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.
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.