View Full Version : Water source on Mt. Sterling
SGT Rock
09-26-2014, 19:38
Anyone been up there lately? How is the flow?
liteweight
09-28-2014, 22:50
Was up there a couple of weeks ago and the pipe was flowing good. Just wish it wasn't a .7 hike down to it.
HooKooDooKu
09-28-2014, 23:44
Was up there a couple of weeks ago and the pipe was flowing good. Just wish it wasn't a .7 hike down to it.
Anyone got ant GPS coordinates on this water source? I'd like to add it to my GSMNP Google Earth information.
I've got something marked. But I don't know how accurate it is. I show that you go about 1/4 mile down Baxter Creek Tr to reach the side trail. Then the side trail is about 0.15 miles to the water source.
sliderule
09-29-2014, 10:44
I show that you go about 1/4 mile down Baxter Creek Tr to reach the side trail. Then the side trail is about 0.15 miles to the water source.
That's reasonably correct. Of course, I did not have a GPS, so it's possible that I have been going to the wrong spring. The water seemed cold and wet, but without high-tech confirmation, I suppose one never really knows.
SGT Rock
09-29-2014, 12:27
Anyone got ant GPS coordinates on this water source? I'd like to add it to my GSMNP Google Earth information.
I've got something marked. But I don't know how accurate it is. I show that you go about 1/4 mile down Baxter Creek Tr to reach the side trail. Then the side trail is about 0.15 miles to the water source.
I'll try to remember to get it tomorrow when I am up there.
That's reasonably correct. Of course, I did not have a GPS, so it's possible that I have been going to the wrong spring. The water seemed cold and wet, but without high-tech confirmation, I suppose one never really knows.
there is two springs in the mount sterling area----one is along baxter creek trail (i think this is the quarter mile away one) and there's one down on mount sterling trail (one that i think is 0.7 away)........
SGT Rock
09-29-2014, 14:41
Yes, there is a stream crossing at 1.6 miles from the bridge, and another further up that isn't as reliable so I haven't got a GPS point to it. I'll try to remember to put a waypoint there too. The one I'm thinking of (if I remember correctly) is 1.9 miles from the campsite and right on the trail.
the two springs im mentioning are coming down from the campsite at mount sterling....
not sure if there are bridges in that area...
SGT Rock
09-29-2014, 18:17
By down do you mean after you crest the mountain heading south?
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If one is at the campsite at mount sterling----one spring is down Baxter creek trail just a touch.....maybe quarter of mile?
The other spring is---from the campsite----going down mount sterling trail a little bit......maybe half mile?
I guess that would be going south and to the west on the trail.....
SGT Rock
09-29-2014, 20:07
Got it. I knew about the one (I think) and didn't know about the other.
HooKooDooKu
09-29-2014, 23:51
Looking at the topology of the region in Google Earth, I can't see any spot that looks like there would be water until you get below the cut thru the forest that takes power to the tower... but that's about 1/2 a mile down Mt Sterling trail AFTER the 0.4 mile hike to the trail from the camp site. Then again, looking at the topology, I don't understand the spring at Newton Bald.
sliderule
09-30-2014, 00:36
Looking at the topology of the region in Google Earth...
http://www.math.pepperdine.edu/kiga/topology.html
SGT Rock
09-30-2014, 06:18
I'm sure he meant topography.
Looking at the topology of the region in Google Earth, I can't see any spot that looks like there would be water until you get below the cut thru the forest that takes power to the tower... but that's about 1/2 a mile down Mt Sterling trail AFTER the 0.4 mile hike to the trail from the camp site. Then again, looking at the topology, I don't understand the spring at Newton Bald.
the other spring that i mention----that's sorta where its at...
go down from campsite---make the left on to mount sterling trail and its there...
dont think its a half mile from that intersection but its been a few years since ive been up there....
SGT Rock
10-02-2014, 14:07
I've located multiple possible water sources:
Baxter Creek Trail:
Latitude/Longitude: N35° 45.0481', W83° 6.5337' - bridge over Big Creek at start
Latitude/Longitude: N35° 44.576', W83° 6.828' - Stream crossing - 0.8 from start
Latitude/Longitude: N35° 44.278', W83° 6.612' - Stream bed usually with seep - 1.3 from start
Latitude/Longitude: N35° 44.234', W83° 6.890' - stream crossing - 1.7 from start
Latitude/Longitude: N35° 43.518', W83° 6.646' - seep, until now considered it unreliable but I've now seen it in 3 seasons (ever time I hike it) - 3.5 from start
Latitude/Longitude: N35° 42.286', W83° 7.345' - piped spring near campsite. Turn off is 6.0 miles from start. The turn off is at N35° 42.298', W83° 7.196' and the trail is about 800' long
Overall distance for the Baxter Creek Trail is 6.2 per my measurement, so the water source is about 0.4 from the campsite.
I didn't do the entire Mt. Sterling Trail. I only went down about 0.25 miles and found a seep I could have gotten water out of if I did a little work. The one TNhiker mentions about 0.5 from the top may be a better source. The one I found is at N35° 42.0231', W83° 7.3571'. That would make this source about 0.7 from the campsite, the other that TNhiker is talking about would probably be about 0.9-1.0 from the campsite. I went out the Swallow Fork and Big Creek Trails. Water is so far down on Swallow Fork that I don't think most people would want to fill there and climb with 3 liters of water when there is a source so close to the top.
HooKooDooKu
10-02-2014, 18:03
Numbers are pretty darn close to what I've got...
My calculated overall distance for the Baxter Creek Trail is 6.1 (matching the Little Brown Book).
The intersection for the water trail is 0.25 from the campsite, and the side trail is 0.15 (i.e. 0.4 total).
Your exact mark for the spring is within 50' of what I had marked based on the topography shown in Google Earth.
Your mark for the water source down Mt. Sterling Trail is located where I expected it to be (based on topography) for a location BEFORE the power lines when going down hill (except your mark was a bit up hill off the side of the trail).
Thanks for the info... it's especially nice to know about the water source heading towards the power lines.
greentick
10-03-2014, 21:52
Great timing. I was just wondering what the water was like up on Sterling. I will be up there with 2 of my kids the end of the month. Thanks all for the ground-truth!
HooKooDooKu
10-04-2014, 01:05
If you take your kids up there like I did... making a two night loop out of campsites #37 and #38... #37 is considered the campsite with the most mice. It's the only place I've ever stayed and got mouse damage to my food bag. You have to prepare for the fact that the mice can climb the cables to get to your bag.
greentick
10-04-2014, 11:12
Thanks for the heads up on the mice. We are doing Big Creek to Sterling, then Sterling to #37, then back to Big Creek.
Is that hump up to Sterling a killer? I love the suck (WETSU!) but I have been psychologically prepping the kids (and myself to ease off on the "drive-on" attitude with them). We have a 6.5-7hr drive before hitting the trail so I suspect we will hit Sterling after dark. They are fired up nonetheless.
sliderule
10-04-2014, 13:26
Is that hump up to Sterling a killer?
You would be hard-pressed to find more unrelenting climb anywhere in the park. Given your circumstances, I would have chosen the opposite itinerary.
greentick
10-04-2014, 13:34
Heh. Builds character. I wanted the opposite but due to the size of our party(7) the spots weren't there and I had to reverse it. I told them they can sleep in Saturday.
greentick
10-04-2014, 13:56
Up to Cheoah bald from the NOC strikes me as a similar hump...~4000' over 7miles or so. But it was just constant up with a section toward the peak that was "more" up. Wasn't as bad as I thought. Just up.
HooKooDooKu
10-04-2014, 14:00
Simply leave home earlier...
When I hike in the Smokies, I try to get a good nights rest two nights before the trip. The night before the trip, the boys go to bed in their hiking cloths. I go to bed by 9:00pm, wake at 3:00am (CDT). I take a shower, change into my hiking cloths, and about 3:30am rouse the boys down to the car where they promptly fall back asleep. Even stopping some where along the way for brunch, we're usually on the trail before 11:00 EDT.
If you really need a full day the 1st day, the thing I used to do was head to bed the night before as early as 6:00pm and wake around midnight arriving in the Smokies by dawn.
SGT Rock
10-04-2014, 19:15
It depends on how fast you take it. We did it in 6 hours and I never felt exhausted.
greentick
10-04-2014, 19:50
It depends on how fast you take it. We did it in 6 hours and I never felt exhausted.
thanks Rock, that'll work. Sorry for the thread hijack. That bourbon platy still in use?
SGT Rock
10-04-2014, 19:51
Yes sir. It still gets used. Probably has over 1000 trail miles at this point.
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greentick
10-04-2014, 19:53
Yes sir. It still gets used. Probably has over 1000 trail miles at this point.
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Nice!............
greentick
10-28-2014, 09:12
Piped spring still running well close to the top, ~2-3 LPM.
Kids had an awesome time and did really great. Took us about 6.5hrs to get to the top with about 2hrs of hiking under headlamp. Glad I brought my skinny-minnies some extra layers, was about 30* with 10-20mph winds. Great 3 days, very proud of my girls.
28775
SGT Rock
10-28-2014, 09:56
Outstanding!
HooKooDooKu
10-28-2014, 14:17
Piped spring still running well close to the top, ~2-3 LPM.
Kids had an awesome time and did really great. Took us about 6.5hrs to get to the top with about 2hrs of hiking under headlamp. Glad I brought my skinny-minnies some extra layers, was about 30* with 10-20mph winds. Great 3 days, very proud of my girls.
Was that Friday's weather?
I too was in the park this weekend, but pretty much the opposite end (Abram's Falls, Hannah Mtn, and Gregory Bald). For October, our weather was really warm. I only brought a toboggan and one jacket as even night time lows at Gregory Bald were forecasted in the high 50's. Only time I felt a little cool was on Gregory Bald as sun set with the constant wind.
However, when we got started Saturday morning, temperatures were WAY below what I had expected.
BTW, The water source for Sheep Pen's Gap was the highest I've ever seen it out of a half-dozen trips there. So I'm not surprised you had good flow at Sterling.
greentick
10-28-2014, 14:40
Was that Friday's weather?
....
30* is what was on the thermometer clipped to my pack when I dropped it at the campsite. Wind was a subjective estimate. I didn't bring my anemometer LOL.
So long as I'm dry and fed I pretty much hike in shorts and tshirt down to freezing. They had a thick fleece and a rainshell tied to the outside of the pack and that got them to within a mile of the finish. Then we broke out the vests, hats, and neck gaiters. As I was giving them their stuff, one of them asked "Dad, aren't you cold? You're wearing shorts..." I didn't think that they would appreciate fully me saying that the army totally recalibrated my suck meter so I just said "I have more fat than you guys." (I'm not, but it seemed to work for them) We live in coastal GA and it's still mid-80s/mid-60s and they are skinny. I didn't care, they had a great attitude, it was great to see. Saturday warmed up and the evening was as pleasant as it was chilly on Friday night.
greentick
10-28-2014, 14:44
...as even night time lows at Gregory Bald were forecasted in the high 50's....
THe last forecast I looked at prior to leaving the house showed a low of 40. I assume that's about 3000 feet so dropping 3-4* per 1000' I'd say it was on at 5800' on Sterling.