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Tipi Walter
10-15-2006, 10:38
SEVEN DAYS ON THE B MAC, OCTOBER 2006

The cooler weather makes this feel like a real backpacking trip so I loaded up my Terraplane and started the trip by entering the Bald River Wilderness where I spent my first night past Papaw Cove creek and the beaverdam area. The next day I walked out of the wilderness and followed the dirt road past Holly Flats campground and quickly got on the Brookshire Creek trail as it parallels the upper part of Bald River. Right before reaching the Benton MacKaye I set up camp at a wide open spot that has 2 big upended logs serving as tables and 2 rock fire circles. The B Mac is about 14 minutes upstream from this campsite and to anyone walking the trail they should know about this fine campsite.

On Day 3 I got on the B Mac by crossing little Brookshire creek and going north up the Upper Bald watershed. The trail starts at the trailpost and the crossing and begins the climb with Bald River down to the left and then crosses tributaries of the river 2 times before going up a dry piney old cut with plenty of laurel and cut blowdowns. Soon the trail reaches another creek crossing over another tributary of the Upper Bald. The trail bears to the right at the crossing and goes back up to the treadway as it weaves thru trees on the old logging cut. The trail then bears left and does a half circle back to the right where there is a B Mac trailpost pointing out a left turn onto a new cut bank and away from the logging cut. This section of trail is fairly level and offers great walking as it climbs quickly to another old logging cut where it tops out in a big briar filled flat area. More to follow.

Tipi Walter
10-15-2006, 10:47
After the flat area the trail goes straight ahead along the cut and weaves thru grapevine and poplar on a rocky path. Are there any white blazes? I didn't see any. The trail climbs steadily and eventually passes a water source on the right where I always dip my jugs. Past this spring the trail quickly gets up to the top of the ridge where it crosses a newer logging road and where the blazes for the B Mac begin. Here you've reached the highest point on the shoulder of Sugar Mt and the trail then descends into Pretty Pine Gap where there is a tentsite on the left right in the gap.

The trail bears right and down out of the tiny gap and enters a forest of open hollows and rolling ridge spurs that is easy walking. In a short time you'll reach a reliable spring which the trail crosses over on a long rectangular rock and here I found a campsite back up the trail 50 feet on the top of a little spur. It's a nice camp that is close to water.

Leaving Little Conehead spring, the trail loses elevation in a pretty setting and traverses thru some new trailcuts and switchbacks as it works its way down to Tellico River and the road at Pheasant Fields picnic area. Here there are trash cans for your trash, restrooms and a place to drop the pack and rest.

Tipi Walter
10-15-2006, 11:06
Right past the picnic area the trail turns right and crosses the Bald River bridge and turns right past the bridge and begins the long climb up the old Sycamore Creek trail up to Whiggs Meadow, 7 miles ahead and a 3000 foot climb. At the start of this section of trail there is a vacation cabin on the right with a little footbridge leading to it and past it is a small dam where the trail leaves the gravel road and passes thru some stone barriers and a numbered trailsign, #163.

The trail now parallels Sycamore creek and steadily climbs past several more rock barriers and passes a juncture with trail #86 going up to the left. Not long and the trail crosses a little side creek and right past it is a big open campsite on the right with a firepit and enough room for 4 or 5 tents. As I write this it is where I'm camping and it isn't the first time I've camped here as it's a good spot.

Past here the trail climbs up past some huge rocks and reaches several little creek crossings and then it switchbacks sharply to the left and does not continue straight ahead. After turning left the trail recrosses the same creek from before and climbs up the 2nd switchback on this 5 switchback section of trail(the last switchback being the gravel road near the top). The 2nd switchback is the shortest and climbs past cut blowdowns and finally enters a big open turn around area where the trail seems to split left and right with a hill in the middle. The B Mac bears left and goes around the hill and cricles to the right to begin switchback #3.

This switchback can get weedy and wet as it crosses several good size creeks that tumble down the mountain from the left. This may be the longest of the 5 and like switchback 1 it reaches a sharp turn to the left which many people miss. They continue straight ahead and find a fine campsite but the trail does not go thru this campsite, instead it curves left up an old rocky creeky trench thru thick summer weeds and gets on switchback #4 and on the old logging cut.

This section is steeper and very rocky and the water flowing over it seems to smell oily and tainted but I may be wrong, although not so long ago this whole trail was used by offroad enthusiasts in their Jeeps. The trail climbs and climbs as the vegetation changes to laurel heath and dry piney woods with a little good tasting trickle here and there. Near the end the trail passes over a few dirt hillock barriers and reaches the gravel road going up to Whiggs Meadow. Here the trail turns right onto the road and the fun begins as it's a steep cruel thing that pushes you up the last little bit to 5000 feet with the Meadow bald to your left at the dead end of a parking lot. THE END

peanuts
10-15-2006, 11:51
Tipi Walter, your trip sounded wondeful. I do agree this weather is perfect for backpacking trip. Do you have any pictures???? If yes, please post them.

Tipi Walter
10-15-2006, 16:09
Yes, I have many good shots and I am in the process of putting the film negative images into digital form and online, etc. This requires some knowledge of scanners and commercial print-onto-CD options I'm just starting to explore as my current camera is film and not digital. Any suggestions would be helpful.