18 Days in the Emerald Thicket

[Tipi Walter]

The "emerald thicket" in this case is the Slickrock Creek trail obliterated by tornado-like blowdowns so I spend 6 days of the 18 day trip trying to make a decent path thru the mess. Location: Kilmer/Slickrock wilderness in North Carolina. Slickrock Creek has a noticeable emerald color, btw.

For all trip pics go here---
https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backp...erald-Thicket/

TRIP 183
June 4-21, 2017

HIGHLIGHTS
** EMERALD GREEN ADVENTURE
** HIKING PINE RIDGE IN THE POURING RAIN
** TWO CHATTANOOGA BACKPACKERS ON SLICKROCK CREEK
** BIG STACK TRAILWORKED
** 28 SLICKROCK CREEK CROSSINGS
** 6 DAYS ON SLICKROCK CREEK
** 3 LOST BACKPACKERS FROM FARR GAP
** PATMAN BRINGS IN A WATERMELON TO LOWER FALLS
** 36 BACKPACKERS SEEN
** 21 MICHIGAN BACKPACKERS ON SLICKROCK CREEK
** BMT THRUHIKERS BOB AND CATHY
** TRAILWORKED BIG FAT GAP TRAIL
** TRAILWORKED DEEP CREEK TRAIL
** DEEP CREEK COMPLETELY DESTROYED HAD TO TURN BACK
** 3 HAMMOCK GIRLS ON BOB BALD
** JIMMY RATTLESNAKE ON THE SOUTH FORK TRAIL
** TRAILWORKED JEFFREY HELL

TRAILS
Entrance in Beehouse Gap
Beehouse Roadwalk
Warden's Field
Pine Ridge Trail
**Pine Ridge Camp**
Pine Ridge
**Oglala Camp**
Fodderstack Ridge North
**Crow Camp (Crowder)**
Big Stack Gap Trail
Slickrock Creek
**Wildcat Falls Camp**
Slickrock Creek Downstream
**Flat Rock Camp**
Slickrock Creek Downstream
**Stiffknee Camp**
Slickrock Creek Downstream
**Lower Falls**
Slickrock Creek Upstream
Nutbuster Trail Leg 1
**Nut Gate Camp**
Nutbuster Backtrack
**Slicnic Camp (Ledge)**
Big Fat Gap Trail
Hangover Lead South
**Elysium Fields**
Hangover Lead South
**Airjet Camp Hangover Mt**
Deep Creek
** Deep Creek Footbridge Camp**
Deep Creek Reach Around and Backtrack
**Sierra Club Camp on Deep Creek**
Deep Creek Up
Hangover Mt
Four Mile Ridge
**Watauga Camp**
Naked Ground Gap
Four Mile Ridge
Bob Bald
54A South
Cold Spring Gap
South Fork Citico Trail
**Camp 28 by Jeffrey Hell Trailpost**
Jeffrey Hell Trail
**Frustration Camp**
Jeffrey Hell
Skyway Roadwalk
Flats Mt Trail
**Camp Hope**
Flats Mt Backtrack
Skyway Roadwalk to Indian Boundary Lake Road Jct and OUT


Before every trip I spend several days preparing my trip food using my 10 tray TSM dehydrator.



The trip begins in Beehouse Gap where I get dropped off and the gap is located in Tennessee by Citico Creek. I roadwalk to the creek and cross and start up the Pine Ridge trail in the Citico Creek wilderness and set up camp for Day 1. On Day 2 I prepare to leave camp in an all-day rainstorm. Get soaked, btw. My pack is around 85 lbs with 18 days of food and fuel and several books.


Pine Ridge trail takes me to Fodderstack Ridge trail and I descend here to Mill Gap for a rest and a pic.


The first backpackers I see are on Day 4 when I leave Fodderstack Ridge and descend 2 miles on the Big Stack trail to Slickrock Creek and meet this couple backpacking up the creek trail. They have ominous news---the trail is gone and destroyed by blowdowns---so they have to hike directly up the creek. I camp by Wildcat Falls and on Days 5-6 work my butt off following the trail.


Since I spend 6 full days on Slickrock Creek, I pull 28 total crossings and just stay in my boots for the fords. They got soaked anyway on Day 2's rainstorm coming up Pine Ridge.


This is a pretty section of trail showing my trail tools---which got alot of action during the trip as all the trails were in bad shape.


Resting on a pretty section of the Slickrock Creek trail and at the crossing just above the Nichols Cove trail jct.

[Tipi Walter]

By Day 6 I reach a campsite where Stiffknee trail jcts Slickrock Creek trail and have to build a wood fire to dispel the hateful noseeums which swarm the area and cause itching bites. Wood smoke gets rid of the pests.


By Day 7 I reach the goal of the trip---Lower Falls on Slickrock Creek. It's a giant catch basin and I set up my tent right above it and right next to the trail. Time to go swimming.


As I cavort around Lower Falls, these 3 backpackers stumble into camp and are trying to get to Farr Gap and their car but are very lost. I direct them back up-creek to the Stiffknee trail and their way out. Along the way my backpacking buddy Patman runs into them looking for me and they tell him where to go.


My backpacking friend Patman shows up in a sweat with a surprise---a watermelon!! It's a select club---those who pack out watermelons. I did my melon hump in Pisgah NF, Patman's done several melon humps, my buddy Johnny B did his melon hump up Beaverdam Ridge etc. Patman is also trying out a new external frame pack made by Seek Outside called the Divide.


It's time to enjoy some fruit at the Lower Falls campsite.


On Day 8 I decide to hike Patman up Slickrock Creek and pull 11 crossings to the Big Fat trail where he will exist to his car in the gap. Here is the crossing directly above Lower Falls.


This is Patman's pic of Uncle Fungus pulling yet another Slickrock crossing.

[Praha4]

Tipi - you are one of a kind! always love your hike reports and pictures, thanks for sharing!

[Tipi Walter]

As Patman and I make our way up Slickrock Creek, we run into 21 backpackers(!) from a Michigan high school pulling a 5 or 6 day trip in the wilderness. This is the crossing right below Wildcat Falls.


We reach Wildcat Falls and decide to go swimming. Remember, it's hot and buggy. We both have headnets.


I hike Patman out to his exit point and set up camp on a ledge overlooking Slickrock Creek.


While in camp on the creek the Michigan kids pass thru for a reststop on their way up to Wildcat Falls.


On Day 10 I finally leave Slickrock Creek and climb 2,000 feet up Hangover Mt and take a break below Big Fat Gap where I run into the Michigan kids one final time as they too are climbing up Hangover Mt.


Once I get to Big Fat Gap I'm on the Benton MacKaye trail and run into these BMT thruhikers named Bob and Cathy. They are slackpacking from Beech Gap to Tapoco in one day.


Once on top of Hangover Mt I set up in a small campsite and get by a wild rainstorm which causes the usual ground water pools. Lucky I have a good tent floor which keeps the water out.

[rocketsocks]

Anyone who humps a mellon in the back country is a bad ass!

[Tipi Walter]

On Day 12 I decide to leave the Hangover and descend the tough Deep Creek trail which has its high trailhead on the mountain. I get 2 miles down and have to turn back because the whole Deep Creek mountainside is GONE---due to the wildfires of November 2016.


My aborted journey down the Deep Creek trail---stopped by the complete destruction of the trail.


Since Deep Creek is gone, I backtrack up the trail back to Hangover Mt and take Four Mile Ridge to Naked Ground Gap and run into these 4 backpackers from NC headed to the Hangover.


On Day 15 I leave Naked Ground Gap and pass over Bob Bald and down to Cold Spring Gap and start down the South Fork Citico trail and in a couple miles reach an old campsite where I find my buddy Jimmy sunning himself on his front porch. We talk and enjoy our visit.


The South Fork trail gets me to the Jeffrey Hell trail which I climb to its end trailhead for a pic.


My trip ends with a final night on Flats Mt and a final roadwalk to my evac point near Indian Boundary Lake.

[Heliotrope]

Nice trip report.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[martinb]

How's the Bob looking? Heading up next month and considering a four-mile ridge hike.

[Traffic Jam]

How's the Bob looking? Heading up next month and considering a four-mile ridge hike.

Bob Bald on 6/11, azaleas were starting to bloom.
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[Traffic Jam]

Yet again, I miss Mr. Walter...maybe one day our paths will cross.

[martinb]

Bob Bald on 6/11, azaleas were starting to bloom.

Thanks. I've camped in that same spot a few times.

[Tipi Walter]

How's the Bob looking? Heading up next month and considering a four-mile ridge hike.

Bob Bald on 6/11, azaleas were starting to bloom.
IMG_6347.JPG

IMG_6382.JPG

I rarely go to the Bob much anymore except to pass thru. I'd rather be down on loud creeks and by waterfalls to block out overhead jet traffic noise passing over the wilderness.

What kills me is some idiots came out to the Bob a couple months ago and took the best most level spot for a tent and built a second fire ring RIGHT ON THAT SPOT!!


Here's the new fire ring in the big meadow on the Bob.


And this blurry pic shows Idiocy of a high caliber---Putting a new firepit right next to one already established. Signed, STEAMED.

[martinb]

Oh, Wow. That's bad even by bad-standards. Set up just a little to the left of that newly created fire-disaster two summers ago.

[Tipi Walter]

Oh, Wow. That's bad even by bad-standards. Set up just a little to the left of that newly created fire-disaster two summers ago.

As you know the BMT has been rerouted over the Bob so it's getting more hikers and campers, although it's always been a popular place. One October about 10 years ago I was camping up there with 35 other people in 17 separate tents, a record I guess. Also we set a record one year by having 4 Hillebergs set up at one time---2 Allaks, an Akto and my Staika.

[Cadenza]

Another great trip report, Walter.

David and I just got back from our 34th year trip. We humped it up Brush Mountain again.
There are several nasty blowdowns clogging up that trail, and were it not for your orange ribbons our struggle to negotiate this rugged trail would have been even more difficult. We were appreciative of your previous work.
I'm thinking about going back solo with a machete and a personal vendetta to exact revenge on the briars in the upper section.

[Dogwood]

I rarely go to the Bob much anymore except to pass thru. I'd rather be down on loud creeks and by waterfalls to block out overhead jet traffic noise passing over the wilderness.

What kills me is some idiots came out to the Bob a couple months ago and took the best most level spot for a tent and built a second fire ring RIGHT ON THAT SPOT!!


Here's the new fire ring in the big meadow on the Bob.


And this blurry pic shows Idiocy of a high caliber---Putting a new firepit right next to one already established. Signed, STEAMED.

Two budding arsonists parties wanting separate fires? Not wanting to deal with mud, ash, or grass free area around existing ring? See that quite a bit. What existing ring wouldn't have supported a large enough fire?

FWIW, does Patman know there are icebox sized melons quite nice sized for two?

[Dogwood]

TW, I applaud your trail maintenance efforts. I hope to run into you one day so we both can tell each other what the other is doing wrong. Seriously, I'd like to run into you pulling a 10 day+ trip to check out your food bag to get more noshing ideas. I've narrowly missed you twice now.

[Tipi Walter]

Another great trip report, Walter.

David and I just got back from our 34th year trip. We humped it up Brush Mountain again.
There are several nasty blowdowns clogging up that trail, and were it not for your orange ribbons our struggle to negotiate this rugged trail would have been even more difficult. We were appreciative of your previous work.
I'm thinking about going back solo with a machete and a personal vendetta to exact revenge on the briars in the upper section.

Brush Mt trail is my favorite Citico trail but of course why wouldn't it be since it's the most rugged and remote trail on the Citico side? I'll return to it soon and keep sawing out the crap and putting in new ribbons.

Here's more pics of Brush Mt keyworded on my Smug site---

https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/keyword/brush%20mt/

[Tipi Walter]

TW, I applaud your trail maintenance efforts. I hope to run into you one day so we both can tell each other what the other is doing wrong. Seriously, I'd like to run into you pulling a 10 day+ trip to check out your food bag to get more noshing ideas. I've narrowly missed you twice now.

You can check out my food bags and even carry them for me for a week or two. There are about 400 miles of trail in my neck of the woods (including Big Frog/Cohutta) and so the chance of running into me is about 1 out of 40---if you pull 10 mile days. Patman always finds me cuz I usually send him a pre-trip email of my general whereabouts.

[Dogwood]

I'll be careful not to crush the avos. We both can complain about the jets overhead dropping chem trails and the Cherahola screamers and I'll complain about your pruning cuts. You're in charge of carrying all watermelons and that Hindenberg green monster though.