View Full Version : Damascus Hiking - Recommendations?
KevinAce
04-29-2009, 14:44
I searched through the forum a bit and found a few helpful posts but nothing that's really concrete. I made the mistake last trip of not planning well enough and we paid for it. This time, I want to make sure I know exactly what to expect.
We're coming from Dayton, OH to Damascus. If you guys could recommend a few itineraries for the area, that'd be fantastic. We will have all of May 8th, 9th, and 10th to hike (we're coming down on the 7th and staying in a hotel).
Me and a few buddies hiked a little bit of the AT last year in March (mistake #1). We got in over our heads a bit (I let my 'physically fit' friend plan it and it was an over-ambitious agenda). We were dropped off on 603 just North of the Old Orchard shelter. Our plan was to hike the trail back into Damascus (42 miles) across 4 days. Our 1st day was ~12 miles up to Thomas Knob shelter. We didn't make it and ended up camping on top of Pine Mountain. We got a cell phone call out for a pick-up and aborted at the intersection of Highway 600.
The 10 mile day through the Grayson Highlands was a real ass kicker. Can you guys recommend a good 3 day route in the same area (but not between Old Orchard shelter & Thomas Knob shelter)? We'd obviously prefer not to have 1500-2000 ft ascents in a day. The flatter (or more downhill) the better. We don't require a shelter of any sort. I would imagine that 5-6 mile days is probably a good fit for us.
To summarize for those lazy folks that don't want to read my blabbering, we're looking for:
- Damascus area
- 3 full days of hiking
- 5-8 miles per day
- Mild terrain
- Limited ascents
- Great scenery
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Also, if anybody can recommend a good resource for buying / downloading / viewing a good trail map for the area, that'd be fantastic as well!
Drive to Damascus, leave car at My Rogers Outfitters and have them shuttle you to TN 91 just south of Shady Valley. About 22 miles back to Damascus. Easiest trail you will find anywhere around there. Last couple of miles are downhill into town.
bigcranky
04-29-2009, 15:35
Yeah, TN 91 north to Damascus. Great section. Will be full of thru-hikers, so plan accordingly. (Bring tents, for example. And earplugs.)
Or do the same thing from the other direction -get shuttled to the top of Whitetop.
A little more challenging but more interesting. Mostly downhill.
Creeper Trail Cafe in Taylor's Valley is probably open by now.
Either direction is a pleasant walk.
jjj
I did that one last year. Mostly ridgeline hike with good breezes and easy ups and downs.
KevinAce
04-30-2009, 10:23
The 22 miles from Shady Valley back to Damascus sounds phenomenal. Does anybody know where I can get a good trail map for this section? I want to check elevation changes/topography and also have it with me along the way. Also will Mt. Rogers Outfitters provide the shuttle service as well?
Cabin Fever
04-30-2009, 10:38
Order an AT map or get the Trails Illustrated for South Holston and Watauga Lakes. Mount Rogers has the maps and yes they provide shuttles. Elevation change on the TN91 to Damascus trip is a negative.
Excuse me if this is rude, but if you can't handle that section, you need to stick to day hiking. Except for the climb up from the lake to Vandeventer Shelter and the descent to Damascus, the approximately 40 mile stretch from Watauga Lake to Damascus is the easiest in the south. Very little up and down. Mostly gently rolling ridgeline. Only thing challenging about that section is finding water during dry spells.
The 22 miles from Shady Valley back to Damascus sounds phenomenal. Does anybody know where I can get a good trail map for this section? I want to check elevation changes/topography and also have it with me along the way. Also will Mt. Rogers Outfitters provide the shuttle service as well?
MRO or Lone Wolf could shuttle you. If you need a map and are willing to drive a little I'll loan you mine. I'm in Springboro. I could meet you by the Dayton Mall. Let me know.
bonnermc
04-30-2009, 12:28
I did that 22 miles last year into Damascus for Trail days. WAY easy. Ended up just doing it in a day. Good loop back on the Iron Mountain Trail, but that is a little bit more difficult.
That section is mostly down hill.
billy231
04-30-2009, 12:35
Does anyone know of any water concerns/dry water sources from Damascus to Erwin, TN? Thanks
KevinAce
04-30-2009, 12:44
Your not being rude at all. I had a VERY bad experience last time I went on a hike (see this thread (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=34307)). I got a case of hypothermia and was hurting pretty bad. Thankfully we got an early "out".
Back then I was 350 lbs and had a 60 pound pack. We tried to do 42 miles in 4 days (starting at highway 603 and going back to Damascus) and it was a lot more climbing than anticipated. Now I'm 280 lbs, should have a ~30 pound pack, and am looking to make sure the terrain isn't as challenging. I'd rather do something that's too easy (but enjoyable regardless) than too difficult.
Thanks for all of the advice. I think we'll definitely do that section. Anybody have a number for Lone Wolf? The person that shuttled us last time owned a little cabin right across from Mt. Rogers Outfiiters...I forget the name of the place. He's the guy that came to our rescue last time so I'd love to give him our business again.
Lugnut thanks for the offer but I'll probably just go ahead and buy a map so I have my own to keep. Is there an online store you guys can recommend to buy this? If so, can you provide a link? Thanks again!
FlyPaper
04-30-2009, 13:45
If you made it to Pine Mountain, I think you've done the hardest part of that section. You may find some satisfaction in starting there and finishing the trip to Damascus.
I have not done the part south of Damascus yet.
An alternative to the north is to catch a ride to Summit Cut which is about 17 miles north of Damascus. The walk back into town is not too bad.
Cabin Fever
04-30-2009, 13:48
Your not being rude at all. I had a VERY bad experience last time I went on a hike (see this thread (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=34307)). I got a case of hypothermia and was hurting pretty bad. Thankfully we got an early "out".
Back then I was 350 lbs and had a 60 pound pack. We tried to do 42 miles in 4 days (starting at highway 603 and going back to Damascus) and it was a lot more climbing than anticipated. Now I'm 280 lbs, should have a ~30 pound pack, and am looking to make sure the terrain isn't as challenging. I'd rather do something that's too easy (but enjoyable regardless) than too difficult.
Thanks for all of the advice. I think we'll definitely do that section. Anybody have a number for Lone Wolf? The person that shuttled us last time owned a little cabin right across from Mt. Rogers Outfiiters...I forget the name of the place. He's the guy that came to our rescue last time so I'd love to give him our business again.
Lugnut thanks for the offer but I'll probably just go ahead and buy a map so I have my own to keep. Is there an online store you guys can recommend to buy this? If so, can you provide a link? Thanks again!
You can view trails illustrated maps on their web site. Mount Rogers will carry those and the AT maps if you want to wait and buy them. You can find both types of maps all over the place online. Just use Amazon or anything to search for them.
Lone Wolf is on here. Just look him up and PM him.
KevinAce
05-02-2009, 18:37
Has anyone been on this trail recently? I have my maps coming Monday but it sounds like it's fairly high altitude the whole time (ridge lines mostly). How is the water up there?
bigcranky
05-02-2009, 21:44
It's actually low altitude for that area -- around 3000-3500 feet along the ridge. Water should be fine at the two shelters (Double Springs and Abingdon Gap) but limited elsewhere.
There's a boxed spring at the US421 crossing about 300' north.
trippclark
05-02-2009, 23:16
Just two weekends ago, I did the three-peat hike from Fox Creek southbound to Damascus. It is about 40 miles and considerably more downhill than uphill. It is easy to complete in 3 days, especially if you stay on the Creeper Trail for the last 10 miles, which we did this time. We started at about 3:30 in the afternoon on Friday and were back in Damascus by 2:00 on Sunday. It is a very scenic hike also . . . lots of super scenery in and around Grayson Highlands.
Hiking south to Damascus through the High Country is some of the best the AT has to offer in all its 14 states.
Coming north from TN91 is a lot easier, though.
KevinAce
05-06-2009, 17:57
I figured I'd better be safe rather than sorry. Are pets allowed on this trail? Leashes required or anything? Not sure who I'd contact to get this info.
Blissful
05-06-2009, 22:16
Always good to leash your dog no matter where you are, for other hikers and for your dog.
KevinAce
05-11-2009, 13:25
I just wanted to update this thread for everyone interested in this hike in the future. From TN 91 to Damascus is 21 miles, not 22.
I was told that it would be a pretty easy hike and that we'd have tons of water sources. I believe there were exactly 3 water sources along the entire 21 miles. One of them, at the Abingdon Gap shelter, is a helluva long ways down a hill from the shelter itself so be prepared for a little trek there.
"Easy" is relative to the hiker. I'm 280 lbs and not a regular hiker by any means. I had a 30 pound pack and found the hike fairly challenging. I wore a GPS watch. Throughout the hike, I ascended 8345 feet and descended 10016 ft. Yes it is along a ridgeline, but it is not flat as many people said it would be. Perhaps 3.5 miles of elevation change isn't much for some people, but it was plenty for me.
We planned on doing three days and ended up shortening it to 2 days (11 miles on day 1, 10 miles on day 2). We stayed overnight near the Abingdon Gap shelter (about the half way point). One of the dogs with us got injured so 3 of the 5 in the group took an "early out". It is about 6 miles short of Damascus (a 2 mile trail that leads to a highway / campground) for anyone that gets themselves into a predicament.
Hopefully this info helps future hikers out. If anybody has any questions, let me know! Happy hiking!
KevinAce
05-11-2009, 13:30
For anyone interested, I've attached a .kmz which you can view in Google Earth to see this hike.
KevinAce
05-11-2009, 15:27
We encountered a timber rattlesnake which which was pretty exciting. I've attached a picture of that as well as me humping the TN/VA border (dunno...figured it was more exciting than just posing), and entering Damascus.
Sorry for the post spam...I would have consolidated into one post but there's no edit feature...
bigcranky
05-11-2009, 17:05
Glad you had a decent hike. The photo of the snake is cool. The photo of you humping the sign, well, let's just say that's waaaay too much information. It's going to take a lot of therapy to erase that image from my head.
Ridgeline hiking isn't ever totally flat, but that section is one of the flattest in the South, anyway. (Compare it to your hike last year, for example....) And the water sources are almost always downhill from the ridge.
Hope you enjoyed it, and we'll see you on the trail.