This is one of the best Appalachian Trail videos that I’ve seen in a while.

The music is solid and the cinematography gets better and better as the film goes on.

At minute 9, the closing scene is solid  .. bet you didn’t see that one coming!

It is sunny when we leave Atlanta and the forecast is for temperatures in the 50’s in nearby Franklin, N.C.  But as we drive the 2 1/2 hours north to the Appalachian Trail we spot a line of clouds and a cold front pushing in from the Northwest.

Mobile checks at the Weather Channel has the forecast in constant flux – and deteriorating quickly. The light rain projected to hit in the late afternoon arrives as snow and a winter advisory is issued for North Georgia and Western N.C. 

But we press on and take the Long Branch Trail two miles and 800 feet up to the ridgeline and the Appalachian Trail at Glassmine Gap.

Fortunately we have heard rumors of a new shelter in this area but the two-story structure is not yet marked on my A.T. map or in my guidebook.  In fact, there is very little information on the Internet about the shelter – so we send search parties in both directions and run in to a dayhiker who confirms the location at the headwaters of Long Branch.  We continue hiking southbound on the A.T. for about 20 minutes in a driving snow….

… and there it is, a welcome site and much prefered to tent camping in a snowstorm.

Thanks to all those hardworking volunteers who built such a great structure. It would have been a long night without it.  We settle in to some beverages, gather water & firewood, then settle in for the night.  Even the dog is happy to be out of the blizzard. 

And the snow continues in to the night and following morning.  By daybreak we have 8 1/2 inches of snow on the ground – and it is still falling.

But it does make forsome great pictures – especially when it stops and the sun occassionally breaks through the cloud cover. 

And Boone Dawg really enjoyed his first snow hike..

By the time we reach Standing Indian Campground, the storm has moved on and we focus on getting to US 64 via some heavily snow covered roads – in low gear I might ad.   

In summary .. a great trip – even if the weatherman did blow the forecast!

On New Year’s Eve this year, we decided to get some exercise in advance of a night of consumption and calories.  Carter’s Lake was conveniently located near our cabin in Ellijay, so we drove around the 3,200 acre lake and found the visitor’s center.

The lady at the counter was very friendly and after our kids named every stuffed animal in the display room, we hit the Big Acorn Nature Trail which starts in the back of the building.

The Trail runs along Carters Lake which is the deepest reservoir lake in Georgia at 450 feet.  It’s reported to be a popular spot to fish for Walleye – a fish that has eluded me on many trips to Northern Ontario.  But back to the hiking …. we only covered about 0.6 miles of the 62 miles of shoreline, yet the Trail was very scenic with winter views of the lake and bright blue water that lit up on this sunny day.  

We made our way to a round overlook near the main road which had outstanding views out to Carters Lake.

Then my son and I raced the rest of the group back to the visitors center.  In case you are wondering .. the road route is definitely faster.

If you have some time, their is a nice park across the damn with a spillway carved in the side of the mountain.  It’s worth a look and the kids had fun on the playground while we explored the area.  

Overall, I was impressed with Carters Lake.  It was very clean and well kept.  I’m sure we’ll be back – maybe next time to catch some Walleye. 

Fortunately, we had no delays during our annual winter hike in the Smokies last weekend, but Newfound Gap is now officially closed per the Hiking The Smokies blog:

“A landslide along Newfound Gap Road near mile marker 22 has caused an extended  closure of the road. Great Smoky Mountains National Park has closed Newfound Gap  Road (U.S. 441) due to a landslide which undercut the road near mile marker 22  between Collins Creeks and Webb Overlook at 9:40 am. The slide is estimated to  be a 200 foot section of road extending 1000 foot down slope, but the full  extent of the damage is not yet known. The closure is expected to be in effect  for an extended period of time.” 

Normally it is snow that closes 441 but during this unusually warm January – but this time it’s mud.  That will make for a long drive around the Smokies but for the winter backpacker it should guarantee more solitude in the backcountry.  Enjoy it while you can…

More photos from the National Park Service of the mudslide:

Map of the mudslide area on US 441:

Out with the old … and in with the new:  The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Nantahala Hiking Club, and a local company – Goshen Timber Frames – teamed up for the construction of Long Branch Shelter near Glassmine Gap.  The new structure is located north of Standing Indian on the Appalachian Trail and about 17 miles from Franklin, N.C.

The new two-story Long Branch Shelter replaces the old Big Springs Gap Shelter (shown below), which was built just north of Albert Mountain.  

The Big Springs Gap Shelter is reportedly in a state of disrepair and is scheduled to be dismantled.  It is a short walk from a parking area, so the new site for the Long Branch Shelter will offer backpackers more solitude and safety.   

The new shelter can also be accessed via Standing Indian Campground where the Long Branch Trail follows Long Branch Creek up 800 feet up to the A.T. at Glassmine Gap.  The trail is roughly 2.0 miles long and starts just across the road from the parking area.

In early November, I posted an article about an Appalachian Trail southbound thru-hiker that was rescued in the Smokies after riding out Hurricane Sandy.  Steven Ainsworth battled record snowfall and survived for three days before calling 911 for help.  Here’s footage and some commentary from the HuffPost on the helicopter rescue:

 

Tennessee Highway Patrol Sgt. Brad Lund and his crew of three had taken to the air after park rangers on foot failed to reach Ainsworth.

 

“We have had numerous rescues on the Appalachian Trail, but these weather conditions were the most extreme in my 13-year history,” Lund told HuffPost.

 

Lund, formerly in the Navy, described how conditions worsened between their departure from the airport in Gatlinburg, Tenn., and arrival at the mountain. As their altitude rose about 4,500 feet, the temperature dropped from about 67 degrees to 28 degrees, and visibility was obscured by snow blowing off the mountain peaks, he said.

 

But the most challenging part of the rescue mission was the turbulence, which made it difficult to keep the helicopter stable by pointing the nose into the wind, Lund said. “We had to fly backwards and sideways, up and down.”

 

Finally, the rescuers reached Ainsworth’s tent. Trooper Jeff Buchanan was lowered down from the helicopter. Once on the ground, he had to grab hold of a tree and crawl on his stomach to make it to the stranded hiker.

 

“When I went off the aircraft, I fell into the drift myself, and I was fighting with everything to pull myself out,” Buchanan said.

 

Eventually Ainsworth was attached to a harness and lifted to the helicopter above.

 

“I was in a slow spin on the way up and got a panoramic view of the snowy rugged mountains I had been in. That will be a lasting image for me,” he said.

 

The hiker attributes his survival to his own physical, mental and spiritual stamina, along with the skills of his rescue team.

 

“This was a perfect storm scenario, as it turns out, but I had my own perfect survival opportunity with my own strengths and the experience and flawless execution of many,” Ainsworth said.

 

The Nashville Business Journal reported last month that there is a new State Park in Tennessee. The 2036 acre park is located near the A.T. in the Northeastern part of the State and provides an additional buffer against development in this area.  The transfer of Rocky Fork into public ownership has been a goal of the Appalachian Trail Conference since at least 1983:  

Tennessee_State_Park_-_AT_ReRoute_Nov_2012.pdf Download this file

 

Gov. Bill Haslam and other Tennessee officials announced the creation of a new state park Tuesday.

Located in Unicoi County, about 30 miles from Johnson City in northeast Tennessee, the Rocky Fork tract of land will add 2,000 acres to Tennessee’s state park system, Knoxville News Sentinel reports. An additional 8,000 acres surrounding the park will be managed as a national forest by the U.S. Forest Service.

Initial plans for the park, which includes 16 miles of trout streams, include picnic areas, a primitive campground and trails, according to the News Sentinel.

Said Sen. Lamar Alexander describing the area, “If you like the Smokies, you’ll like Rocky Fork.”

 

In the last five years, I’ve noticed a lot more backcountry visitors to Panthertown Valley during my day and overnight hikes in the area.  It seems the bears have followed.  The US Forest Service in North Carolina issed this alert on October 29th:

JACKSON COUNTY, N.C. — The U.S. Forest Service is discouraging people from backcountry camping and from bringing food into the Panthertown Valley area of the Nantahala Ranger District, Nantahala National Forest, following several bear encounters. The area is northeast of Cashiers, N.C.

If the visitors choose to camp in the Panthertown area, they should camp in areas that are used infrequently.

Three separate incidences of bear encounters occurred recently that involved damaged tents and stolen food. Some of the food was properly hung in trees. No injuries were reported. The incidents occurred in the vicinity of the Mac’s Gap, Green Valley and the Little Green Mountain area.

We’ve seen bears in the nearby Gorges State Park, but they ran on sight.  So this is a new an unfortunate occurance because Panthertown Valley is such a great overnight destination.  Will the coming hunting season have an impact?  I guess we’ll see next Spring.

Snow in The Smokies is a common occurance in the winter – especially in the higher elevations – but snow drifts of 5 feet?  And before Halloween?  Unbelievable.  

Here’s an Associated Press quote from a local newspaper describing a man that got caught on the Appalachian Trail between Pecks Corner and Tri-Corner Knob Shelter:

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — A man trying to hike the entire 2,180 miles of the Appalachian Trail was rescued Friday after calling 911 to say he didn’t think he’d be able to make it out of a section in Tennessee because he was blocked by snowdrifts up to 5 feet high.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park spokeswoman Molly Schroer said rescuers used two helicopters to lift out 56-year-old Steven Ainsworth, of Washington, N.C. Schroer says Ainsworth was airlifted to a Gatlinburg airport and then transferred to a medical center in Sevierville for evaluation. LeConte Medical Center spokeswoman Amanda Palletz said he was in stable condition.

Schroer said Ainsworth started his trip in June, heading south from Maine, determined to hike the trail end-to-end in a single season. The trek is known as a thru-hike. The trail ends in north Georgia, so Ainsworth was nearing the finish.

Ainsworth had started this section of the trail at Davenport Gap on Monday, Schroer said.

Some higher elevations of East Tennessee started getting snow from Superstorm Sandy on Monday, and by Thursday, the 6,600-foot Mount LeConte on the Tennessee side of the mountain range had received 32 inches of snow.

And it wasn’t any easier for seasoned Park personnel…

The park sent two rangers on foot to try to reach him Thursday. But after a nine-hour hike in steep terrain, high winds and 4- to 5-foot drifts, they had to temporarily take shelter in a cabin to rest.

So this Hurricane Sandy is the real deal.  It packed a mean punch for a Category 1 storm.  Think it’ll be an early winter, or is this just a freak occurance?  Guess we’ll know soon enough.