Date: 2007-04-05
From: Dennis Cove Rd Rte 50

To: Rte 321
Miles today: 8.9

Thursday, April 5, 2007. Dennis Cove Rd Rte 50 to Rte 321, 8.9 miles.Start 9AM. My map is 12 years old. Not much help on this relo¢d trail..Dramatic temperature change from Tuesday.   Then 80, now 30. I¢m swaddled in lots of layers, including an odd-looking but effective multi-use 13-inch by 7-foot knitted cashmere scarf. Wet or dry, cashmere is always warm. This long rectangle is not just a scarf, it¢s a shawl, a mask to warm the air I¢m inhaling, a muff, and because it¢s as soft as and smells like cat fur, as soon as I teach it to purr, a pet-substitute. Cross a most excellent bridge. Then up some most excellent stone steps. At the top of the staircase, the trail follows an old railroad bed through a dramatic cleavage in the rock, blasted out by the railway company. Falls are lit up by the sun. North of the falls is a neat section of trail that skirts the creek edge. I remember hiking here with Four Bears in May 2005.Wild bleeding heart, in bloom, growing out of the rocks.Another meticulously constructed stone staircase. The Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoe Club maintains this section. Carl Fritz, the club¢s AT Maintenance Coordinator, says the club has done a tremendous amount of rock work in the area of the falls. The most recent major effort was two years ago along the stream north of the falls. They still need a couple of days to install some ramps so the few remaining rocks are not so hard to scramble over.A little further along the trail, opposite a campsite on the right, between the trail and the creek, are 3 trees freshly chewed by beavers, one fallen across the creek, the other 2, one of these oozing sap, a cherry I think, still standing. I look for beavers but don¢t see any.A little farther along, more downed trees, and there¢s the beaver dam, under construction.Here¢s a tree that once was partially chewed through by beavers, but they never finished the job. The tree recovered, weakened, black scars over the gnawed place. Here¢s another freshly gnawed tree. About beaver damage, Carl says, Whether in wilderness or not, (this section of trail is in wilderness), we let nature take its course. If the problem becomes large, we will involve the US Forest Service and the appropriate Wildlife Agency in determining the course of action. Beavers certainly can fell some large trees. We have had to cut several off trail this year from their felling.It will be interesting to see what happens next. Those beavers are active and seem determined to dam up Laurel Creek. Another halberd-leaf yellow violet. Lots of strong-stemmed tough-leaved plants, need to ID these, not sure how.Blue blaze to the shelter and the high water trail.More hemlocks, these look a little different from the hemlocks back home, they look more like firs. These are Carolina hemlocks (Tsuga caroliniana), not Eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis). Like so many of the Eastern hemlocks, these Carolinas are also infested with woolly adelgid. A metallic silver blaze instead of a white one.Several beautiful campsites.2 well-constructed bridges across the creek.Now the ascent begins. Feels great to be walking uphill in brisk cold weather.Footway is a little rocky.I¢m getting hot, I take off layers and tie the scarf around my waist. I find carrying gear tied around my waist less taxing than carrying it on my back.Near the top I meet Gray Feathers and Memere. I warn them about driving out along narrow twisting Dennis Cove Rd, and about a spot where the AT footpath is eroded.They¢ve met only 2 hikers: Just Rick and another hiker, both slept last night in the shelter. So far I haven¢t met any hikers but Memere and Gray Feathers.Open area on top of the mountain.Wintergreen. More trailing arbutus. These 2 are a little similar.View of the green Lake Watauga and smoky blue ranges above it. 2 large blowdowns, recent.Damascus to Sam¢s Gap (or Spivey Gap, I forget which) is maintained by the Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoe Club. Today¢s wilderness section is maintained using primitive, not power, tools. TEHCC does a magnificent job here.Out at 3PM.We hear from Sweet Sixteen. She¢s doing well. She¢s at Dutch Haus.Tiny Sweet Sixteen, with that huge pack, is out-hiking us slackers. We¢re envious of you, Sweet Sixteen!