17 Days in the Heart of Darkness

[Tipi Walter]

Here is a trip report of my trek thru the Bald River Gorge wilderness and the newly designated Upper Bald River wilderness---and yes I'm now a thruhiker because I thruhiked these trails---(all in Tennessee)---

Bald River Trail
Brookshire Creek
State Line Ridge
Warrior's Passage

I'm a Quadruple Crowner!! I did this quadruple crown with one food supply and therefore no resupply and therefore no town trips or motel rooms or restaurant meals.

So, the New Year of 2019 starts with this trip---and I'm probably the first official backpacker to use this new wilderness.

The Heart of Darkness is what trail crews call State Line Ridge (for its remoteness) which is part of the new wilderness. SLR runs from Sled Runner Gap to Sandy Gap and maybe up to Six Mile Gap. It's also part of the Benton MacKaye trail.

All trip pics can be seen here--
https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backp...t-of-Darkness/

17 DAYS
IN THE
HEART
OF
DARKNESS

TRIP 195
January 12--January 28, 2019

HIGHLIGHTS
** 9 CREEK CROSSINGS
** 16 DAYS WITHOUT SEEING A BACKPACKER
** DAY 9 BLIZZARD AND 65MPH WINDSTORM IN THE HEART OF DARKNESS
** 4 DAYS IN HAZEL GAP AND MY COLDEST NIGHT AT 8F
** 70MPH WINDSTORM NEAR SANDY GAP ON DAY 12
** PATMAN FINDS ME ON WARRIOR'S PASSAGE TRAIL
** CAMPING WITH PATMAN ON WILDCAT CREEK


TRAILS
Entrance at Bald River Falls
Bald River Trail
**Rock Ledge Camp**
Bald River Trail
**Big Pine Camp**
Bald River Trail
**Cascade Winter Camp**
Bald River Trail
Holly Flats Roadwalk
Brookshire Creek Trail Up
**Horse Camp**
Brookshire Creek Up
**Iron Ring Camp aka Little Sled Camp**
Brookshire Up
**Sled Runner Gap**
State Line Ridge Going West
**Hazel Gap (3)**
State Line Ridge West
Sandy Gap
Kirkland Creek Trail Down
**Kirk False Sandy Gap (2)**
Kirkland Trail Backtrack to Sandy Gap
Up BMT North 160 Feet
**Sandy Gap Camp**
Up BMT North
**Six Mile Gap**
Waucheesi Mt Manway Up
Waucheesi Mt Roadwalk Down
Warrior's Passage Trail Down
**Wildcat Creek Camp**
Warrior's Passage
**Scout 1965 Camp**
Warrior's Passage to Old Furnace Roadwalk and OUT


All trips start with a map and this map was on a trail kiosk at the Bald River trailhead.


Once I get past the trailhead on Bald River and go about a half mile I reach this overlook spot showing the river in all its awesomeness. My pack load is about 95 lbs with full winter kit and 50 lbs of food and fuel for a projected 21 day trip which was shortened to 17 days. The load hauler is a Dan McHale pack in red cordura and yellow spectra.


I eventually reach this spot on Day 1---Rock Ledge Camp---with Bald River nearby. Tent of choice is my 8 lb 10oz Hilleberg Keron 3---a great winter tent and a great solo tent.


This is an almost new McHale pack with all the accoutrements of comfort needed for long trips and serious pack weights.


After I pass thru Bald River Gorge wilderness and in about 7.5 miles I reach the entrance to the newly designated Upper Bald River wilderness---and stand at the trailhead to Brookshire Creek trail.


This crossing must be done to get into the belly of the wilderness and to reach the Heart of Darkness. It's the cold ford over Upper Bald River.


As I make my trek up the Brookshire Creek trail I have to stop here at Old Dog Falls on Upper Bald River and check out a favorite place.

[Venchka]

Well done!
The Extreme Conditions Ultra Lite backpacker!
The right tools for the job! Cheers!
Wayne

[Tipi Walter]

Brookshire trail jcts with the BMT at this trailpost where if you turn left you climb Sugar Mt and if you turn right (my direction) you reach Sled Runner Gap, Rocky Top Mt, State Line Ridge and the Heart of Darkness.


The Brookshire trail gains 2,000 feet of elevation in about 7 miles and the higher I go the colder and whiter it becomes.


I reach the near-end of the Brookshire trail and set up in a favorite camp next to a small tributary to Brookshire Creek. For the first 9 days of the trip I didn't see the sun and had either cold rains or cold sleetstorms the entire time.


Just past my campsite there is this trailsign and it's right below Sled Runner Gap---one of my main goals for the trip.


I pass thru Sled Runner Gap and over Rocky Top Mt (ain't no smartphone bills and we get our creamed corn from a can etc) and stop at this pretty spot on the BMT.


After a long day of backpackaging I pass over Round Top Mt (there are 7 Round Top hills), over Nit Top and finally drop down here to Hazel Gap---sandwiched between Nit Top on one side and Hazelnut Knob on the other. To the right down the hollow is my water source. I end up spending 3 nights here in some terrible storms.


This is my water source for Hazel Gap Camp.

[Tipi Walter]

This is the nifty and neato blue blaze water sign down in the gap with the spring water source in the background. There's even room for a tent right next to the spring if so inclined.


The festivities begin on January 19 with my weather radio pinging crap about "70mph winds and 100% rain" all day and so I hunker in an sit tight. Then on January 20 the rain turns to snow and the temps drop from 35F to 8F by that evening. It's my coldest couple nights of the trip as I wake up on Jan 21 at 12F to pack up and move.


I pull a blizzard and "severe cold" zero on January 20 but I have my geese and pull a water run down to the spring. Polar Vortex? Naw, just your regular Arctic Wrecktum.


On Monday Day 10 I'm gotta get out of Hazel Gap for sanity's sake so I pack up a frozen big tent and of course it won't fit into the tent sack so I roll up the whole wad in my white ground cloth and strap it on the pack. No cursing required! It's a 12F morning.


As soon as I leave Hazel Gap I have a nut climb up to the top of Hazelnut Knob but it warms me up.


The Heart of Darkness dumps me out in Sandy Gap and I take a side trip down Kirkland Creek trail to this spot which right next to a spring water source. It's another cold night on January 21.


On Day 10 I leave my Kirkland spring camp and go deeper down into the Kirkland backcountry and have to stop for this blowdown which isn't worth fighting thru so I dump my pack and cut it open with my folding saw.

[TNhiker]

did you see any of the recently cut trees near the waterfall and/or along the river?

[Tipi Walter]

I can get through!!


After a side romp down Kirkland Creek I return to the BMT in Sandy Gap and climb up to Six Mile Gap and pass by this ancient NC land boundary rock with the date "1815" or "1820".


I reach Six Mile Gap and spend the night and my last night on the BMT (and in the Heart of Darkness) before climbing over 3,700 foot Waucheesi Mt and down to the Warrior's Passage trailhead.


On Day 15 it's cold so I get bundled up to pull my Waucheesi Mt climb on a "manway"---an off-the-map connector trail to Warrior's Passage.


After a couple miles I make it to the Warrior's Passage trail and dump my pack at the trailhead post.


This is Day 15 and I've seen no backpackers for the whole trip until my buddy Patman finds me just down from the Warrior's Passage trailhead and we celebrate as only two Forest brothers can. He decides to hike with me all the way to Wildcat Creek where we set up and camp together.


We reach Wildcat Creek after about 6 or 7 miles and it's Patman's turn to cross the butt cold waters.

[Tipi Walter]

Patman gets a pic of Urine's Truly Uncle Fungus crossing the frigid waters.


We cross Wildcat Creek and set up our separate tents on the other side. It's dinner time at Patman's tent, a TarpTent Stratospire 1.


On Day 16 I hike Patman off the Warrior's Passage trail and we stop for this pic.


After Patman leaves I backtrack a mile in on Warrior's Passage and get water here for my camp.


My last night happens here at Scout 1965 Camp. There used to be a metal sign here mentioning a boy scout troop working this trail in 1965.


On Day 17 I get a good weather window so I decide to shorten my trip to avoid a "big storm with deep cold" coming in the next several days---so I call Little Mitten to pick me up early so maybe we can see some snow together at home.


It's time to end the trip and say goodbye to Tellico River.

[Tipi Walter]

Well done!
The Extreme Conditions Ultra Lite backpacker!
The right tools for the job! Cheers!
Wayne

Thanks for the words. I'm a serious proponent for UL backpacking---in fact, it's my life. UL=UltraLoad.

did you see any of the recently cut trees near the waterfall and/or along the river?

The destruction happened after my entrance on January 12. Heard about it on the Facebook grapevine. Something about hunters pissed off at kayakers?

Idiots came out several years ago with chainsaws and cut numerous landscaped trees on the Skyway road---at pullover scenic spots---like at Beech Gap and at the Indian Boundary entrance road.

[martinb]

Man, I've seen a lot of pics of you with different packs but that McHale is, by far, the best. Doesn't even look like it's straining.

[Tipi Walter]

Man, I've seen a lot of pics of you with different packs but that McHale is, by far, the best. Doesn't even look like it's straining.

It's an amazing pack and as you say---strong. Strong aluminum frame, strong shoulder harness, strong and comfy hipbelt. After I die this pack will be tied up in the court system for decades as my family and friends try to get it.

[PatmanTN]

Great seeing you Tipi, and great report! So, our friend Dan and I had a good conversation as he shuttled me back to Bald River. He had mentioned that he was a backpacker and so friendly to our sort. What I didn't guess and was surprised to learn: he thru-hiked the AT in 1985 and the PCT sometime in the 90ies! You just never know.....

[TNhiker]

did you see any of the cut down trees at the falls or along the river?

[Tipi Walter]

did you see any of the cut down trees at the falls or along the river?

I'm still trying to figure out what idiots bulldozed in the Tellico River road and laid asphalt all the way up to the state line. Probably happened in the early 1900s.

[TNhiker]

I'm still trying to figure out what idiots bulldozed in the Tellico River road and laid asphalt all the way up to the state line. Probably happened in the early 1900s.

apparently last week or the week before-----someone cut some trees near baby falls, along with chainsawing a tree at the right side of the base of bald river falls....

sounds like a local disgruntled bear hunter was the one responsible....

[TNhiker]

and, whoa, the bamboo forest along warriors passage looks cool....

[Tipi Walter]

and, whoa, the bamboo forest along warriors passage looks cool....

Yes, it's very cool---and unique to the area and unique in my travels. And it's just like a bamboo forest except it's little pine trees.

[Time Zone]

Tipi,

Nice! I was on the Bald River Trail on a relatively balmy day in early January, so it was neat to see familiar territory.

Do you use a cell phone for camera, or a dedicated camera? If the latter, is it rated for those temperatures, or have you just found that it works anyway? Just curious, since my pocket/hiking camera is not so rated, but I would like to bring it for subfreezing hikes/BP trips, if possible. Thanks -

[Venchka]

You and Patman have excellent taste in tents!
Wayne

[Tipi Walter]

Tipi,

Nice! I was on the Bald River Trail on a relatively balmy day in early January, so it was neat to see familiar territory.

Do you use a cell phone for camera, or a dedicated camera? If the latter, is it rated for those temperatures, or have you just found that it works anyway? Just curious, since my pocket/hiking camera is not so rated, but I would like to bring it for subfreezing hikes/BP trips, if possible. Thanks -

I've heard people talk about cameras not working in low temps but my Panasonic LX5 works great in all temps---and of course I take several spare batteries.

You and Patman have excellent taste in tents!
Wayne

I got to check out Patman's tent and it's very small---while my tent is very large.

Trip 195 (273)-L.jpg

Trip 195 (284)-L.jpg

[TwoSpirits]

Tipi,

I always appreciate your trip reports -- I love being able to vicariously see, enjoy, and learn from your hikes. Would you mind describing more about your "Severe Cold Zeros"?

What kind of circumstances do you consider when deciding to hunker down -- "just"(!) the extreme low temps (i.e., do you risk damage packing your tent, etc.), or a forecast of wind precipitation, your route & terrain, or some stew of combined and variable factors?

How would you describe a typical Day in the Life of a Severe Cold Zero -- do you spend as much time as possible buried inside your -25 Puma to conserve heat & energy, or do you try to go out for small bits to explore and/or generate some heat through exercise?

What kind of other cold gear do you typically carry -- what would be your "sleeping clothes" on this trip? Do you carry down booties or other things to augment your "camp clothes"? Do you ever bring a candle lantern?

I'm guessing you bring a white gas stove -- have you had any times when your stove punked out on you? Any foods you would or would not recommend on a trip like this?

What kind of equipment failures have you had and learned from? What kind of personal mistakes have you made and [thankfully] learned from?

What other things do you experience or have to think about when zeroing in this kind of weather that most of us forget to consider?

I could go on and pester you with a hundred questions, and I know that the best teacher is personal experience -- but I also know that when teachers are around, you need to ask them questions.

Thanks again for posting your trips.