Rocky Fork Revisited 11-21-21

James is working on the same revision to the Cherokee National Forest Hiking Guide that brought me to the Big Frog Wilderness and Ocoee Recreation Area earlier this year. His area is the Sampson Mountain Wilderness in the northern part of the forest, but with the addition of the new trails in the new Rocky Fork State Park and CNF that were acquired in the late 2000s. Rocky Fork was privately held when the second edition of the guide was prepared, but was acquired by a partnership of the USFS, State of TN, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, and the Conservation Fund using state, private, and Land and Water Conservation Funds to protect the area from development and logging. Prior to the acquisition, TWRA had leased the property for hunting, but had kept the gates closed to vehicles. The core of the area was then designated as a Tennessee state park with the remainder transferred to the Forest Service.

In 2010, after the property was acquired I visited the area to ride a mountain biking loop with Mark and Steven. We rode a 7 hour, 27 mile loop through the heart of the property and found an amazing resource with great scenery, sparkling creeks, and a MB friendly network of old roads, at least if you were in shape for some really long climbs. https://hiramrunhikebike.blogspot.com/2010/07/

Despite the attractions of the area, I had only been back once in 2011 on a SMHC trip starting to the west in the CNF Horse Creek Campground. With a 2:20 drive the area was just too far for a day trip.

James’ task to scout the Sampson Mountain Wilderness for the guidebook revision had grown to include adding all the state park and forest service Rocky Fork trails to the guide. James had already made a few trips this fall, but needed to cover some trails that were not officially maintained. With the need for a partner for safe off trail hiking, I got the chance to join him on one of this longer scouting hikes. Our target was what he called the Buzzard Rock Loop, which starts at the main trailhead, follows Rocky Fork to its head, takes the Appalachian Trail from Big Butt to Flint Gap, and then returns to the trailhead on the Flint Creek Trail.

We met in Knoxville at 7AM and drove 2 hours through Hot Springs to the trailhead. James had driven 3 different routes to the TH, including I-26, finding them all about a 2 hour drive. At the trailhead was parking for about a dozen cars, a portapotty, signboard, and a ranger truck.

Rocky Fork

We headed off on the Rocky Fork, White Oak Flats, and then the Headwaters Trail, all of which James had previously scouted. These trails are all former gravel roads and were still in great shape for hiking or mountain bikes. At the Headwaters/Blockstand Creek junction we turned right onto an “unmaintained” trail, but one I had easily mountain biked down in 2010. This trail was also still in great shape, with only minor blowdowns and a few easy rock hop crossings. James started his guidebook work here and marked several spur roads that branched off our main line. I took a GPS track of our route and a few scenic shots as well. Things got a little complicated when we reached the crest of Rich Mountain. Here we turned left on another unmaintained trail and followed some ATV tracks. We passed the unmarked CNF Squibb Creek Trail heading west down to Horse Creek and then stopped for lunch at Buzzard Rock Overlook.

Buzzard Rock Overlook.

After lunch we followed the still unofficial trail west over Ball Ground to the bald area on Big Butt, where we intersected the Appalachian Trail. We took a quick side trip to the top of Big Butt for another view then headed south on the AT. We had seen no one else all morning, but soon passed 3 solo hikers on the AT. James’ GPS map showed that there was a USFS road just to the west of us, that we later realized was an older route of the AT that I would have used on my 1976 AT thru hike. We took a side trip to the Civil War era Shelton Graves, the result of one of so many bloody encounters of that era. We saw an obvious, but unsigned, path leading west at Green Springs Knob that may have been the Pisgah NF Trail 287 shown on my old Trails Illustrated map. Not too long after we were passed by two mountain bikers, oblivious to the fact that the AT is foot traffic only.

Big Butt.

Flint Gap is a surprisingly steep gash in the ridge line. There are also lots of possible routes and few signs. James had been here previously and steered us down the steep slope to a series of close spaced junctions with the Flint Mountain and Blockstand Creek Trails as we followed the Flint Creek Trail.

The Shelton Graves.

I had noted that Flint Creek had been the roughest riding of our 2010 trip, but currently the trail is now in great shape and the many stream crossings are covered with new sturdy wood bridges. There’s a designated backcountry site along the way. As we got closer to the trailhead we passed two other parties and arrived at the trailhead after 14.8 miles and a 2700' climb. After that it was another two hours of driving back to Knoxville.

I left with a stronger appreciation of Rocky  Fork. In the ten years since my previous visit much has improved, and little has not. Parking, signage, and trail maintenance all looked good. James has seen many more hikers that we saw that day and a strong park constituency will be critical for keeping the park in good shape. ATV’s were staying out of the park, here in TN that’s the biggest threat to most under used trail networks. The area is simply beautiful, Rocky Fork is a lovely stream, as scenic as any in the Smokies or Joyce Kilmer/Citico area.

Norris Dam 50K Race 11-6-21

Thirty years ago I finished my first ultramarathon. My July 1991 run was the Deadwood Trail Ultra 50, which I finished in 12 hours and twenty minutes. A few days ago, I finished my most recent ultra at Norris Dam. These two ultras split my time roughly in thirds; thirty years before ultras, thirty years with them, and another 30 yet to come.

Defining an ultramarathon is easy, running any distance over the 26.2 miles of the marathon counts. Defining an ultrarunner is harder. It should simply be anyone who can run an ultra, but as with many things, looking closely complicates things. Does the ultra have to be in a race, or can it be done on a “casual” run with friends? Do you have to finish your planned run/race, or can a long run with a bail out or DNF count? And finally, how long does your ultra status last? Are you always an ultrarunner, even far into retirement from those distances?

Though I race infrequently, all my ultras have been in trail races. I’ve occasionally gone over 26.2 miles in training, but those efforts have been run/hike trips, usually done as training runs for an organized race. I also failed to finish my first ultra, stopping 44 miles in at the last aid station, broken by the day’s effort in the heat and broiling sun. I didn’t consider that an ultra. It was at that time my longest day ever travelled on foot, but it wasn’t the finish that I would achieve the next year at Deadwood. link

Since then, I’ve run ultras sporadically, with some 50K finishes, and a few others at 40 and 50 miles. I’ve been prone to knee issues, especially IT Band Syndrome and Tendonitis, that have limited my ability to race. But I’ve still been able to hike long distance without aggravating my knee problems. Because of those issues I switched my interest to races utilizing a lot of hiking and elevation gain. Luckily I found the Barkley Marathons, held just an hour away, as the perfect combination of ultra distance intensity with climbing and cross country route finding. For the last few years, the Barkley has been my only ultra. But there is one trouble with the Barkley; it is almost impossible to complete. There have been only 15 finishers since 1986.

When I realized that my ultra career covered 30 years, I was also faced with the fact that I hadn’t completed an ultra since 2016’s Rough Trail 50K. At 63, I also knew that my window for being able to finish would close soon, if it hadn’t closed already. I’d begun to wonder if I still made the grade. Was there a way for me to fit in an ultra finish?

I had run the 25K trail race at Norris Dam five times since 2013, had always enjoyed the course, and run well. Norris also has a 50K option and I thought I’d target that race to try to bring my ultra credibility back up to snuff. The Norris 50K is two laps of the 25K course with a 4 hour cutoff at 25K, and an overall 9 hour cutoff. My 25K times had ranged from 2:55 to 3:28, so I thought even backing off of my 25K pace I could make the 4 hour cut off, and then have some extra time on the second lap. My goal would just be to finish, and to be able to again establish myself as an ultra runner.

Through summer and early fall I trained for sweeping the Barkley Fall Classic, mostly with Ron who would also sweep. Even though I’m not even racing BFC, it is difficult enough that I need to train for the climbing, and to be ready for the unpredictable things that occur when an inexperienced field meets a difficult course. Those runs were similar to early season Barkley training; Armes Gap repeats, some out and back runs to the Garden Spot, and trail runs in the Smokies.

Once the BFC was past I did some longer runs in the Smokies with Run (a max of a 23 mile loop from Ace Gap) and some solo runs (my 17 and 20 mile Smokies regulars) to avoid any Frozen Head burn out. I’d also done Norris’s 12 mile loop in training just to get more familiar with the current conditions. On these runs I focused on being able to run rather than walk, knowing that was the way to ensure I’d make the race cut offs. I’d cranked up my daily greenway run at home to 8 miles and began to track my times, just to keep myself motivated enough to push those runs through the heat of the summer.

I felt prepared, I’d no recent knee issues and had a good solid base. I knew I’d need to run 4 mph for the first loop and just over 3 mph on the second to make the race cutoffs. But with no ultra finishes in the last 5 years, my real question is what would happen if my knee acted up and I needed to hobble on into the finish?

Race day was cold, but dry and clear. The leaves were reaching peak colors, but hadn’t fallen enough to make the footing difficult. I tried to settle into the back of the pack at the start, but it seemed we were moving swiftly, and running some of the short uphills that I knew I’d walk on lap 2. I ran a bit with Ranger Lydia until she got nervous about the cutoffs and pulled away just after the picnic table. I’d thought I might be going too fast, and then got nervous thinking that something that seemed too fast to me might really be too slow.

But at the 6.5 mile Aid 1 (John Storey) I arrived in 1:17, about 20 minutes under cut off pace. I knew I needed to run as much as possible to keep ahead of the cutoffs, but also needed to balance that with getting tired on the short climbs. Luckily the course is super easy to Aid 2 (Brian Gagus), just a gentle climb up Eli 9, then long gradual downhills. The sorting was about done, so I just tried to keep up an easy run. I lost a little time pulling off course for a bathroom break, but that stop was well worth it.

Between Aid 2 and 3 (Brian again) the course is a side loop over Observation Point and Reservoir Hill. With the climb I was able to make up a few places, and really enjoyed the fun trail on the ridges. I passed one bonked runner and stopped briefly to fill his water cup. At Aid 3 I’d made up a few more minutes. From Aid 3 we climbed Ridgecrest which allowed me to pick up few more spots, though I knew now that I’d be well under the 4 hour cut ff for lap 1. Things were going well. Descending the old road down from Highpoint, I tripped on something, and knew I was going down. I got an arm out, tucked my shoulder, and rolled through it. With perfect form I rolled back on my feet, and with just a bit of the spins kept running. I hadn’t made much noise and the guy just 10 feet ahead was now still only about 12 feet ahead. My elbow was a bit sore, but I’ll take it.

I was into the turnaround in 3:25, just ahead of my hoped for window of 3:30-3:45. I was out of the aid station quickly and was passed while descending the stairs by two guys I’d passed at the aid station. I wouldn’t see another runner until I was almost back to Aid 3.

Though my only goal going into the race was to finish, I’d been doing well enough to reevaluate my goals. I knew I needed to keep running as much as I could, and thought my original target pace of 1:37 to Aid 1 might be a good target for the second lap. Surely I shouldn’t have to give up more than 20 minutes over 6.5 miles? I backed off the pace a bit, and walked anything either steep or up, but otherwise kept moving well. I’d neglected to drink enough going to Aid 1 on lap 1, but had done a good job of eating and drinking since then.

I got to Aid 1 just a bit ahead of schedule and was feeling optimistic with the easy part of the course just ahead. This section put me over the distance of my longest training run, but I was still able to motor along. John had told me there were ~7 runners behind and I wanted to keep ahead if I could. Doug (race director) was visiting Brian at Aid 2 when I arrived. I’m not exactly sure what my split was here, but I thought then I’d break 8 hours without a major meltdown, and could go even further under if I was lucky. I ran the Aid 2-3 section probably very similarly to lap one, conservative on the climbs, but steady running on the rest. It was such a beautiful day that I felt lucky just to cruising along. My food and water were doing well, clothes were comfy, and knees and feet were holding up great.

Coming into Aid 3 again I was again revising my goals. Bettering my last 50K time of 7:40 at Rough Trail (it was actually 7:32) seemed likely, and sub 7 hours wasn’t out of the question. Just before Aid 3 I caught another runner. He seemed a bit out of it, went through the aid without fueling, and jogged up the road.

I got a last bit of food from Brian and headed out. I walked all of the Ridgecrest climb, but still passed the other runner early on. Surprisingly, I still felt strong both climbing and pushing on the gentler sections. I ran most of the upper section except the crown of High Point. Sub 7 looked out of the question, but sub 4 for the second lap was in range. I even managed to miss whatever I’d tripped over on lap 1 on this lap. About halfway down I got some early twinges from my left knee. The message was that it was still going function for the rest of the race, but that it wasn’t too happy about it. It wasn’t much further to the park gate, and once past it, the steep descending was over, and my knee was fine.

I was surprised to be running easily on the park road into the finish. So much of my “running” has been run/walk lately that the race must be the most uninterrupted run miles I’ve done in ages. My final time was 7:12, a 3:47 split for lap 2, so much for worrying about the 5 hour cut off!

Doug, Rebecca, and Michael were all at the finish and I gave them the huge thanks they deserved, the race has always been once of favorites, and I was really glad to be able to make it my return to (finishing) ultras.

Fall Colors in Red River Gorge 11-2-21

Our spring trip to Red River Gorge (post) was so much fun that the first thing we did once we got back home was to book another stay. We wanted to hit the fall colors, prime time in the gorge, but starting to fade back home. We thought in early November the leaves might have turned color, but not have fallen so thickly that they would obscure the trails and routes we hoped to follow. As it  turned out, we hit the weather about as well as possible; dry, but cold, and with the leaves at peak color.

My goal was to explore some new areas in the gorge both on and off trail. In the spring we’d done our first off trail gorge trips based off information we had gotten from talking to fellow hikers. It seemed that publication of maps and guidebooks describing the unofficial trails, along with a bounty of information online, had sparked an explosion of off-trail hiking in the gorge. Many of the off trail routes were well beaten in, and both the hikers we met and the sources that described them, often referred to them as “trails” even though they are not part of the official USFS system. In Smokies terms they would often be called “manways”, a term for abandoned trails and roads and/or user created paths. These unsigned and unmarked routes were a combination of short journeys to campsites or overlooks, and longer trips to overlooks and arches ignored by the official trail system. We were using a copy of the OutrageGIS RRG map, descriptions in the Hinterlands book, and some online sources to find our way.

Jailhouse Rock Manway 11-2-21, 7 miles

For our first trip we decided to explore the Jailhouse Rock Manway from the Auxier Ridge Trailhead. As a warmup) we decided to look for the Arch of Triumph just off the old road section of the Double Arch Trail. The entry was easy to spot and passed through two large campsites. The manway went over the top of the arch, but the arch viewpoint was easy to spot. Triumph is a smaller arch by RRG standards but still a pretty one and well worth the short side trip to visit.

The Arch of Triumph.

We also found the start of the Jailhouse Rock Manway easy to spot with the remains of an old USFS gate nearby. This route also bypassed several appealing, but dry, campsites as it extended out a ridgeline with great views of Star Gap and Auxier ridges. As seems to be our habit we encountered another couple returning form the overlook who gave us some handy tips on the route finding, and some suggestions on other places to go in the gorge. Just after talking with the couple, we were passed by a small group of guys, also heading for the Rock.

Fall Colors.

In the middle of the manway the ridgetop has begun to erode away leaving modest scrambles down to a saddle and then back up to the ridgeline. All along there are campsites scattered about and short side paths leading to overlooks. Near the end we passed the group of guys heading back along the route looking for a larger spot for lunch, leaving the overlook to Jean and I. We enjoyed the views of Auxier Ridge and Courthouse Rock, but couldn’t spot Double Arch across the valley. Looking at the map at lunch I realized that we’d passed Jailhouse Rock, and were at an unnamed overlook at the north end of the ridge.

View to Courthouse Rock.

On our return we found the Jailhouse Rock turn (obscured by a large campsite) and enjoyed even broader views of Auxier Ridge from the larger overlook. We met the group of guys again and persuaded then to head out the short way to the main overlook.

Vista from Jailhouse Rock.

Sometimes I’m not one to know when to stop, so on our return I suggested we go a short way out the Star Gap Manway. We passed several groups going to the arch here, before reaching a spot used as an appliance dump dating back to when the land had been privately owned. The dump marks an important junction, and we headed south from there to an overlook known for its sunsets. It was too early in the day for sunset, but we did enjoy more great fall colors. From there it was back to the lodge at Natural Bridge for the evening.

Old appliance dump.

Evening Overlook.

11-3-21 Indian Staircase Area, 9.0 miles

The Indian Staircase is one of the better known off trail routes in the gorge, despite its reputation for a steep section of exposed climbing. We knew of a bypass to the stairs (and you can also take the trail around) and knew we had plenty of time to retreat and take the bypass if the climbing got too steep. Our drive over was spectacular, much of KY 715 in the gorge was bathed in early morning light with the fall colors at their peak.

We started at the Bison Way TH and got into trouble right away. Just before Sargent Branch the trail forked where our USFS map indicated there was a junction with the Sheltowee Trace. We went left and the trail petered out. Then we went right and saw no STT blazes. We went back to the left fork and still couldn’t follow it. Finally, we went further on the right fork and across the creek to the signed Bison Way/STT junction. The junction was wrong in the USFS map! I should have brought along a copy of my “50 Hikes in KY”, the Bison Way Trail was also part of one of my book loops.

Approaching the staircase.

Once on the Trace it was easy to find the base of the Stairs and the bypass. The Indian Stairs MW steepened considerably as it approached the canyon rim. There were a number of short climbs up thick sandstone beds, and finally we were blocked by one ledge too high for Jean. Despite being close to the top, but not quite to the exposed section, we wisely turned around. The bypass proved to have a few scramble steps as well, but none too high or exposed. The junction of the bypass and main route was at a large overlook with good views of the canyon rim surrounding Sargent Branch.

View from the top of the staircase.

Not too far beyond the junction was a large rock house known by variations on the name Indian Council Rock House. This was a long, tall, but shallow rock house that is similar to Indian Rock House in Pickett SP. We had lunch there and chatted with two other hikers.

Bluffs surrounding the rim of the canyon.

Indian Council Rock House.

Next up was an unexpected treat. The Manway continued to circle the canyon rim with awesome views of the bluffs on the far side. Between the great views and nearby cliffs some concentration was needed. We passed through several beautiful campsites to finally rejoin the STT. Though we were disappointed to miss the staircase, I thought it worthwhile to continue the hike over to Cloudsplitter. The next section of easy cruising on the STT was Jean’s favorite of the trip, it turns out she was looking for a low challenge easy outing! We found the base of the Cloudsplitter manway and started up the deeply eroded trail to the top of the ridge. Not much further we were stymied by a rock tower with several ratty looking ropes dangling off various 4^th class cracks. Might as well have another snack if we weren’t making the top.

Badly eroded trail.

Soon we heard another hiker approach and were surprised to see a USFS ranger. Apparently social media is the bane of their existence, as information about places like Cloudsplitter were being posted online attracting inexperienced and inconsiderate hikers. The ranger was there to remove the rope to discourage folks from climbing. We talked a good while and got some appreciation for the troubles in managing such a heavily visited area.

Indian Arch.

On our return we decided to skip an attempt on Adena Arch to save time, but did visit Indian Arch which is right on the STT.

11-4-21 Natural Bridge SP, Balanced Rock-Rock Garden Loop, 3.7 miles

We split our last day into two hikes. At Natural Bridge we started up the Balanced Rock/STT to the top of the Bridge. We were the first up that day and headed over to Lookout Point. Coming back, we ran into our friend Stephanie who had been backpacking near Swift Camp Creek. Our return leg on the Rock Garden Trail offered an extensive “base of the cliffs” walk that showcases all the beauty of the rocky gorge.

Skylift at Natural Bridge.

 

Natural Bridge from Lookout Point.

Grays Arch, 3.2 miles

On our spring visit, we’d missed a close up view of Grays Arch because the approach trail was closed due to a small landslide. The trail was fixed with a sturdy looking reinforced ramp so we could climb to a point below the arch. Even with full access it is a tough arch to photograph; harsh afternoon light and thick vegetation offer few unobstructed views, but at least we got to see it in person. On the return, I was tempted to lead us around the loop to D Boon Hut, but with the long drive to Knoxville ahead we saved that trip for another visit.

Grays Arch from below.

Closer view of Grays Arch.