2018 11-25 Old Cumberland Trail Walden Ridge

Much of my exploring in the eastern part of the Cumberland Mountains has been with my friend DK. He’s the one that introduced to Windrock, which was his primary training ground when he first moved back to Oak Ridge. DK is one of those guys who makes things happen, and you can be sure any trip to a new area will have an element of adventure.

Our target on this trip was a long abandoned section of the Cumberland Trail. The Cumberland Trail (CT) is  one of those rare projects that is  on its second life. The Trail is planned to traverse Tennessee’s Cumberland Mountains from Cumberland gap National Historic Park in the northeast corner, along the spine of the Cumberland Mountains south to Chattanooga. In its first iteration several long sections of trail were built before the state was forced to abandon the project. When the project was revised in the 1990s, some of the previously constructed sections of trail had to be abandoned because of changes in ownership or other factors. One of the sections that was abandoned was along the spine of Walden Ridge, where the new Cumberland Trail now goes through the heart of Cumberland Mountains from Caryville to Wartburg.

DK and I had explored two section of the abandoned CT on Walden Ridge in 2014-2015. On the first trip we went several miles north of the gap on Walden Ridge Road following the old CT outbound and then a current Windrock ATV trail inbound. We had found much of the CT relatively pristine and discovered an old campsite with table, while other sections of the old foot trail had been destroyed by the ATV traffic. Our next trip was shorter, just going south of the gap to the Laurel Grove Firetower, but we could see that a trail continued south through the summer growth. 

DK had been back to Walden Ridge earlier in the week and then asked Jean and I if we wanted to try to explore the CT further south from the old firetower. Of course we signed on. We drove up the dirt road from the north side toward the gap. As we reached the gap DK noted “that car wasn’t here before.” “That car” turned out to be the still smoldering hulk of burned, and presumably stolen, sedan. There was a small amount of smoke and flame from the final combustion still visible at the right front, so DK called it in to Anderson County dispatch. The vehicle was completely fried. We could see ingots of aluminum on the ground where some components had melted. All that was left of the tires was the metal belting. We took our photos of the car, and then added some more with the Marlow Volunteer FD when they arrived with their truck.

Torched Car at the Parking Area.

Once on the trail it was a mile of two track road through the fog to the tower site. The tower is in rough shape, the floor of the cabin is missing. There is an adjacent cell tower that accounts for the maintenance of the road. The old CT leaves to the open area around the tower to the south on the ridge crest. The first ¼ mile is a bit overgrown, but then the trail opens up nicely. The middle section of our walk was along the Windrock boundary and there were lots of bright blue blazing. It seemed like the trail received some regular traffic. The area was pretty, fairly old forest, and had some nice rock formations. We also saw 2 survey markers and two old stone campfire rings. Near the end of our hike we saw a few old white blazes that we speculated were from the CT era. We generally could follow the bed of the old trail.

Approaching the Tower.

We went about three miles out (by the GPS) just past a small gap where the usually sharp ridgeline had widened out. Unfortunately, the flatter top had made the area more attractive to logging at some time in the past and the underbrush was much thicker beyond this point. We could still see the old trail thru the brush and greenbrier, but kept having to skirt around all the thick underbrush. 

 

Getting a Little Over Grown.

Since we were out for an easy day, we turned back and on the return were able to avoid the whole mess by staying well to the north side of the ridge. DK later reported that he could see on a satellite image that we were not far from a logging road at our end point.

Checking the Map.

By our return to the gap the burned car had been hauled off and only a few charred remnants and strips of melted aluminum were left. It’s a rare hike when your most memorable event happens in the parking area.

2018 10-24 Barkley Challenge Loop

The Barkley Challenge Loop (BCL) is a 20+ mile trip on trails around the boundary of Tennessee’s Frozen Head State Park. Frozen Head is home to renown Barkley Marathons and its spawn, the  Barkley Fall Classic (BFC). Both the Barkley and the BFC are popular races, an entry into either race is very difficult to obtain. The BCL offers runners visiting Frozen Head an opportunity to test themselves over a small portion of some of the most famous trail running courses in the country no matter when they are in the park and without having to wrangle a coveted race entry.  The challenge is to complete the entire course and test yourself vs. the fastest known time (FKT) (currently held by Barkley Marathon Finisher John Kelly in an astounding time of 3:24).

The Barkley Challenge Loop (BCL) was adopted by “Frozen” Ed Furtaw as his project. Ed was the first finisher of any version of the legendary Barkley Marathons, is the author of the definitive book about the race. He remains the most knowledgeable student of Barkley Race lore. Ed maintains the finishers list, finishing times and uses the runners GPS files to determine that they have run the specified course correctly. Ed had been planning a trip back east for the fall, and arranged to visit Frozen Head (FHSP) to try and set his age group FKT for 70+.

The loop is essentially the outer boundary of the main FHSP trail system; consisting of the North Boundary Trail, some jeep roads and the Chimney Tops Trail. I’d volunteered to help/pace Ed on his trip, he’s an old friend and recently we’d had little time to talk.

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Ed was staying with the Karl and Cathy Henn (Cofounders of the Barkley) on his visit and on the prior day had toured Brushy Mountain Prison, which was now open as a tourist attraction. Ed had mentioned their association with the Barkley and that apparently was the ticket to the insider’s version of the tour. They were guided by a former prison guard who allowed them access to several areas outside the regular route. Then the group met for dinner and I joined them along with Barkley Icon Leonard Martin and his girlfriend Debbie. Mike Dobies, a multiple time Barkley fun run finisher, would join us for the run, but couldn’t make the dinner. Conversely, Leonard was working the next day and wouldn’t be able to join us for the trip.

Prerun Dinner with Leonard, Debbie, Ed, Cathy, Karl and Gail.

Ed, Mike, and I started the Challenge Loop at the Visitor Center parking in FHSP a little after 8AM, after a round of pictures. We had perfect weather for the trip, temperatures in the 30’s at the start, and maybe close to 60 at midday, with 100% clear blue sky and no wind. Recent weather had been dry, so the trails were in awesome shape. We started up the walking trail, and discovered that Ed was looking to hike almost the entire loop. He predicted an 8-8.5 hour finish based on two pieces of evidence; a training run he’d done that was about half our effort in about 4 hours, and a calculation that he’d devised based on distance and elevation. He figured that each 500 feet of elevation gain adds the equivalent of about a mile of time. So, our expected 20 mile, 6000’ climb trip would be equal to a 32 mile run. Ed’s also a heart rate fan, he calculated that his optimal heart rate would be 125 and that he could move at 14 minute miles at 125. Basically, all that translated to a roughly 8 hour trip. Ed’s a super analytical guy, and I was grateful for his insights.

Ed and Mike at the Start.

Partway up Bird Mountain Trail we were moving well enough that I removed my ear band and mid weight wicker. I still had liner gloves on and would keep on a lightweight wicking shirt plus shorts for the entire run. Ed kept to his hiking pace on the descent of Bird, I’ve now forgotten any split times, except 3:30 at Bald Knob and 4:30 at the Garden Spot, but remember that at the Garden Spot that I thought we were well behind schedule. All the creeks were very low, we were able to step over Phillips, Rayder and all the other creeks with no trouble.

Between the three of us we shared a number of Barkley stories along the way. Because the Barkley Course changes somewhat nearly every year, there were parts of the route that Ed or Mike had not been in in many years. Just watching and listening to Ed move through so many of his favorite places was a treat. He loves the park and the race so much that it is inspiring just to hike with him.

Near the Garden Spot, Mike stopped for a lunch break and asked Ed and I to go ahead of him. I was wearing my black fanny pack, so I barely had enough room for snacking on the way. Ed also ate some on the loop, but I think not as much as I. I took a short break myself, then Mike and I walked to the start of the cutoff to Coffin Springs and then I ran a bit to catch up to Ed right before the junction with the main jeep road.

Ed and I lingered on the fire tower as the views were excellent. Heading down the tower we passed Mike again who told us go without him to the end. I stopped at Tub Springs to fill up my water bottles while again Ed went ahead. I ran and caught Ed again before the Spicewood Trail junction, the last real running I’d do for the loop. Almost every feature along the trail brought back some memory from years of racing and training.

Selfie with Ed at the Frozen Head Tower

View from the Lookout Tower

Even the Chimney Tops Trail went quickly and smoothly. We soon saw our only hiker of the day. Neither Ed nor I seemed to tire much, though 20 miles on old knees is bound to rile up a bit of soreness. We still moved well over the final short climb and down the gentle switchbacks of Chimney Tops Trail. Close to the end of the loop Ed pulled away and finished ten seconds ahead of me, almost perfectly in his predicted time window. He was successful in capturing, and still owns, the FKT for the Challenge Loop in his age group. Way to go Ed! Mike strolled on in about a half hour later, and we managed to share a few more stories.

2018, 7-29 Banff Hiking Trip

 Canada’s Banff National Park is a bucket list trip for almost any serious hiker. While Jean had never been there, I had only made a short trip way back in 1985. For our 2018 vacation we decided to take the plunge. We got some tips on places to hike and logistics from some friends who had been there recently, and ended up deciding on a weeklong trip focused on the area near the town of Banff. From the US Banff is pretty easy, simply a passport, a quick currency exchange, and you’re off. Being technological luddites, we went out and got our first smartphone for the trip, knowing that we might need to make some of our other trip arrangements on the fly.

To keep things simple, we decided just to day hike. That would give us more flexibility to sample a variety of trails, and wouldn’t lock us into an itinerary if the weather turned bad. We booked a cabin in the park at Johnston Canyon for the first half of the trip, and then a motel room in the nearby town of Canmore for the rest of our time.

The Banff area is immense. Besides Banff, there are three contiguous national parks Jasper to the north, and Yoho and Kootenay to the west. Together those four parks occupy 5 million acres, an area twice the size of Yellowstone and the Tetons, and with 50% more trails! We knew that we would just be dipping our toes into this wonderland.

7-28-18

We flew into Calgary, AB and spent our first night at a Days Inn after stops for food and bear spray. We’re not big city folks, but we were impressed with Calgary, a beautiful, diverse city.

7-29-18 Stanley Glacier Trail, Kootenay NP 6.0 miles

Among all its other treasures the Banff region contains one of the world’s most famous fossil locations, the Burgess Shale, a type example of the explosion of species in the Cambrian Period. The main fossil quarries can only be visited on park tours, but the Stanley Glacier Trail is the best route to find fossils on your own. The main trail was a fantastic route through a sheer glacial valley, but it stops at a scenic moraine. Social trails continue on to a waterfall, and to a huge boulder that is the starting point for fossil hunting. I’m the family geologist, but Jean proved more adept at finding trilobites, the most common type of the fossils.

Waterfall at Stanley Glacier.

Trilobite Fossil.

Johnson Canyon Bungalow

7-30-18 Twin Falls Loop, Yoho, NP 10.8 miles

To prepare for the trip, Jean did a lot of biking at the YMCA, and one of the videos she watched on the screens at the Y featured Takakkaw Falls in Yoho. The falls is close enough to the trailhead that you can hear the thunder from your car. Heading up along the Yoho River after a pair of smaller falls we passed Laughing Falls, another huge high volume falls. We’d left early in the morning, so we got the prime viewing spot for Twin Falls to ourselves. There’s a backcountry lodge nearby and we talked with the owner Fran who was in her 57^th year on site. Even better we got to hike a loop on the return. Already Jean was talking about wanting to come back next year.

Johnson Canyon Bungalow

Takakkaw Falls.

Twin Falls.

7-31-21, Plain of the Six Glaciers, Banff NP, 7.6 miles

Johnston Canyon, Banff NP 3.0 miles

It was finally time to visit Lake Louise, probably the most famous location in the park, due to the famous Chateau Lake Louise. We got a 5AM start to ensure a parking space, took some photos of the lake and chateau, and then headed around the west shore on a route recommended by our friend Stephanie. The only alpine trail I’ve been on to rival this would be Grinnell Glacier in Glacier NP, but otherwise there’s no comparable access to the glaciated terrain. Banff has tea houses scattered about, and we reached ours early in the AM. We sat out front and listened to the rumble of what we assumed were avalanches. On the return we walked through the chateau, and then stopped at the Banff VC for brochures and more hiking advice.

Jean at Lake Louise.

Plain of the Six Glaciers.

Johnston Canyon is normally one of the more crowded spots in the park, but our cabin was well out of the tourist mainstream. We ate an early dinner in their restaurant which was quiet in the off peak hours, then hit the trail. Steven had first shown us pictures of the  trail here, and the amazing waterfalls were a major reason we made the trip. The canyon seems a hybrid alpine/slot canyon. The trail is an engineering marvel, asphalt to the main falls, then much of it metal catwalk bolted into the canyon walls with new waterfalls around each bend.

Jean and I in Johnston Canyon.

Johnston Canyon.

Johnson Canyon Bungalow

8-1-18, Emerald Basin, Yoho, NP, 7.2 miles

Emerald Basin is the busy side of Yoho, there’s a lodge and boat access to the lake. We did the loop around the lake and a side trip to the basin, with its ring of majestic mountains. The loop was packed for our return leg, and there must have been 20-30 boats out on the lake.

Next, we drove down into Canmore where we would stay for the rest of the trip. I ran 5 miles out and back on the Heritage Trail, a paved bike path along Canada 1 stretching from Canmore to Banff. After suffering through runs in hot humid Knoxville it was a luxury to breathe some cool, dry air.

Emerald Basin.

Emerald Basin.

Canmore Days Inn

8-2-18, Cascade Amphitheatre, Banff NP, 9.8 miles

Cascade Amphitheatre is an out and back hike from the Mt. Norquay Ski Area and starts with a confusing walk through the ski trails. We lost a little elevation at the start, but gained it back in a hurry approaching the amphitheatre. In the amphitheatre there are several knolls perfect for sunning during lunchtime. I walked to the end of the trail, which peters out high in the basin, and then repeated the trip to show Jean the flowers and views that she might have missed. We saw only ~10 parties all day, perhaps our quietest long hike of the trip. We also saw our first bighorn sheep of the trip.

Wildflowers.

Cascade Amphitheatre.

Canmore Days Inn

8-3-18 Bourgeau Lake, Banff NP, 9.3 miles

Canmore Nordic Centre PP, 5.0 miles

The weather had finally turned, so this was a cooler and cloudier day. We met up with two women on an 18 day vacation and swapped hike ideas with them all the way to the lake. By the time we reached the cirque, the wind was blowing hard, and we huddled in the trees to eat lunch. Maybe it was the light, but this was the most scenic small lake we visited on the trip.

Bourgeau  Lake.

Waterfall approaching Bourgeau Lake.

On our return we stopped at the Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park which had been the site of the cross country skiing and biathlon events in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Jean and I walked a mile on a paved trail then I ran a 3 mile loop on a nice gravel trail. Mountain biking seemed to be the most popular option here.

Canmore Nordic Center.

Canmore Days Inn 

8-4-18, Stoney Squaw, Banff NP, 2.6 miles

Our plan for our final day was to hike the Boom Lake Trail, but Highway 93 to the west was closed due to fire danger so we went back to Mt. Norquay. The Stony Squaw Trail isn’t well marked, and the overlook described in our guidebook was obscured by a number of social trails. But the forest on the back side of the loop was very pretty with lots of deep moss. After the hike Jean got in a long hold line calling the airline so I took a quick 2 mile run while we waited.

Mt Norquay Ski Area.

Stoney Squaw Trail.

Next, we went back to the Nordic Center where I ran the green and orange loops mostly on single track for a ~ 5 miler.

Our final night was in the Calgary Days Inn. We flew home the next day.

Bison Sculptures in the Calgary Airport.