This was by far my favorite day on the trail! So many exciting events packed into just one day.
Music featured in this video: “The Right Train” by David Mumford, “Hiking Ogre Swamps” provided by Teknoaxe, “Mountain Sun” by Jason Shaw, “Serene View” by Arulo, and “The Wilderness Ghosts” by David Mumford
Trail Journal
October 17th 2020
Chimney Top to Drawbar Cliffs
8.3 miles
I snoozed my alarm 3 times. By the time I got the motivation to roll out of my warm sleeping bag and into the 30 degree morning, David and the other guys already had a fire going and coffee in the works. Beth and Nancy were packed up and leaving. I would've done the same any other day, but I wanted to spend a little more time with this group I would probably never see again. So I stayed another hour sitting, talking, and drinking coffee.
The little purple flowers lining the trail up to Sassafras were beautiful. They were also a nice distraction from the grueling incline up to the top.
I saw Beth and Nancy again fixing breakfast at the base of the observation tower. I sat down with them, but didn’t feel like take out my own stove. So I just poured cold water and instant coffee into a packet of oatmeal, and pretended it was a good idea.
It's too coincidental not to mention, but THEY saw flood light man too that night! Apparently, he made it all the way to Virginia Hawkins Falls. We made up some legend and lore about this mysterious character and even gave him our own trail name: Rocket Man.
We leap frogged back and forth most of the day, making the same stops. When we reached Cantrell Homesite the gnome hunt began. We searched all over, but nothing matched the picture Marc showed me days before. I realized we were probably looking for something long gone.
Nancy stooped down at the cistern to refill her water before leaving.
"That’s it. Oh my gosh!" she pointed to one of the trees.
All it took was retracing his exact steps. I guess without the right perspective you probably wouldn’t find it, and without knowing what to look for you definitely wouldn’t find it. But there it was. His beard wasn’t as full this time of year, but there was definitely a smiling man with a pointy hat in the trunk of a tree.
I hiked on ahead. The plan was to meet back up at Lighthouse and camp there together. As I got closer to the site I saw neon patches of tent through the trees. "That sucks!" I said out loud. The site was packed. Every possible spot was occupied by a tent or a hammock. I was really looking forward to camping there, but I knew there was another decent camp spot up ahead worth checking out. I decided if it was also taken, I would keep going and just finish the trail a day early.
I came to the next site to find a stack of logs by the fire ring, a view of distant peaks through the trees, and best of all no one else there! I set up my tent and started back towards the stream to wait for Beth and Nancy. Which worked out perfectly. The exact moment I came down the stairs they were standing on the other side of the stream.
We went looking for the petroglyphs after Beth and Nancy finished setting up camp. Even with the knowledge I had from my own research and specific directions from Taz finding them was a struggle. Beth turned back halfway through the search. I don't blame her, it was starting to feel like a wild goose chase.
"Okay, if we don’t find something in the next 5 minutes we'll call it quits." I promised for the 4th time. At that moment, a day hiker named Jim came over the hill.
“Hi! Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure?” He said
“Are we anywhere near the petroglyphs?”
“Not really, but I’m heading that way I can show you.”
He lead us back the way we came. It was right under our noses! In our defense the path was badly overgrown. Even Jim who knew the area accidentally passed it at first.
I loved getting to talk with this guy:
"Most people believe the carvings were made by the Cherokee. But I read somewhere that when the settlers discovered them they asked the tribes about them and they said they didn’t know. It was there even before them."
I found almost nothing in my own research about it. Some say it’s believed the carvings were made by the Hopewell Indians, but I couldn’t find much else. I don’t think I want an exact answer though. Sometimes the mystery is better than the history.
Knowing now where to go, we returned to the spot to watch the sunset. Talk about an incredible moment! Back at camp we sat by the fire sharing stories. Beth built up a roaring fire. I watched everything she did carefully. Prior to this hike I knew almost nothing about building and maintaining a fire. As she added and rearranged logs she told me about the time she drove out to the middle of nowhere on her motorcycle, no tent or gear just a can of beans and determination to camp out successfully. It didn’t go well. She didn’t even have a way to open the can.
Beth and Nancy turned in for the night, leaving me by the dying fire. As I did my best to revive it, I was taken back to 4th of July…
A similar scene sitting by a fire with a new friend I made only a few hours ago. Funny how backpacking brings perfect strangers together like that. In the background blues music, fireworks, and howling coyotes echoed in the gorge. The conversation took a pause
After a minute or two he broke the silence:
"The last night of camp it’s always bittersweet... You’re ready to go home but at the same time you’re not ready for it to be over. You know what I mean?"
I did. He summed up a feeling that had been nagging at me all night, but I couldn't quite put to words myself.
And here I was again. The last night of camp. Bittersweet.
