Where the heck is Wildcat Creek? It's on the Warrior's Passage trail in the Cherokee NF in Tennessee. The goal of the trip was to spend all of it in the Bald River and Upper Bald wilderness area---and generally this was my route---
P1000294-XL.jpg
Topo map showing my general route.
All trip pics can be seen here---
https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backp...Wildcat-Creek/
20 DAY QUEST
FOR
WILDCAT CREEK
TRIP 190
April 27--May 16, 2018
HIGHLIGHTS
**20 DAYS TO SKULL MOUNTAIN
**A PACIFIST ON WARRIOR'S PASSAGE
**52 CREEK CROSSINGS
**3 BACKPACKERS FROM KNOX-A-BAMA ON BALD RIVER
**95% OF KIRKLAND CREEK TRAIL CLEARED
**BMT THRUHIKER TIM AKA BARNACLE
**FIRST NIGHT EVER ON ROUND TOP MT
**MYSTERIOUS BMT NIGHTHIKER
**ON THE GOAT ANUS AND COW RECTUM TRAILS--409 & 408
**PASSING OVER SKULL MOUNTAIN
**BMT BACKPACKERS MONARCH AND FOOD BANK NEAR SIX MILE GAP
**AMBULANCE CAMP IN TATE GAP
**11 BACKPACKERS ON BMT FROM A OHIO SUMMER CAMP
**5 DAYS ON WARRIOR'S PASSAGE
**2 NIGHTS ON WILDCAT CREEK
TRAILS
Entrance at Bald River Falls
Bald River Trail
**Rock Ledge Camp**
Bald River Trail
**Big Pine Camp**
Bald River Trail
Holly Flats Roadwalk
Kirkland Creek Trail
**Kirk 3 Camp**
Kirkland Trail
**Kirk Crossing 12 Cove Camp**
Kirkland Creek Trail Up
Sandy Gap
BMT/State Line Ridge
**Hazel Cove Camp**
BMT/State Line Ridge
**Round Top Mt**
BMT/State Line Ridge over Rocky Top
Brookshire Creek Trail Down
**Iron Ring Camp**
Brookshire Creek Down
**Tony Camp**
Sugar Mt Up
**Sugar 409 Camp**
Goat Anus Logging Cut Trail 409
Cow Rectum Logging Cut Trail 408
**Skull Gap**
Skull Mountain (Henderson Top Trail)
Cow Camp Trail
Bald River Trail
**Rock Ledge**
Bald River Trail
Holly Flats Roadwalk
Kirkland Creek
**Kirk 3 Camp**
Kirkland Creek Up
Sandy Gap
BMT South Up
**Six Mile Cove Camp**
BMT South
**Tate Gap Ambulance Camp**
BMT Backtrack North
**Six Mile Gap**
Waucheesi Mt Manway
Warrior's Passage Down
**Bear Creek Camp**
Warrior's Passage Down
**Tobe Creek**
Warrior's Passage
**Wildcat Creek**(2)
Warrior's Passage Out
Old Furnace Roadwalk to Beach Restaurant and OUT
My trip begins on Tellico River as I get dropped off by Baby Falls, above. A short tottering hike with my 100 lb pack gets me to the trailhead into the Bald River Gorge wilderness. I'll be staying on the Bald or the Upper Bald or its tributaries for the next 20 days.
THE USUAL ACCOUTREMENTS OF IDIOCY---Herein begins the near futile quest to hump a ginormous 100 lb packed load into the Bald River backcountry. 20 days worth of food and fuel weighs about 50 lbs . . . and then you add in the 5 books and radio and apples . . .but my McHale pack handles the weight well.
As I backpacked the 6 miles thru the Bald River wilderness I run into these 3 backpacksackers at the Cascades waterfall and they are from Knoxville and Alabama. Or is it Obknoxville???
I eventually cross Bald River and start up the Kirkland Creek trail with its 11 crossings. This is my fave crossing, #9, and always a good place to rest.
As I pull the two tough nut climbs out of Kirkland valley I find this dead copperhead on the ground and place it up on this log for a better pic. It was apparently trammeled by wild pigs.
Kirkland Creek climbs to Sandy Gap and my first day on the BMT running along State Line Ridge where I meet Tim aka Barnacle thruhiking the trail from Georgia to the Smokies. He told me he also thruhiked the AT a couple years ago.
I stay on State Line Ridge (BMT) and always wanted to set up camp on Round Top Mt and so here I am---as it has a water spring just .1 of a mile north. The worst part of my trip was camping in the sun in a forest of leafless trees and NO SHADE. Too early in the season for leaves.