Two days on Slickrock Creek

[Dogwood]

So, is it safe to say you did this trip more as scamper rather than a hiker?

Wow, a butt heavy 75 lb + load jammed inside a 6500 cubic inch pack for a two day mid summer trip. My eyelids are feeling heavy just reading that.

"I have both a Silky Big Boy saw and a hatchet. My Slinglight chair. Two cook pots plus a frying pan. A white gas stove and two spare fuel bottles. A Purcell Trench grill. A spare tarp. The list goes on….
I’m also carrying a ton of food for such a short trip. A big prime ribeye steak, worchestershire sauce, 4 big potatoes, a bottle of cooking oil, mild Italian sausage, red beans and rice, a pound of bacon, half dozen eggs, 5 bananas, a jar of almond butter, a loaf of raisin bread, granola, powdered milk, a block of cheese, and the obligatory fiber bars. It’s fun to eat well in the woods."

WOW, oodles of calories, protein, cholesterol, and fat. Did you note your body wt pre and post trip? Were you expecting a small troop of Boy Scouts short on chow to stop by? Must have sat in that sling chair likely napping alot? Are you one of those outdoorsy scamper types that return from their trips weighing more and having raised cholesterol several points? I see you noted you are already on cholesterol meds.

"I drop 1000 feet and a mile and a half to Slickrock Creek. It took me an hour and a half, going all downhill."(with a 75 lb load).
"The hump back out to Big Fat Gap kicked my butt. It took me three hours from Slickrock Creek back to the car at Big Fat Gap."(with a almost 70 ln load). ,....two hours later I made it back, legs throbbing, sweat pouring."

No surprises there. At least I saw that you used trekking poles. So, you're cool about all that? Ever stop to consider the toll it all has on your body?

Thanks for the report Cadenza. Enjoyed painfully reading about it. The pics helped me digest the pain I felt for your body. You should label this the "Everything but the Kitchen Sink Trip."

[Dogwood]

Ooops, you've been prescribed cholesterol meds but you refuse to take them.

[Cadenza]

Hey, I never said my way is the only way. It's A way.

I did this trip and enjoyed it. Then I went back home, regrouped, switched packs, came back for another go at it, and hiked hard for 6 hours straight, spent the night, got up and hit the trail hard for 10 hours of virtually non-stop hard hiking the next day. I burned a couple of calories.

But the first trip was way more fun!

[Dogwood]

75 lb load and you didn't even pack some JD?

You know I'm only screwin with ya Cadenza, right?

Indeed, HYOH. You managed to even clean up some. That tells us a lot. You certainly left that campfire ring in much better looking shape. THX.

[stir crazy]

I haven't hiked in the Slickrock area yet. I hike a lot in the Cohutta Wilderness because it's so close to where I live. I'm going hiking next week and was wondering if any of you could tell me a good 2 night loop hike in the Slickrock area. I'll be coming up from Canton, GA. How would you compare that area to hiking in the Cohutta?

[TNhiker]

How would you compare that area to hiking in the Cohutta?

ive only been to Cohutta twice------but have spent a bunch (not as much at tipi) nights in JK/Slickrock areas............

the biggest difference is that i thought cohutta was flat compared to most anything in the JK area.....

JK has more ridges and what not, so the trails have to go up to ridge...............

one of the other biggest differences-----saw way, way more people in cohutta...

i stayed by panther falls and it was crowded, then when i cut over to a trail i cant remember the name----a ton of people were coming up from beech bottoms area...............


as for a two night loop---------i would think one of the best hikes would be to involve the hangover....

park at big fat gap----take hangover lead south up to the hangover----camp there................or go over to naked ground and camp there.....

next day---go down slickrock creek trail-----go down to the creek and theres a bunch of campsites in that area.......

and then complete loop by going up big fat gap trail to parking lot..........

[Tipi Walter]

I always like to compare the Big Frog/Cohutta to the Citico/Slickrock. When I'm sitting in my tent in the Cohutta I often write up a short paragraph on the differences. As TNhiker says, the Cohutta seems flat when compared to the other wilderness areas. Citico/Slickrock is all bunched up and has many Nutbuster trails: Upper Slickrock 42, Jenkins Meadow, Naked Ground Trail, Hangover Lead South, (and Hangover Lead North!!), North Fork Citico, Brush Mt, Mill Branch---you name it, you'll get your butt handed to you.

Big Frog/Cohutta on the other hand doesn't have any 5,300 foot mountains---the highest is Big Frog at 4,224---and the trails are very gradual. The only nutbuster I can think of is Panther Creek from Conasauga River up to East Cowpens trail. It's rough. And I haven't done Tearbritches or the short section of Hickory Creek running from Conasauga River west to forest road 17.

Of course, Hickory Ridge from Jacks River up to Cowpens is also tough in short spurts so there's some backpacking involved either way.

The main difference is the Citico/Slickrock has a hateful noisy road cutting thru the best of it so you get to hear harley motorcycle roars and screams all day. Except in winter. Cohutta has none of that, although it's closer to Atlanta so I often hear many more overhead jets and frequent helicopters passing overhead.

And Cohutta doesn't get walloped as bad with winter storms and arctic outbreaks. You still might need your microspikes in January and February in Cohutta but probably not your snow shovel.

TNhiker's loop is pretty good, although going down 42 the Nutbuster from Naked Ground Gap will prove to be harrowing.

I like this loop: Park at Joyce Kilmer near memorial lot, hike up Naked Ground trail to the ridge and swing over to the Hangover and camp, head down Deep Creek trail and junction with Haoe Lead trail. Go up Haoe Lead trail and go past Jenkins Meadow trail jct to the flat ridge on Haoe Lead for night 2, then backtrack to Jenkins and descend down to your car.

[Tipi Walter]

Another loop idea if the water is down:
Park at Slickrock Creek trailhead off Highway 129. Go up Slickrock Creek 12 crossings to the final crossing and either camp or camp by Wildcat Falls after the 10th crossing.

Find the Nichols Cove trailhead (off the Slickrock Creek trail by the Big Fat Gap trail)---take Nichols up to Windy Gap and down to the little gravesite and either camp or take Yellowhammer to Ike Branch trail and camp in a high gap above Ike Creek. Third day go down Ike Branch trail which junctions Slickrock Creek and out to your car.

[stir crazy]

Thank you Tipi and Tnhiker. Any idea of the mileages for these loops? I need to run to REI and get the map. Sounds pretty challenging. I really don't mind the steep ups and downs as long as I'm not doing it all day long. I've done the AT through GA and NC so I have some experience with the ups and downs of higher elevations, but I'm definitely a section hiker -- usually 3-4 day variety. On a 3 day hike with elevation, I would like to stay in that 10-12 miles/day range if possible.

[TNhiker]

I really don't mind the steep ups and downs as long as I'm not doing it all day long

then you dont wanna do slickrock going up..........

i dont have mileages on me.........my map is at house and i wont be home for a few days..

but, all of the loops suggested (both mine and tipis) are in the 10-14 mile.....maybe a touch longer............and thats total mileage and not one day mileage.......

[Ashepabst]

as for a two night loop---------i would think one of the best hikes would be to involve the hangover....

park at big fat gap----take hangover lead south up to the hangover----camp there................or go over to naked ground and camp there.....

next day---go down slickrock creek trail-----go down to the creek and theres a bunch of campsites in that area.......

and then complete loop by going up big fat gap trail to parking lot..........

it's about 2.8 from Big Fat Gap up to the Hangover and then maybe another mile over to Naked Ground.

my notes say that it's about 6 miles from Naked Ground down to the first intersection with Big Fat Tr. and then another STEEP 1.5 miles up to Big Fat Gap.

[Ashepabst]

hey TNHiker, we may've already talked about this but did you ever end up doing the dead end trail up Horse Cove? I've wondered what the story behind that is.

[Tipi Walter]

Thank you Tipi and Tnhiker. Any idea of the mileages for these loops? I need to run to REI and get the map. Sounds pretty challenging. I really don't mind the steep ups and downs as long as I'm not doing it all day long. I've done the AT through GA and NC so I have some experience with the ups and downs of higher elevations, but I'm definitely a section hiker -- usually 3-4 day variety. On a 3 day hike with elevation, I would like to stay in that 10-12 miles/day range if possible.

It's not the steepness of the trails that are a problem, it's the CONDITION of the trails---most especially the Nutbuster Upper Slickrock. If you like thickets and brush and saplings and sawbriars and briars and hemlock blowdowns you'll love this trail. Add some near vertical stretches and you'll be right at home.

it's about 2.8 from Big Fat Gap up to the Hangover and then maybe another mile over to Naked Ground.

From Big Fat Gap to the Hangover may only be 2.8 or 3 miles, but it seems like 8. It's also now part of the newly rerouted BMT.

[Ashepabst]

From Big Fat Gap to the Hangover may only be 2.8 or 3 miles, but it seems like 8. It's also now part of the newly rerouted BMT.

agreed. me and my buddy did this loop back in late July last year and didn't make too far passed the Hangover on day 1. upper Slickrock was even worse, for the reasons you just described.

[Ashepabst]

...*PAST the Hangover...

[TNhiker]

hey TNHiker, we may've already talked about this but did you ever end up doing the dead end trail up Horse Cove? I've wondered what the story behind that is.

no.......found it on a few maps but never really explored in that little cove that it starts in off the road...............

its on the long list of places to check out, but i seem to get distracted by other things.............

[TNhiker]

agreed. me and my buddy did this loop back in late July last year and didn't make too far passed the Hangover on day 1. upper Slickrock was even worse, for the reasons you just described.

and hellfire, ashe---this is the loop you suggested to me once i got around to exploring that area...

and thanks for the arse kickin.... ;P

[Traffic Jam]

I was on Ike Branch trail 2 days ago and the blowdowns are terrible.

I agree the new BMT from the Hangover to Big Fat Gap seems like 8 mi. It stormed the night before and was muddy and slippery. I fell numerous times. It took me about 3 hours.

As far as the new section of the BMT from the Hangover to Yellow Hammer Gap, I'll never do it again by myself.

[Traffic Jam]

Ike Branch trail

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[Traffic Jam]

One more comment, if you camp at Naked Ground, the water source is about 0.1 mi down Slickrock Creek trail.