Date: 2013-10-01
From: US 321 - Watauga Lake

To: Wilbur Lake Road
Miles today: 4.2

This was the last day of the Tennessee slackpacking expedition. I hiked from US 321 along Watauga Lake to cross the dam and continue on to Wilbur Lake Road. It was short enough so I hiked back to 321 for the pickup. Using the camera in my phone has generally worked well, but I've been a little concerned that a lot of my lake or pond pictures don't reflect what I actually saw. The camera colors the surface of the water a lot bluer than the sky under certain conditions. So I spent quite a bit of time fiddling with the adjustments to see if I could get something closer to reality. I did it on kind of a trial and error basis, took several pictures with different settings and then selected the ones I liked the best. The walk along the lake was pleasant, with numerous spots where you could get a good view, and where you could cast out into the lake, if you had a fishing pole with you. The streams in the area are stocked on a regular basis and quite a few of the fish make their way into the lake. After crossing the dam, the trail follows the access road for a while before it turns off into the woods. There was some gain in elevation involved, and the road was hot in the sun. At Wilbur Lake Road I crossed to a campsite/picnic area and ate lunch before starting the return trip. I met one hiker while I was northbound, a young man at a campsite, dressed in camo, with a six inch hunting knife in a sheath in front of him on the ground. He warned me there were bears active in the area, which was true, since there were numerous signs purporting to close sections of the trail except for hiking through. When I turned around and headed south I had a number of SOBO through hikers pass me. They were all young and fit. One of them slowed down for a while to have a conversation, I told him what I could about trail conditions ahead. He was looking forward to staying at Kincora and meeting Bob Peoples, who is a legend along the trail. There are Bob Peoples stories, mostly anecdotes or jokes about how tough and/or clever he is. Chuck Norris who owns Laughing Heart hostel has a similar reputation, but comes in second. The other Swamp Fox told me Peoples is one of his favorite people he met on the trail, but the way I planned things I didn't get to stay at Kincora. If you Google "Bob Peoples Kincora" you can get articles and posts that provide a good picture of what he's achieved, to include his "hardcore" trail maintenance work groups. Of course when I went past the sign for Hardcore Cascades a few days ago, I missed the point, I didn't see why they had the name. It's been dry lately and the falls were a trickle.The other thing that came out of my conversation with the SOBO was that he asked me about congestion when starting a NOBO hike early in the year. I told him about the situation at Standing Indian, where you wound up with 20 peole in a 12 person shelter, there were hikers who stayed there all day to avoid being out in a heavy rainstorm. I couldn't stand the crowding and hiked out in the rain, it worked out OK. So form their point of view NOBO hikers put up with a lot of cold, harsh weather and crowded conditions. I really liked this section, North of 19E, for the variety of conditions and the well-maintained trail. The weather in late September early October was very pleasant, there were no bugs to speak of, and the shelters and campsites weren't too crowded. Particlurly for those who are retired but still active, it's a good time and place for a section hike.