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View Full Version : BMT - Hiwassee River to Deals Gap



MOWGLI
04-20-2008, 17:38
I just finished a 70 mile sweet section of the BMT from the Appalachian Powerhouse on the Hiwassee River to Deals Gap. It was about 70 miles through the Cherokee Forest - and a tad in the Nantahala Forest.

Sunday April 13 - Powerhouse to Loss Creek - 3 miles (started @ 6 PM)
Monday April 14 - Loss Creek to Sandy Gap - 18 miles
Tuesday April 15 - Sandy Gap to Tellico River Rd (Green Cove Motel) - 14 miles
Wednesday April 15 - Tellico River Rd to Cherry Log Gap - 15 miles
Thursday April 16 - Cherry Log Gap to Slickrock Creek - 12 miles
Friday April 17 - Slickrock Creek to Deals Gap - 8 miles

Monday the weather was hellish with rain, snow, sleet, hail, wind and more snow.
Tuesday was nice, but Wednesday was gorgeous. I dried all my gear out atop Whigg Meadow. I saw a herd of about 20 wild boar in the Citico Creek Wilderness that afternoon. Thursday was another gem. The Stiffknee Trail kicked my tail dropping down to Slickrock Creek.

Friday was an easy 8 and out. SGT Rock met me at Deals Gap, and lunch was Baltimore Jack's leftover lasagna (very good)! Thanks Sarge and Dixiecritter!!

All in all a great trip. The trail was tough to follow on Tuesday along the Stateline Trail. The blazing is certainly sparse along most of this length, so a good map and the BMT databook are pretty much essential. I brought along a GPS too.

The wildflowers were amazing in stretches. So were the songbirds. I was awoken Friday by Wood Thrush singing along the creek.

I have only about 40 miles to go to complete the BMT. Hopefully I'll knock that off before summer hits.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
04-20-2008, 17:47
Great to see you and hear about your hike. I'm shuttling some folks doing this hike from the Hiwassee to Deals Gap this Sat.

Tried to call you last time I was in your city - we found the most amazing wildflower refuge near Lafayette, GA.

MOWGLI
04-20-2008, 17:53
we found the most amazing wildflower refuge near Lafayette, GA.

Sounds like The Pocket at the Crockford Pigeon Mountain. I have some photos in the gallery from there.

Cuffs
04-20-2008, 21:43
Thats a great report Jeffrey! Needed it too, Im one of the folks Dino has been so gracious to give a ride to! I know you just got back, but if you think of it, can you send me the coords/track of your trip. Rock has alerted me to the trail conditions along State Line. While Id like to stick to the BMT, if it is truly in as poor of condition as he says, I will bypass it...

Frolicking Dinosaurs
04-20-2008, 21:48
Sounds like The Pocket at the Crockford Pigeon Mountain. I have some photos in the gallery from there.It was the pocket! We took Dad out there and hiked to the falls. It isn't far, but he is learning how to handle walking a trail - no easy feat at 85 yo.

Tipi Walter
04-20-2008, 21:51
Sounds like a great trip and you just got back as I'm preparing to go out. Had I known you were out and about I would've caught you on the trail to say hello. You went north and so I'm thinking of the tough climbs going in that direction. There's a hard pull from Unicoi Gap/Joe Brown hiway up to Peels Top/Tate Gap and Six Mile Gap. Another long pull from the Tellico River up to the Whigg, especially the boring dirt road section near the top.

Did you camp right in Sandy Gap or go past it a ways? And it's too bad you hit the Green Cove motel as right up the Sycamore Creek trail(BMT)a short distance there's a fine campsite to the right next to the creek.

And right before Cherry Log Gap there's a great campsite under tall hemlocks at a place I call Snow Camp. It's about 400 yards south of Cherry Log. I know Stiffknee can be rough going down, there's a good blowdown SpiritWind worked on right near Farr Gap and there's a very steep section right before reaching a tiny gap and a right turn. But I find the hump up the other direction, from Slickrock Creek to Farr Gap, to be especially lung-busting. Any fotogs??

MOWGLI
04-21-2008, 07:08
Sounds like a great trip and you just got back as I'm preparing to go out. Had I known you were out and about I would've caught you on the trail to say hello. You went north and so I'm thinking of the tough climbs going in that direction. There's a hard pull from Unicoi Gap/Joe Brown hiway up to Peels Top/Tate Gap and Six Mile Gap. Another long pull from the Tellico River up to the Whigg, especially the boring dirt road section near the top.

Did you camp right in Sandy Gap or go past it a ways? And it's too bad you hit the Green Cove motel as right up the Sycamore Creek trail(BMT)a short distance there's a fine campsite to the right next to the creek.

And right before Cherry Log Gap there's a great campsite under tall hemlocks at a place I call Snow Camp. It's about 400 yards south of Cherry Log. I know Stiffknee can be rough going down, there's a good blowdown SpiritWind worked on right near Farr Gap and there's a very steep section right before reaching a tiny gap and a right turn. But I find the hump up the other direction, from Slickrock Creek to Farr Gap, to be especially lung-busting. Any fotogs??

I found the walk on the old logging roads out of Tellico quite pleasant. Plenty of water, loads of flowers, and a surprisingly easy grade most of the way. That 2800' climb reminded me of the JMT the way it was graded. I could do without the FS road at the top though. The reward was most excellent however. :sun

At Sandy Gap, I looped back on Trail #85 and camped about .1 back away from the FS road. I don't like camping within sight of a road - ever.

I said I camped at Cherry Log Gap, but I think I was about 1 mile south of there. It was in a gap - off to the right in a little holler of Rhodo. I bet you know the place. It was maybe 100 yards from the trail, but essentially out of site. Nice place!

Stiffknee indeed took it out of me, and I usually thrive on downhills. That area with a 30% grade or so up top was nasty!

I'll try and post some photos this week. If folks knew how beautiful and quiet the area is, there would be more hikers (from Whiteblaze) on the trail - for sure.

TimC
04-30-2008, 18:03
Do you remember about how long it took you to get from the Tellico River to Whigg Meadow? I'm planning a trip next month and am trying to figure out when we need to get on the trail to get up there before dark.

SGT Rock
04-30-2008, 18:09
Do you remember about how long it took you to get from the Tellico River to Whigg Meadow? I'm planning a trip next month and am trying to figure out when we need to get on the trail to get up there before dark.
If I remember it right it took me about 3.5 hours.

MOWGLI
04-30-2008, 18:17
Do you remember about how long it took you to get from the Tellico River to Whigg Meadow? I'm planning a trip next month and am trying to figure out when we need to get on the trail to get up there before dark.


If I remember it right it took me about 3.5 hours.

It took me a bit longer than Sarge. Maybe 4 hours. Although it's a 2000'+ climb, it's nicely graded on old logging roads and rail beds.

Have a great hike!

TimC
04-30-2008, 19:17
Cool, thanks.

Tipi Walter
04-30-2008, 20:36
Hey guys, I just pulled 9 days in the Citico/Slickrock and hooked up with Cuffs and Eman on the BMT along Slickrock Creek and over to the Stiffknee. They're walking from Deals Gap to Reliance and should be done by May 3rd. I was with them on April 26-27. A full trip report of my trek is forthcoming on Other Trails. I was at Naked Ground on April 28-29 and got hit with SNOW . . . while Cuffs and Eman were on the Whigg freezing their . . . doodads off. I wanna read their trip report when it comes out.

My route: Beech Gap/Bob Bald/Naked Ground(overnight)/Hangover(overnight)/South Lead/Big Fat/Slickrock Creek/Wildcat Falls(overnight)/Slickrock/Ike Branch-Slickrock junction(overnight)/Slickrock out to Lake and up Ike Branch--BMT to high gap(overnight)/BMT down to Slickrock(overnight-met Cuffs and Eman)/Slickrock up to beginning Nutbuster(overnight)/Nutbuster trail to Naked Ground(overnight)/Beech Gap and out.