21 Day Quest for Citico Creek

[Tipi Walter]

Okay boys, I get back from a long backpacking trip into the mountains of TN and NC and a return to the Citico/Slickrock after spending most of the summer in the Big Frog/Cohutta wilderness.

Here are all my pics from the trip---
https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backp...-Citico-Creek/

21 DAY QUEST FOR CITICO CREEK

TRIP 186
October 19-November 8 2017

HIGHLIGHTS
** DAY 1 BACKPACKER ON JEFFREY HELL TRAIL
** BRUSH MT REACH AROUND--ONE MILE DOWN AND BACK UP
** TWO DAYS AT BUFFALO ROCK ON SLICKROCK CREEK
** TRAILWORKED ALL OF NICHOLS COVE TRAIL
** BMT BACKPACKERS CRUISE CONTROL AND ROLL AROUND
** 43RD CLIMB AND TRAILWORK OF THE NUTBUSTER TRAIL
** SAWS IS WRONG! DEEP CREEK REACH AROUND
** MANY BACKPACKERS IN NAKED GROUND GAP
** BIG RAINSTORM ON NORTH FORK CREEK
** DRENCHED ON A DAY 20 HIKE
** 46 TOTAL CREEK CROSSINGS

TRAILS
Entrance at Jeffrey Hell Trailhead on Cherohala Skyway
Jeffrey Hell
South Fork Citico
**Camp 28**
South Fork Up to Cold Gap
Wedge Descent
**Little Cove Camp in Wedge**
Wedge Ascent
Trail 149
Brush Mt
**Brush Mt Ridge Gap Camp**
Brush Mt Back Up
Trail 149
**Barrel Gap**
BMT Connector
**Snow Camp**
Fodderstack Ridge North
Mill Branch
**Quillen Camp on Mill Branch Trail**
Mill Branch
Fodderstack Ridge North
**South Farr Gap Camp**
Fodderstack Ridge North to Farr Gap
Stiffknee Trail Down
Slickrock Creek Downstream One Crossing
**Slisgah Camp**
Slickrock Creek Upstream Two Crossings
**Buffalo Rock Camp (2)**
Slickrock Creek Downstream
Nichols Cove Trail Up
**Dog Hat Camp by Dotson Gravesite**
Nichols Cove Up to Windy Gap and Down to Slickrock Creek
**Slicnic Camp on Ledge**
Nutbuster Trail Up
**Buckeye Camp**
43rd Climb of Nutbuster Trail to Naked Ground
**Landon Camp Naked Ground Gap**
Four Mile Ridge Going East
Hangover Mt
Deep Creek Down
**Footbridge Camp**
Deep Creek Down to Obliterated Trail and Back Up
**Sierra Club Camp**
Deep Creek Up to Hangover Mt
Four Mile Ridge West
**Naked Ground Landon Camp**
Four Mile Ridge West
Bob Mt
54A South to Cold Gap
South Fork Down
**Mitten Camp**
South Fork Down
North Fork Up
**North Fork 1st Crossing Camp**
North Fork Down
South Fork Down
**Donner Camps**
South Fork to Beehouse Roadwalk to FS Road 345 to Skyway and OUT


My trip begins on the Jeffrey Hell trail in TN and into the Citico Creek wilderness---with a new external frame pack made by Seek Outside called the Brooks. It's loaded down with around 90 lbs of food and fuel and books and winter gear. I added the top lid from my old Mystery Ranch pack.


A rare event---I see my first backpacker on the first hour of my trip as he passes me on the Jeffrey Hell trail going down to South Fork Creek which we both have to cross to get on the South Fork Citico trail. This is one of my 46 creek crossings of the trip.


On Day 1 I camp on South Fork Creek and on Day 2 I struggle up the very steep South Fork trail with my butt heavy pack and gain about 2,000 feet in about 3 miles of hard work. This is one of the steepest sections although the picture doesn't do it justice.



Once South Fork trail pops me out in Cold Gap I camp in the Wedge on Bob Creek and then on Day 3 swing over on Trail 149 to descend the hardest most remote trail in the Citico wilderness---Brush Mt!!! I go a mile down this trail with full water and do trailwork and camp.


Here's my Day 3 camp on the ridge of Brush Mt about a mile down the Brush Mt trail. Beyond this point the trail gets so bad and requires more trailwork than I'm willing to do so on Day 4 I backtrack up Brush Mt to the top trailpost and change my route schedule a little. On my next trip I'll really tackle this Hell Trail.



On Day 4 I swing back up Brush Mt and camp in Barrel Gap off Trail 149 and get water in a little seep spring using my old PUR Hiker filter.


After Barrel Gap Camp I swing up to Fodderstack Ridge which heads north about 10 miles and reaches the next goal of my trip: Farr Gap and the Stiffknee trail down to Slickrock Creek. This pic shows Fodderstack Ridge trail looking south.

[Tipi Walter]

As I hump north on Fodderstack Ridge I look to my right and see my eventual destination---Hangover Mt covered in frost, at around 5,000 feet.



As you head north on Fodderstack Ridge you pass this wonderful spot called Crowder Camp. Here the Big Stack Gap trail comes up from Slickrock Creek, btw. It's just a reststop for me but I've spent many nights here on years past. See next pic---

TRIP 130 057-L.jpg
Here's the same place from a winter trip in 2012.



I continue north on Fodderstack Ridge and stop at this rare trailside spring source for my water for the day's camp south of Farr Gap.



Once I reach Farr Gap I drop like a rock on the Stiffknee trail and reach Slickrock Creek which I cross to camp on the other side. This is the old Benton MacKaye trail crossing but now reroute away from this creek.



The next day I leave camp and pull two more crossings of Slickrock Creek and this one was most difficult as it was "perineum deep" and took me too long! Butt cold water! My goal is to the other side so I can camp by Buffalo Rock on Slickrock Creek and next to the Nichols Cove trail jct.



After the successful (barely) crossing I reach the other side and the jct with the Nichols Cove trail. I stay down here by the trail jct and pull a zero day in a cold sleetstorm.

[Tipi Walter]

After a zero day in a hard cold rain I pack up in a sleetstorm on Day 11 and prepare to leave Slickrock Creek on the Nichols Cove trail which I work with my trail tools as it's a mess. In the process I get soaked before reaching my day's camp where the Nichols Cove trail jcts the BMT by the Dotson gravesite.



On Day 12 I continue up the Nichols Cove trail (there are 3 main parts of the trail) and climb to Windy Gap. Along the way I run into Cruise Control (2015 AT) and Roll Around heading north on the Benton MacKaye trail. They came down off Hangover Mt and say there's 2 inches of snow on top.



Nichols Cove trail climbs hard to Windy Gap and drops like a rock back down to Slickrock Creek but this time much higher on the Slickrock Creek trail. I camp above the creek on a ledge with this view.



On Day 13 I begin my tough climb of the holy Nutbuster trail---Upper Slickrock Creek trail #42. It's the toughest trail in the Southeast. And it's my 43rd backpacking attempt of the beast. It's in hellish shape.



There are 10 separate legs of the Nutbuster trail and this is a pretty spot on Leg 4 in the Big Rock section. Looks easy enough. It ain't.



I won't describe the hell I went thru to finish the Nutbuster trail up to Naked Ground Gap---but I made it and swung east to Hangover Mt and started my descent down the very steep Deep Creek trail.


I lose about 2,000 feet of elevation on the Deep Creek trail and reach this pretty camp on Deep Creek by the wooden footbridge. My goal is to finish Deep Creek down to Haoe Lead trail and do the loop on it back up to Hangover Mt. NO CAN DO. Deep Creek trail is still closed and obliterated from the November wildfires of 2016.

[Tipi Walter]

Alas Poor Deep Creek. This is where the Deep Creek trail ends in the middle of nowhere and so like last year I have to stop and turn around since the trail is GONE. I heard over the grapevine that a trailworking crew called SAWS opened up "all the burned out trails in the Kilmer wilderness" but in fact they DID NOT. So I backtrack Deep Creek trail all the way back up to Hangover Mt, a tough haul.



After a tough nut coming back up Deep Creek I stop in the clearcut of Hangover Mt and glad to be back at 5,000 feet.



I head west from the Hangover and stop in Naked Ground Gap to camp and run into these backpackers from Charlotte.



Around the same time these 4 backpackers come up the Nutbuster trail---they are from Florida.


I stay in Naked Ground Gap and run into 6 backpackers from Atlanta and one of them is using a pair of vintage 1976 heavyweight polypropylene leggings---and the same exact type of leggings I used back in 1980!!!



I leave the high ground of Naked Ground Gap and pull a long 9 mile day off the mountain and over Bob Mt and down to Cold Gap and all the way down the South Fork trail and pull this cold crossing to reach the other side.



I finish South Fork and head up the North Fork trail to camp and stay next to this "hanging canyon" coming into North Fork Creek.

[Tipi Walter]

My Quest for Citico Creek is complete!!! I hike thru a terrible rainstorm and set up camp next to this creek as it floods.



On Day 21 it's time to leave Citico Creek and so I pack up in a cold November rainstorm and prepare to shove off on a 5 mile hike out to my evac spot.



My trip ends in the fog here as I wait for my shuttle ride out of the mountains. A great trip!

[mankind117]

How did the new pack do?

[TNhiker]

uncle fungus sure looks alot like uncle rectum......

[Tipi Walter]

uncle fungus sure looks alot like uncle rectum......

And don't forget Uncle Sphincter . . .

[TNhiker]

its a shame about deep creek trail...

that was one of my favorites in that area.......

[Rain Man]

Tipi, do I see actual trail signs in those photos, not just obscure posts with worn numbers?!

[Tipi Walter]

Tipi, do I see actual trail signs in those photos, not just obscure posts with worn numbers?!

The forest boys made a recent effort to replace many of the wilderness signs but several have already been stolen---and many have not been replaced.

[Cedar Tree]

Tipi, I enjoy your trip reports. Thanks for taking the time to do this.
Cedar Tree

[Rain Man]

The forest boys made a recent effort to replace many of the wilderness signs but several have already been stolen---and many have not been replaced.

Sigh. Hate to hear that!

[martinb]

Fall trips are my favorite. Crowder camp looks particularly pretty in that pic.

[rocketsocks]

Tipi, I enjoy your trip reports. Thanks for taking the time to do this.
Cedar Tree

What he/she said.

[tflaris]

Great trip report


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rocketsocks]

Great trip report


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

funny I was just checking on him earlier today...should be back soon.

[Tipi Walter]

I just made it back after a butt cold 17 day December trip to Slickrock Creek and Hangover Mt and Bob Bald and out. Report forthcoming.


On Haoe Peak at around 5,240 feet in the NC mountains---with Eddie and Hoppin John.

[Crossup]

What an eye opener.