Whack-a-mole
09-24-2012, 11:35
I just did a short little overnighter this weekend and wanted to give a short update for people going into the area. First, the leaves aren't changing at all yet. This isn't a bad thing, I was just hoping it would be starting at the higher elevations, but it isn't quite time yet. It should get going in the next couple weeks. The water situation was pretty good. The creeks were running pretty good. Good water from the pipe under the forest road on the south side of Tray Mtn. There was water at Tray Mtn shelter. If you have a big mouth bottle it was good, but if you use a platy bottle, you may want to take a cup to dip with. There was ample water, just the pool was shallow. The shelter at Tray Mtn is nice, and there were a good many nice campsites there also. The water at Sassafras gap is running pretty good. I did not go over to the shelter at Deep Gap as it would have added a good bit to my trip, and I was on the way to the truck. One thing I will say about this section is that when you go, you better have your walking legs fired up. These hills put a whoopin' on me. It is a very challenging section, and Kelly's Knob will get your attention for sure. Over all, the weather was very nice, and it was great to get back in the woods. In closing, I would like to thank all the trail workers that were out this weekend. There was a whole crew out, cutting new side drainages in, and cutting trees that had blown down in the recent storms. A big thank you to those guys and girls. We are looking forward to our Oct trip to the Smokies. See you in the woods!