2009, 2-7, Cumberland Trail, New River to Cove Lake

I’ve combined the notes from my first trip on this section with a later run, notes from the CT 50K race that fall that resulted from our initial scouting trip, and the trip I led for the SMHC since the race and the club hike were all enabled by this first scouting hike.

2009. 2-7 18.6 miles, w/ Aaron Peacock, key swap with Susan Donnelly & Rob Apple

Susan had been looking for a good 50K course to use for a near-Knoxville ultra. She’d checked out a few areas including the Big South Fork, before deciding to try out the relatively new section of the Cumberland Trail, west of I-75 and Cove Lake State Park. I’m not sure on the timing of the CT construction, but think that the CT east of the New River had been complete for a few years, but that the CT from the New River west towards Frozen Head was still incomplete. The CT between Cove Lake and the New River was listed as ~17 miles, so we thought there was a possibility of a good out and back 50K course from the park.

I had run the CT west of Cove Lake to Montgomery Fork in 2007, but besides a car recon by Susan and Rob, that was our only experience on the trail. We decided to set up a key swap with Aaron and I going east from the New River, and Susan and Rob hiking west from Cove Lake. We all met at Cove Lake, and I drove Susan’s car to Norma. We stopped at a house just north of the trail crossing and gave a homeowner $20 to park there, the typical routine then before the trailhead was constructed. I took detailed notes and GPS data and pictures. We saw two elk just as the Norma Road reached the New River valley.

Elk in New River Valley.

Norma Road section of CT

Our first impression was that the trail was almost 100% single track, and the rest just used short pieces of old logging or coal roads. The climb out of the New River valley up Anderson Mountain was relatively gentle (compared to the climb from I-75) and crossed one new logging(?) road. Once into the coal mine area on Anderson we began to see a huge amount of elk droppings, and places where elk tracks had wiped out the trail. There were two elk meadows on Anderson, the first looked like it had originally been planted with row crops. In the larger one we lost the CT for a short bit, but got back on track. Beyond Anderson Mountain was an active logging operation accessing the CT from Mine 10 Road via Massengale Ridge.

Aaron by mining highwall.

Past the logging area the CT was gentler and more runnable. There were three foot log bridges on this section, long, wobbly, and unsafe looking. Two lacked handrails, so we skipped those. (The sketchy bridges were removed soon after.)

Aaron on bridge.

Group Shot.

We met Susan and Rob just short of Montgomery Fork and made sure to swap keys. The remaining trail was much as I remembered from 2007; a long climb to Big Bruce Ridge, a brushy traverse above the Mine 10 road, and then a huge, steep drop down to Cove Lake. By this time Aaron and I were wondering if the course would be too rough for a local 50K. We saw our only hiker of the day on the final descent.

Susan and Rob had told us that they had gotten lost just getting to the CT from Cove Lake, and so did Aaron and I on our return. Somehow, after passing the CT TH on Butter and Egg Road we made a wrong turn and ended up on the wrong side of Cove Lake on a muddy beaver trail. We retreated back nearly to the CT before finding the paved and crowded park trail.

CT Bridge

Susan and Rob would put together a 50K course for a race that would debut that fall. The course started in Cove Lake SP, ran to the CT TH, and followed the CT west to Green Branch. Then the course turned up an ATV road that they found on a later scouting trip. It then climbed to the Mine #10 road and turned north on it before following another ATV trail to a turnaround in an elk field on Horsebone Ridge. True to form, many of the runners in the first race missed the turn off to the CT, and ended up running the entire Cove Lake Loop Trail back to the start before finally heading out on the course.

Susan would RD the race for five years, but it never got much publicity and always had a small number of runners. In 2014 she turned it over to Brian Williams and Tony Branam, and that gave me the opportunity to race, rather than volunteer. The race continued to languish (possibly overshadowed by the Barkley Fall Classic), and 2018 was its last year.

2009, 10-4, CT Bruce Gap to Norma Road

17.4 miles, shuttle trip, ~6:40

I planned to lead this trip in the spring for the SMHC, and I wanted to get some training in prior to the CT 50K. Mark Shipley and Dan Feller took my car and drove to the New River and hiked east. I hiked from Bruce Gap west and met Bruce Fox at Cross Mountain, and we went together to the New River. Bruce had driven to the top of Cross Mountain, looking to have a shorter trip. Bruce and I then drove back from the New River, up the Stoney Fork Road, picked up his car and drove back to Caryville via the Tower Road.

I was 30 minutes late starting, so I had to push hard up Cross Mountain. But it is too steep to do much except walk, almost as steep as some of the Barkley course. Bruce had just started to worry when I arrived, but once we got together, we made good time running down to Montgomery Fork. The CTC had done a great job clearing the trail and we were able to run most of it

Bruce on footlog.

CT Bridge

At Green Branch we split up temporarily. We figured we would be way ahead of Mark and Dan. Bruce wanted to run the entire CT section, so he kept to the trail. I wanted to try the ATV trail that the 50K course would follow. It was too steep and rocky for a mountain bike, but looked to be solid enough for decent running. Near the Green Branch/Mine 10 junction I ran into Susan and her race crew, who were touring the various aid stations that the race would use.

The CT 50K Team.

To reconnect with Bruce, I needed to cut through the logging area back to the CT at the lower elk field. There was lots of recent logging in the lower field. Even though Bruce had waited a while on me, again, he took me over to see a cow elk he had spotted.

Elk on Anderson Mtn.

We had a rough time in the upper elk field, where the trail ended in head high weeds, no CTC maintenance here. We went too far right, then found a bit of trail, then lost the trail again as it exited the field. We were both scratched up and covered in stickers, but our main worry was chigger bites. The trail west of the upper field wasn’t maintained, but it was easier to follow than the field. Bruce suggested that we bypass the upper field for the SMHC hike, and I agreed.

Bruce in the upper elk field.

The final section of trail off Anderson Mountain down to the New River was in good shape. Miraculously the ATV’s were staying off of it. We drove back via Stoney Fork to get Bruce’s car at about the time Mark and Dan reached Bruce Gap TH.

2009, 10-9 and 10, CT 50K Prep and Race

10-9=8.5 miles, 10-10=8.2 miles

I took Friday afternoon off to help mark course with Aaron. Susan and Rob met us on the top of Cross Mountain and drove us out to the top of the Greens Creek ATV Road. It took Aaron and I ~2.5 hours to flag to Mine 10 Road, and another 45 minutes to flag to Cross Mtn. We went as fast as we could walk, our flag placements were too close together to get any rhythm running. The forecast was for rain all afternoon, but we just got a few sprinkles .At Cross Mountain we headed up to the elk field, but missed any elk. But Aaron spotted a bobcat, and I got a glimpse of it, low and dark through the bushes. Likely my first bobcat ever. We got out of the mountains just ahead of a squall line that produced heavy rain and few tornados.

On race day my first job was to lead the runners out on my mountain bike. In the dark and light rain, that didn’t work well, I could barely keep ahead of the leaders. Then at the Bruce Gap TH we watched the first 14 go by, and ….then no one. The rest had all gotten lost and took an extra loop around the park trail. Rob waited at the turn, while I swept the loop and Susan chased a few out of the start area. I then helped at the Cross Mtn (#1) aid station with Wesley and Sharon Fenton and some S&R guys.

I got to the aid station as runner 2 left. The remainder looked good despite the rain and the 2000’ climb. I saw both Bruce and Leonard Martin. After the runners were through, I took a quick run over to Aid #2 on Mine 10 road and back. Though the rain had stopped by 8, I need the run to stay warm. Aiding the returning runners was easy, they were well spaced by then. Several had seen elk at the turnaround. Rob was sweeping and after he came through, we broke down the aid station and got to the finish in time to see Leonard finish.

Leonard climbing Cross Mtn.

Leonard and Susan at CT 50K finish.

2010, 3-7 SMHC Hike

17.3 miles w/ Jean, Co-Lead Key Swap with Mark Shipley

I led the group heading west. We had 3-5” of snow at the top of Cross Mountain, but otherwise the trail was in good shape. We saw no other people and no elk this time! We still had active logging at the east end of the lower elk field. There was a wide dirt road on the upper elk field. Warm, sunny, and clear day.

Climbing Cross Mtn.

The SMHC Group.

Finding a comfy bench.