Water source on Mt. Sterling

[SGT Rock]

Anyone been up there lately? How is the flow?

[liteweight]

Was up there a couple of weeks ago and the pipe was flowing good. Just wish it wasn't a .7 hike down to it.

[HooKooDooKu]

Was up there a couple of weeks ago and the pipe was flowing good. Just wish it wasn't a .7 hike down to it.

Anyone got ant GPS coordinates on this water source? I'd like to add it to my GSMNP Google Earth information.
I've got something marked. But I don't know how accurate it is. I show that you go about 1/4 mile down Baxter Creek Tr to reach the side trail. Then the side trail is about 0.15 miles to the water source.

[sliderule]

I show that you go about 1/4 mile down Baxter Creek Tr to reach the side trail. Then the side trail is about 0.15 miles to the water source.

That's reasonably correct. Of course, I did not have a GPS, so it's possible that I have been going to the wrong spring. The water seemed cold and wet, but without high-tech confirmation, I suppose one never really knows.

[SGT Rock]

Anyone got ant GPS coordinates on this water source? I'd like to add it to my GSMNP Google Earth information.
I've got something marked. But I don't know how accurate it is. I show that you go about 1/4 mile down Baxter Creek Tr to reach the side trail. Then the side trail is about 0.15 miles to the water source.

I'll try to remember to get it tomorrow when I am up there.

[TNhiker]

That's reasonably correct. Of course, I did not have a GPS, so it's possible that I have been going to the wrong spring. The water seemed cold and wet, but without high-tech confirmation, I suppose one never really knows.

there is two springs in the mount sterling area----one is along baxter creek trail (i think this is the quarter mile away one) and there's one down on mount sterling trail (one that i think is 0.7 away)........

[SGT Rock]

Yes, there is a stream crossing at 1.6 miles from the bridge, and another further up that isn't as reliable so I haven't got a GPS point to it. I'll try to remember to put a waypoint there too. The one I'm thinking of (if I remember correctly) is 1.9 miles from the campsite and right on the trail.

[TNhiker]

the two springs im mentioning are coming down from the campsite at mount sterling....

not sure if there are bridges in that area...

[SGT Rock]

By down do you mean after you crest the mountain heading south?

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[TNhiker]

If one is at the campsite at mount sterling----one spring is down Baxter creek trail just a touch.....maybe quarter of mile?

The other spring is---from the campsite----going down mount sterling trail a little bit......maybe half mile?

I guess that would be going south and to the west on the trail.....

[SGT Rock]

Got it. I knew about the one (I think) and didn't know about the other.

[HooKooDooKu]

Looking at the topology of the region in Google Earth, I can't see any spot that looks like there would be water until you get below the cut thru the forest that takes power to the tower... but that's about 1/2 a mile down Mt Sterling trail AFTER the 0.4 mile hike to the trail from the camp site. Then again, looking at the topology, I don't understand the spring at Newton Bald.

[sliderule]

Looking at the topology of the region in Google Earth...

http://www.math.pepperdine.edu/kiga/topology.html

[SGT Rock]

I'm sure he meant topography.

[TNhiker]

Looking at the topology of the region in Google Earth, I can't see any spot that looks like there would be water until you get below the cut thru the forest that takes power to the tower... but that's about 1/2 a mile down Mt Sterling trail AFTER the 0.4 mile hike to the trail from the camp site. Then again, looking at the topology, I don't understand the spring at Newton Bald.

the other spring that i mention----that's sorta where its at...

go down from campsite---make the left on to mount sterling trail and its there...

dont think its a half mile from that intersection but its been a few years since ive been up there....

[SGT Rock]

I've located multiple possible water sources:

Baxter Creek Trail:

• Latitude/Longitude: N35° 45.0481', W83° 6.5337' - bridge over Big Creek at start
• Latitude/Longitude: N35° 44.576', W83° 6.828' - Stream crossing - 0.8 from start
• Latitude/Longitude: N35° 44.278', W83° 6.612' - Stream bed usually with seep - 1.3 from start
• Latitude/Longitude: N35° 44.234', W83° 6.890' - stream crossing - 1.7 from start
• Latitude/Longitude: N35° 43.518', W83° 6.646' - seep, until now considered it unreliable but I've now seen it in 3 seasons (ever time I hike it) - 3.5 from start
• Latitude/Longitude: N35° 42.286', W83° 7.345' - piped spring near campsite. Turn off is 6.0 miles from start. The turn off is at N35° 42.298', W83° 7.196' and the trail is about 800' long

Overall distance for the Baxter Creek Trail is 6.2 per my measurement, so the water source is about 0.4 from the campsite.

I didn't do the entire Mt. Sterling Trail. I only went down about 0.25 miles and found a seep I could have gotten water out of if I did a little work. The one TNhiker mentions about 0.5 from the top may be a better source. The one I found is at N35° 42.0231', W83° 7.3571'. That would make this source about 0.7 from the campsite, the other that TNhiker is talking about would probably be about 0.9-1.0 from the campsite. I went out the Swallow Fork and Big Creek Trails. Water is so far down on Swallow Fork that I don't think most people would want to fill there and climb with 3 liters of water when there is a source so close to the top.

[HooKooDooKu]

Numbers are pretty darn close to what I've got...

My calculated overall distance for the Baxter Creek Trail is 6.1 (matching the Little Brown Book).
The intersection for the water trail is 0.25 from the campsite, and the side trail is 0.15 (i.e. 0.4 total).

Your exact mark for the spring is within 50' of what I had marked based on the topography shown in Google Earth.

Your mark for the water source down Mt. Sterling Trail is located where I expected it to be (based on topography) for a location BEFORE the power lines when going down hill (except your mark was a bit up hill off the side of the trail).


Thanks for the info... it's especially nice to know about the water source heading towards the power lines.

[greentick]

Great timing. I was just wondering what the water was like up on Sterling. I will be up there with 2 of my kids the end of the month. Thanks all for the ground-truth!

[HooKooDooKu]

If you take your kids up there like I did... making a two night loop out of campsites #37 and #38... #37 is considered the campsite with the most mice. It's the only place I've ever stayed and got mouse damage to my food bag. You have to prepare for the fact that the mice can climb the cables to get to your bag.

[greentick]

Thanks for the heads up on the mice. We are doing Big Creek to Sterling, then Sterling to #37, then back to Big Creek.

Is that hump up to Sterling a killer? I love the suck (WETSU!) but I have been psychologically prepping the kids (and myself to ease off on the "drive-on" attitude with them). We have a 6.5-7hr drive before hitting the trail so I suspect we will hit Sterling after dark. They are fired up nonetheless.