22 Days on the White Dot Trail

[Tipi Walter]

Okay boys, I just got back from a long backpacking trip into the Wilson Creek area of Pisgah NF and here's the trip report. Most of the trip was on the MST.

To see all the pics from the trip go here---

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpa...sgah-Holyland/

22 DAYS
INTO THE
PISGAH HOLYLAND

TRIP 157
June 27--July 18 2014

HIGHLIGHTS

** 22 DAYS IN THE PISGAH HOLYLAND

** 30TH ANNIVERSARY PISGAH TRIP 1984-2014

** DRIVING INTO BLACK MOUNTAIN NC

** AMY WILLOW HIKES ME INTO UPPER CREEK

** MY FIRST NIGHT IN THE PISGAH HOLYLAND SINCE 2006

** A NIGHT IN BURNT SOCK CAMP ON UPPER CREEK

** DANGEROUS HIGH WATER ON UPPER CREEK

** ON THE MOUNTAINS TO SEA TRAIL

** RAIDERS CAMP CREEK TRAIL

** HARPER CREEK TRAIL

** ENDLESS SWIMS

** HUNTFISH FALLS AND LOST COVE CREEK

** GRAGG PRONG TRAIL

** MEETING MST THRUHIKER HEATHER HOUSEKEEPER

** 15 DAYS ON THE WHITE DOT TRAIL

** TIMBER RIDGE TRAIL

** PATMAN MEETS ME ON TIMBER RIDGE

** LOST COVE CREEK TRAIL

** LITTLE LOST COVE FALLS

** ALL DAY WITH PATMAN AT HUNTFISH FALLS

** FRIENDLY VANESSA AND DALLAS ON LOST COVE CREEK

** CHESTNUT COVE BRANCH FALLS

** NORTH HARPER CREEK FALLS

** THE NUT CLIMB UP SOUTH HARPER CREEK FALLS

** 22 DAYS GETTING NOSEEUM BIT

** 13 DAYS ON UPPER CREEK

** IN THE STEELS CREEK CANYON

** JACOB AND HIS VENTURE WILDERNESS GROUP

** AMY POPS IN ON A FRIDAY DAYHIKE

** 6 YELLOW JACKET STINGS

** THE GREENTOWN SHORTCUT IS FOUND

** 10 RALEIGH DAYHIKERS PASS THRU PISGAH CAMP

** TRAIL 268A CLEARED

** FIRST TIME BACKPACKED THE GREENTOWN SHORTCUT

** THE PINE RIDGE 255 LOOP TO RAIDER CAMP

** THE ASU OUTDOOR PROGRAM GROUP

** AMY ARRIVES ON DAY 21 AND STAYS IN PISGAH CAMP

** ALL DAY RAIN ON DAY 22 BUT WE LEAVE

TRAILS
Entrance FS Road 197/Greentown Trail 268A
**Burnthouse/Pisgah Camp**
Upper Creek Extension
**Burnt Sock Camp on Upper Creek**
Upper Creek Extension/Mountains to Sea
**Greentown Camps**
Greentown East/Greentown North
Raider Camp
**Blue Dot Camp**
Raider Camp
Harper Creek
**Harper/North Harper Jct Camp**
Harper Creek
North Harper
North Harper Access 266A
FS Roadwalk 464
Huntfish Falls Access 263
Lost Cove Creek
Gragg Prong
**Beaverdam Camp on Upper Gragg Prong**
Gragg Prong/Road 981
Timber Ridge 261
**False Bee Mt Camp**
Timber Ridge
Lost Cove Creek
Huntfish Falls
**Grand Camp Huntfish Falls**
Huntfish Falls Access
Road 464
North Harper Access
North Harper
**North Harper Falls Camp**
North Harper
Harper Creek
South Harper Falls
Raider Camp
**Blue Dot Camp**
Raider Camp
Greentown
Greentown Extension
**Burnthouse/Pisgah Camp**(2)
Upper Creek
Greentown to Highway 181
**Greentown Creek Camp**
Greentown to Highway 181
FS Road 496
Steels Creek/MST
**Steels Top O The Canyon Camp**
Steels Creek/MST
FS Road 496
Greentown/Extension
**Burnthouse/Pisgah Camp**(3)
Greentown Shortcut
Greentown/MST
FS Road 198
Pine Ridge Connector 255A
Pine Ridge 255
Raider Camp
**Raider/Harper Creek Jct**
Raider Camp
**Blue Dot**
Raider Camp
Greentown/MST
Greentown Shortcut
**Burnthouse/Pisgah Camp**(2)


My trip begins by driving to Asheville and leaving my car at Amy Willow's house for 3 weeks and getting a shuttle from her to Morganton and north to Upper Creek and into the Pisgah Holyland. On the first day she hikes me in and cooks up dinner as I struggle into camp with my 85lb pack.


This map shows my starting point to the east and northeast of highway 181. The top red trail line is the MST but I start on Trail 268A and connect the two.


I spend 3 days camping at different spots on Upper Creek as daily rains keep me from pulling the two crossings to the MST. Here is a typical Pisgah swimhole.


The double white dots depict the MST Upper Creek crossing which has to be done to head north.



I finally get on the MST/Greentown trail which takes me to Raider Camp trail and "Blue Dot Camp" which overlooks the 200 foot waterfall of South Harper Creek Falls.



Raider Camp takes me to Harper Creek and North Harper Creek (all part of the MST) which takes me past Bard Falls above.

[Tipi Walter]

North Harper Creek takes me to the upward access trail to FS road 464 and a half mile later I'm at the Huntfish Falls access trail a mile down to the falls.



I pass by Huntfish Falls and head up Gragg Prong to camp and run into Heather Housekeeper, who says "Outer Banks" when I ask where she is coming from. Yup, she's hiking the whole MST. Here web blog can be found here---

http://www.thebotanicalhiker.blogspot.com/



After I pull Gragg Prong I get off the MST on the Timber Ridge trail where I meet my backpacking buddy Patman and he joins me for 4 days. Here we are crossing Lost Cove Creek.



As we hoof it down Lost Cove Creek we pull a sidetrail on difficult slippery tread to Little Lost Cove Falls, as shown.


Lost Cove Creek puts us back out at Huntfish Falls where we spend all day swimming. Brandi and Leo are up on the rock.



After camping at Huntfish Falls, Patman and I tackle North Harper Creek trail all the way to North Harper Falls which has a great campsite right below the falls.

[Tipi Walter]

On Day 10 it's time to say goodbye to Patman as he takes off on Trail 239 while I stay on North Harper Creek and south.



I return to Upper Creek and spend a couple days exploring the "secret" canyon gorge.



A couple days later I leave Upper Creek and swing up the MST to highway 181 and head down to Steels Creek where I camp and discover yet another creek canyon gorge replete with awesome swimming holes.



As I backtrack out of Steels Creek I run into my second Venture UNC-Charlotte backpacking group going down into Steels.



I return to my favorite camp on Upper Creek and get a surprise dayhike visit from Amy Willow as she sports in the big swimhole next to camp.



I leave Upper Creek and take FS 198 to a big loop system called Pine Ridge/Phillips Branch and end up on Harper Creek again. On my way back to Upper on the Greentown/MST I run into these girls from Appalachian State pulling an Outdoor Program trip.



My last couple days are spent on Upper Creek waiting for Amy to pick me up and so I do some trail work on 268A and stop at Rattlesnake Rock for a pic.

[Tipi Walter]

On Day 21 Amy backpacks into Pisgah Camp on Upper Creek and we get caught in an all day rainstorm on our last day so I invite her into my tent to cook breakfast with her new fancy Esbit stove.



Amy's little Esbit stove which works pretty good.



On the last day we have no choice but to pack up in an all-day rain and book it out 3 miles to Amy's car. And so ends another trip.

[rocketsocks]

Does the name "Ripshin Ridge" give any indication as to the sharpness of the rock or it's good purchase?

[rocketsocks]

Wow, that Secret Creek Canyon looks like really spectacular place to poke around a play, must have been lots a water that flowed there one day. Thanks for the photolog, very nice!

[Tipi Walter]

This is Upper Creek on Day 2 after an all-night rain and it's impassable but if you wait 12 hours it's okay.

30 years ago we used to hike up Ripshin Creek which is a true hell slog but as far as the creek crossings go (and there are many many of them in Pisgah), the creek beds in Pisgah are sandy and so the crossings are MUCH EASIER than in the Citico or Cohutta or Slickrock. I never worried about slipping like I did in the Cit/Slick.

[Dogwood]

Another great trip report by Tippi. THX much from this current keytapper cyber hiker. You aptly demonstrate "seeing what there is to see."

“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.” — John Lennon

I see you Tippi in John Lennon's quote. Guess in which camp I see you.

[Grey Ghost]

Great pics Tippi.No doubt you have seen more of Gods beautiful creation than most will ever see.

[Dogwood]

I sure appreciate a university or college that gives you class credits for hiking like Appalachian State, Oregon State, etc

[rocketsocks]

I sure appreciate a university or college that gives you class credits for hiking like Appalachian State, Oregon State, etc

One school my Daughter is looking at Bloomsberg University in PA. also has a outdoors adventure program. We took a tour there not long ago, pretty nice place, they do lots of hikes on the AT...hope she'd take advantage of that should she decide to go there, been a little tough to get that one out though, just not her thing.

[TNhiker]

Had I done my college research in high school a little better, I would have like to have gone to Appalachian state.....

i really enjoy their campus and location....

however, not sure if that school would have turned me into the deadhead that I am.....

[rocketsocks]

Had I done my college research in high school a little better, I would have like to have gone to Appalachian state.....

i really enjoy their campus and location....

however, not sure if that school would have turned me into the deadhead that I am.....

what kind is that? is Appalachia State uber conservative?

[Alleghanian Orogeny]

what kind is that? is Appalachia State uber conservative?

The Appalachian State University I graduated from in 1978 was about as far from conservative as could be between 1973 and 1978. Pretty much "no rules, just right".

Great report, TW, and thanks for the detailed and well-photographed write up. By the way, I day-hiked over to "Nowhere", aka Rich Mountain, aka "Garden of the Gods" (I think that's what your group called it) along the Carriage Trails in Moses Cone Park last weekend. The trees have grown up at the summit such that there is no longer a decent view, certainly not the 360 degree lookout like in the 1970s. It's still cool to stroll through there and recall all the fun we had up that way 35-40 years back.

Keep up the great work and the reports.

AO

[Tipi Walter]

The Appalachian State University I graduated from in 1978 was about as far from conservative as could be between 1973 and 1978. Pretty much "no rules, just right".

Great report, TW, and thanks for the detailed and well-photographed write up. By the way, I day-hiked over to "Nowhere", aka Rich Mountain, aka "Garden of the Gods" (I think that's what your group called it) along the Carriage Trails in Moses Cone Park last weekend. The trees have grown up at the summit such that there is no longer a decent view, certainly not the 360 degree lookout like in the 1970s. It's still cool to stroll through there and recall all the fun we had up that way 35-40 years back.

Keep up the great work and the reports.

AO

That's cool, I got my first degree from ASU in '78 too, a BS in Health Education. And thanks for the good comments.

I really miss old Rich Mountain, what we called the Temple of the Gods because it had a strange rock circle on top with a dead mulberry tree in the middle. This was back in the mid to late 1980's. There could be a road up to the top now for all I know. "Our" Temple of the Gods was reached at least 3 ways I know of---from Trout Lake at the bottom on the spiral horse trail to the top (the carriage trails). #2---From a nearby road on the southwest side(??) where we parked and hiked up. #3---the best way---hiking up thru Lost Valley (Boone lake) by following the creek all the way to a ridge and then making a left turn to the top of the mountain. Always a favorite place for cross country skiers in the winter.

BTW, part of the carriage/trout lake trail is the Mountains to Sea trail.

[Alleghanian Orogeny]

That's cool, I got my first degree from ASU in '78 too, a BS in Health Education. And thanks for the good comments.

I really miss old Rich Mountain, what we called the Temple of the Gods because it had a strange rock circle on top with a dead mulberry tree in the middle. This was back in the mid to late 1980's. There could be a road up to the top now for all I know. "Our" Temple of the Gods was reached at least 3 ways I know of---from Trout Lake at the bottom on the spiral horse trail to the top (the carriage trails). #2---From a nearby road on the southwest side(??) where we parked and hiked up. #3---the best way---hiking up thru Lost Valley (Boone lake) by following the creek all the way to a ridge and then making a left turn to the top of the mountain. Always a favorite place for cross country skiers in the winter.

BTW, part of the carriage/trout lake trail is the Mountains to Sea trail.

I didn't realize we were there at the same time, TW. BS in Geology '78 here. Given that it is, and has been since the 1950s, within the National Park system, Moses Cone Memorial Park hasn't changed much. The spiral trail which the MST intersects above Shulls Mill Rd is part of the 25 mile Carriage Trails network, as you noted. With the exception of the half-mile gated gravel road link between Shulls Mill Rd and the big meadow at the south base of the open Rich Mtn summit (probably your #2, above), there are no new roads in that part of Cone Park. Your #3 is a traverse up the headwaters of Winkler's Creek above the Boone Reservoir, where a very steep but forested headwall rises to a north-south knife-edge ridge (well, wide enough for a two-track NPS road, but barely) which forms the north end of the Rich Mtn ridgeline (and is a segment of the Tennessee Valley Divide). Nowadays, we normally approach from a little-known subdivision with a small network of private roads on the far northwest end of the Cone Park property, of of Russ Cornett Rd about 2 miles past the old teepee location near Harvard Ayers' place, where a small spur ridge holding the high ground above old Camp Yonahlossee (now Yonahlossee Resort) is host to 35-40 homes. We use a small self-blazed trail to access the ridgeline around a mile and a half north of the "Temple", which was of course part of the landscaping of the Carriage Trails built by Cone. I don't recall ever seeing another soul within the roughly 1,000 acres of Cone Park north of the gate where the two-track along the ridgeline intersects the Carriage Trail/spiral road. There is actually a second spiral road section just north of the Rich Mountain summit, just off of the N-S ridgetop road. It is now thickly forested, so no views. A good read on the history of Cone Park is "A Mansion in the Mountains", written by a graduate student from ASU, if I recall correctly. It relates how Cone purchased dozens of tracts to assemble the roughly 3,000 acre estate, employed many of the farmers he bought out, laid out the Carriage Trails, developed extensive apple orchards, and generally made the estate more or less self-sufficient. Ah, memories of the '70s....... AO

[rocketsocks]

The Appalachian State University I graduated from in 1978 was about as far from conservative as could be between 1973 and 1978. Pretty much "no rules, just right".

Great report, TW, and thanks for the detailed and well-photographed write up. By the way, I day-hiked over to "Nowhere", aka Rich Mountain, aka "Garden of the Gods" (I think that's what your group called it) along the Carriage Trails in Moses Cone Park last weekend. The trees have grown up at the summit such that there is no longer a decent view, certainly not the 360 degree lookout like in the 1970s. It's still cool to stroll through there and recall all the fun we had up that way 35-40 years back.

Keep up the great work and the reports.

AO

ah got cha...good deal, walks down memory lane are a nice way to re-live a moment in time.

[rocketsocks]

Walter, for what ever reason, the "blue dot camp" photo is really throwin' me, I can't tell if it's a shear face, quartz vien, waterfall, or and old tree with gin...or all of thee above, what am I seeing at there?

[Tipi Walter]

Walter, for what ever reason, the "blue dot camp" photo is really throwin' me, I can't tell if it's a shear face, quartz vien, waterfall, or and old tree with gin...or all of thee above, what am I seeing at there?

You are 300 feet above a 200 foot waterfall, basically . . .

Check out---

http://www.jdvstudio.com/Photography...rperCreek.html

[TNhiker]

Don't know that...

just meant that when I arrived at the college I went to, literally in the first day I was on campus---this hardcore punker was taken under some older students wings and they turned me on to the wonder of the Grateful Dead..

my life has never, and in a good way, been the same since.......