headed north and continued on his great adventure.

In a way I was jealous of him and the great sense of freedom being on the trail inspires, but I live a life of responsibility now with a wife and daughter, both of whom I love so much.

After I watched Colin walk away, I made my way south. Since I was alone I didn't feel guilty about stopping to take photos and so I stopped several times to photograph the many wildflowers in bloom like bloodroot,

violets,

trout lilies, Dutchman's breeches,

and spring beauty.

Despite the fact that I stopped quite often I made good time on the mostly downhill hike back to the car. I covered roughly 12.2 miles round-trip and enjoyed every second of this hike, especially the great company on the first half. Good luck Colin! I'm sure in about 4 months you'll be standing on top of Katahdin.
        

Cherokee National Forest: Paint Creek Corridor

Wanting to get out and enjoy a beautiful day Noelle, Sierra, Parker and I headed over to Food City for some picnic supplies and then headed over to the Paint Creek portion of Cherokee National Forest. It was a pleasant drive into the forest and we quickly found the Overlook Picnic Area where we ate our lunch and listened to the sounds of cascading water in Paint Creek.

After lunch it was time for a walk. We decided that instead of driving the road along Paint Creek or looking for a trail to hike, we would just walk the road.

This turned out to be a good decision and we were not the only ones walking the road. We saw lots of families and dogs and even the local Boy Scout Troop. The plants are starting to green up a bit and we even saw some flowers in bloom

including one of my personal favorites Trillium.

We also saw two waterfalls, both right off the road. The first was the impressive Kelley Falls.

The second was Dudley Falls, known for its deep swimming hole below the falls and rocks that swimmers often jump off of into the water.

At Dudley Falls we turned around and walked the road back to the Overlook Picnic Area and our car. It was a pleasant walk through the beautiful springtime woods.       

Cherokee National Forest: Sill Branch Falls

It was a beautiful day today and the Grunwalds decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather by going for a hike. I researched some hikes that would be pleasant but not too tough for the whole family and the hike to Sill Branch Falls seemed to fit the bill.

The hike started off Clark Creek Road in a very pretty pleasant area. Some wildflowers were starting to bloom

as we hiked along Sill Branch.

We crossed the stream on some stepping stones and then steeply ascended to the falls.

The falls were impressively tall with lots of water from the late week rains.

We admired them for a bit before retracing our steps back to the car.
   

Photos of the Day: Millstone Creek Falls

Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park

Today Noelle, Sierra, Parker and I set out to explore our new home area a little bit more. We visited the Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park in Limestone, Tennessee. There is not a whole lot at this park. There is a swimming pool, campground, and a few short trails. There is also a small cabin that represents the type of home that Crockett would have been born in on the Tennessee frontier.

The cabin is set along the banks of the Nolichucky River and there is a nice monument marking the site of Davy Crockett's birth. As a matter of fact, there are actually two of them. There is the modern one that was installed in the 1960s

and an older one (actually the engraved footstone of the original cabin).

Both were interesting.   

Cherokee National Forest: Margarette Falls

Today Noelle, Sierra, Parker and I got out for our first hike in the Greeneville area. It was a pleasant drive to the trailhead in the Cherokee National Forest. We arrived at the trailhead, got the backpack ready and headed off.

The hike started on an old gravel road.

Eventually we left the old road and started off on a muddy footpath. The trail paralleled a cascading creek with lots of views of tumbling water.

Eventually we crossed the creek on a footbridge

and later crossed the creek again on some slippery stepping stones.

Shortly after crossing the creek for the second time we found ourselves at the impressive Margarette Falls.

We took a family photo at the falls and then started to make our way back to the trailhead. The hike back to the car was all downhill and so was very easy, except for the slippery mud. As we made our way back to the old road section of our hike we ran into a pair of hikers and their dog. The lady in the group informed us that she worked for the chamber of commerce and she took a photo of us hiking to use on their website. After only 2 days in town it looks like we're going to be helping to sell Greeneville to visitors!      

Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site

Last night Sierra, Noelle and I stayed in Little Rock, Arkansas. This morning we woke up, packed, ate breakfast and headed a few blocks east to the Central High School National Historic Site. I had been there before back in 2006, but for Noelle and Sierra it was a first visit. The visitor center, which was new since my last visit, contained a lot of interesting exhibits about civil rights and the Little Rock Nine, the first group of African American students to attend the school. These black students faced an incredible amount of hatred and hardships in attending the formerly all-white school.

After checking out the exhibits, we headed outside for a look at the school itself and a small memorial park located across the street from the visitor center.

After leaving Little Rock it was a long, painful drive to Memphis and eventually Nashville. Traffic was at a standstill on Interstate 40. it took about 2 hours to travel 4 miles. When we finally got to Memphis we had a delicious early dinner at Corky's before moving east to Nashville.