21 Days on Warrior's Passage

[Tipi Walter]

Okay boys, I returned from an August backpacking trip and here are the full pics link---

https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backp...riors-Passage/

I started the trip in the Bald River wilderness of East Tennessee and connected to Warrior's Passage trail, Sugar Mt and the Upper Bald River area, Sycamore Creek and Whiggs Meadow, and into Joyce Kilmer wilderness in North Carolina.

I didn't see any backpackers until Day 13 of the trip.

21 DAYS
ON
WARRIORS PASSAGE
TRIP 176
August 7-27 2016

HIGHLIGHTS
**21 DAYS ALL OVER THE MAP
**FIRST TIME ON BASIN LEAD TRAIL SINCE TRIP 14 Nov. 2002
**FIRST CAMP ON TOBE CREEK ON WARRIOR'S PASSAGE TRAIL
**FOUR DAYS ON WARRIOR'S PASSAGE TRAIL
**9 MILE DAY TOBE CREEK TO BALD RIVER WILDERNESS
**9 CREEK SWIMS
**11 DAYS ON THE BMT
**DESERT REPROBATE ON WHIGGS MEADOW
**10 MILE DAY SYCAMORE CREEK TO COLD SPRING GAP
**PATMAN JOINS ME ON BOB MOUNTAIN
**BIG RAINSTORM IN NAKED GROUND GAP
**PATMAN AND I SEE NO BACKPACKERS IN 17 DAYS
**4 DAYS ON THE NAKED GROUND TRAIL 55
**FIRST BACKPACKER OF TRIP GENE GABY WITH DOG LILY ON NAKED GROUND TRAIL
**LONG TALK ON DAY 18 WITH GENE GABY
**I FIND GENE'S YELLOW JACKET NEST AND LEAVE 7 RED RIBBONS
**ASHEVILLE BOB WITH TWO DOGS IN NAKED GROUND GAP

TRAILS
Entrance Cow Camp Trail Bald River Wilderness
Cow Camp
Bald River Trail
**Rock Ledge**
Bald River
**Big Pine**
Bald River
**Cascade Winter Camp**
Bald River
Bald River Road 126
Basin Gap
Basin Lead Trail
**Gravelstand Top Camp**
Basin Lead
Waucheesi Mt Road 126B
Warrior's Passage Trail
**Tobe Creek**
Warrior's Passage
**Wildcat Creek**
Warrior's Passage to Old Furnace Road and Backtrack
**Boy Scout 1965 Camp**
Warrior's Passage Backtrack South
Waucheesi Mt Road
Basin Gap
Bald River Road 126
Bald River Trail
**Cascade Winter Camp**
Bald River Trail
Bald River Road 126 East (Holly Flats)
Brookshire Creek Trail
**Tony Camp**
Sugar Mt Trail (BMT)
**Sugar 3rd Switchback Camp**
Sugar Mt Trail
Fish Hatchery
Sycamore Creek (BMT)
**Hobo Camp**
Sycamore Creek
Whiggs Meadow
Mud Gap BMT
Skyway BMT
Beech Gap
Fodderstack Ridge BMT
Cold Spring Gap
**Little Cove Camp in the Wedge**
54A South
**South Col Bob Mt**
Four Mile Ridge
**Landon Camp Naked Ground Gap**(2)
Naked Ground Trail 55
**Low Dog Camp**
Naked Ground Backtrack Up
**Middle Dog Camp**
Naked Ground Backtrack Up
**High Dog Camp**
Naked Ground Up
**Landon Camp Naked Ground Gap**
Four Mile Ridge
Bob Mt
54A South
**Mighty Oak Camp**
54A South
Fodderstack Ridge
Beech Gap
Skyway Roadwalk to Jeffrey Hell Trailhead and OUT


My trip begins with a shuttle up Tellico River road and into the Bald River wilderness on a "secret" sidetrail called Cow Camp as the trailhead is shown here. My pack is full of 21 days worth of food and fuel and books so it's heavy---around 95 lbs---and my trip starts out on a rigorous climb.



Cow Camp trail pulls me up and over a little mountain and descends to Bald River where I camp and then prepare to leave the wilderness on my Quest for the Warrior's Passage trail. Here I rest at the Cascades on Bald River.



YOUR FOREST SERVICE AT WORK. I leave Bald River wilderness and begin my climb up Waucheesi Mt and notice some recent clearcut logging in "my" mountains.



Near the top of Waucheesi Mt I reach the trailhead to Warrior's Passage, a 5.5 mile trail heading north past several land features. This is the high trailhead vs the low trailhead on Old Furnace road. From here to the end I lose almost 2,000 feet in elevation. The goal of this trip is to backpack this trail north to its end and backtrack south to this spot.



The main landmark on the Warrior's Passage trail is Wildcat Creek which is very low due to our current drought. I camp on this creek for a night.


After several days on Warrior's Passage and a hell slog back up the WP Plunge, I descend Waucheesi Mt and connect to the Upper Bald River wilderness on Brookshire Creek trail and connect to the Benton MacKaye trail where I cool off in Old Dog Falls on the Upper Bald River.



Once on the BMT I climb Sugar Mt where all the water sources are dry except for one and so I carefully suck up 3 liters for the night's camp near the top of Sugar Mt.

[Tipi Walter]

On Day 11 it's time to leave Sugar Mt on the BMT and I stop near the bottom with these neato blazes.



Once off Sugar Mt I begin my BMT climb up Sycamore Creek and in 7 miles with a gain of 3,000 feet I meet Desert Reprobate car camping on top of Whiggs Meadow and waiting for Sgt Rock and several others for a weekend bash. We talk for an hour and I keep heading north on the BMT to Mud Gap and the Rock Quarry and Beech Gap and into the Citico wilderness.



Once in the Citico wilderness I climb up to Bob Mt and arrange a meeting with my backpacking buddy Patman who camps nearby and we eat dinner together in the fir tree grove on the Bob. He's the first backpacker I see in 13 days.



Despite the drought we get a brief rainstorm on Day 14 and so Patman prepares to bail off the mountain and out while I wait for the rain to stop and take the BMT east to the high gap of Naked Ground at around 5,000 feet.



I make it to Naked Ground Gap and check out the view of the Kilmer wilderness/Slickrock valley where I'll be headed in a day. In the far distance is Cheoah Bald and the AT.



I leave Naked Ground Gap and take the Naked Ground trail #55 off the mountain and stop by Eating Frog Rock which apparently just ate another hiker as I find his hat burped up by the frog.



While spending four days on the Naked Ground trail and moving every day, I run into my second backpacker of the trip---Gene Gaby and his dog Lily.

[Tipi Walter]

I backtrack up the Naked Ground Trail 55 and top out back in Naked Ground Gap and meet my third and final backpacker of the trip---a guy from Asheville with two dogs.



I leave Naked Ground on Day 20 and take a break atop Bob Mountain on my way to a campsite off the mountain for my final night.



My trip ends by pulling a short 2 mile roadwalk on the Cherohala Skyway (aka Screamway) where I find this sign of redneck visitation. I reach my shuttle pick-up point and so ends Trip 176.

[DuneElliot]

Sounds like another great trip

[Tipi Walter]

Sounds like another great trip

Furnace hot but no rattlesnakes this time.

[clusterone]

Tippi,

Love your trip reports, thanks. You have some amazing adventures; 21 days and a massive pack...awesome! I am very envious. Been spending most my time at Citico/Slickrock/Joyce Kilmer as it is about the closest wilderness area to my location(Huntsville, AL). Of course it is not only the distance, but it is a truly magical place. Else I am on the Pinhoti. Big Frog and Cohutta, about the same distance away, but my one trip to Big Frog did not compare to getting farther north. One day I am sure to run into you on the trail. Until then... Thanks again and happy hiking!

[T.Bates]

Looks like an awesome trip. Thanks for the pics!!

[Secondmouse]

thanks for taking us along...

[TNhiker]

wow.......

the water at henderson creek crossing is way low....

[TNhiker]

also-----wonder how long the new signs will last...

especially the one at cold spring gap.....

[Tipi Walter]

Tippi,

Love your trip reports, thanks. You have some amazing adventures; 21 days and a massive pack...awesome! I am very envious. Been spending most my time at Citico/Slickrock/Joyce Kilmer as it is about the closest wilderness area to my location(Huntsville, AL). Of course it is not only the distance, but it is a truly magical place. Else I am on the Pinhoti. Big Frog and Cohutta, about the same distance away, but my one trip to Big Frog did not compare to getting farther north. One day I am sure to run into you on the trail. Until then... Thanks again and happy hiking!

Clusterone---We should be able to run into each other sooner or later as I keep returning to old familiar haunts. The Big Frog/Cohutta is one of my favorite winter destinations plus the trails aren't as difficult as in the Citico/Slickrock.

The neat thing about the Cohutta is the BMT---You can use it to connect to Kilmer/Slickrock and to every other trail in the area between Watson Gap or the Pinhoti and the GSMNP.

also-----wonder how long the new signs will last...

especially the one at cold spring gap.....

I give them 30 days before destruction or removal.

[Cadenza]

You covered a lot of ground on this trip!

[TNhiker]

I give them 30 days before destruction or removal.

i hope the one's on warriors passage last longer than that-----i wanna hike that trail but wont be able to do it within 30 daze....

[capehiker]

Did you use common core math? August 13-27 is only 14 days.

[Time Zone]

Did you use common core math? August 13-27 is only 14 days.

15 different days. Count both endpoints.

[Possibly 14 elapsed days, depending on time etc.]

[Tipi Walter]

Thanks for the error message. Trip actually started on August 7.

[The Cleaner]

On Day 11 it's time to leave Sugar Mt on the BMT and I stop near the bottom with these neato blazes.



Once off Sugar Mt I begin my BMT climb up Sycamore Creek and in 7 miles with a gain of 3,000 feet I meet Desert Reprobate car camping on top of Whiggs Meadow and waiting for Sgt Rock and several others for a weekend bash. We talk for an hour and I keep heading north on the BMT to Mud Gap and the Rock Quarry and Beech Gap and into the Citico wilderness.



Once in the Citico wilderness I climb up to Bob Mt and arrange a meeting with my backpacking buddy Patman who camps nearby and we eat dinner together in the fir tree grove on the Bob. He's the first backpacker I see in 13 days.



Despite the drought we get a brief rainstorm on Day 14 and so Patman prepares to bail off the mountain and out while I wait for the rain to stop and take the BMT east to the high gap of Naked Ground at around 5,000 feet.



I make it to Naked Ground Gap and check out the view of the Kilmer wilderness/Slickrock valley where I'll be headed in a day. In the far distance is Cheoah Bald and the AT.



I leave Naked Ground Gap and take the Naked Ground trail #55 off the mountain and stop by Eating Frog Rock which apparently just ate another hiker as I find his hat burped up by the frog.



While spending four days on the Naked Ground trail and moving every day, I run into my second backpacker of the trip---Gene Gaby and his dog Lily.

Gene is from Greeneville.I've followed his tracks several times on local trails here.He likes the less crowded trails.A really nice guy.

[Tipi Walter]

Gene is from Greeneville.I've followed his tracks several times on local trails here.He likes the less crowded trails.A really nice guy.

Meeting him made my day as we sat on the trail and talked for an hour and a half. He even went to school with Will Skelton, another backpacking friend.

[Maydog]

Great report. I think you got the extra meniscus that was supposed to be in my knees, and the extra leg muscles that I was supposed to have instead of these bird legs I have. I can't even fathom carrying 45 lbs; 95...wow. Good for you, though. Thanks for the great trip report.

I'm (mentally) planning a 30'ish day backpack trip next spring. BMT is definitely on the maybe list.

[Time Zone]

Terrific photos, Tipi Walter. Panasonic Lumix?