This trip came together at the last minute. David contacted me the day before and asked about hiking to Campsite 28 and trying to follow the old railroad grade that extended east from the campsite along Lynn Camp Prong. I was unfamiliar with the area, and only remembered that it was part of a popular horse trail loop with the Miry Ridge and West Prong trails. But the image of an obvious railroad grade extending east across Buckeye Cove had been on David’s mind for a long time, and he wanted to see how far the grade went.
Neither
the 1931 nor 1949 park maps showed the grade past Campsite 28. However, the 1994
edition of Whistle over the Mountain by Schmidt and Hooks (presumably based on
firsthand examination) showed the railroad grade splitting near the campsite
and mapped in stubs extended up the 3,531’ tributary to the north, and east up
Lynn Camp Prong to 3600’. We felt the chances of finding the grade were good,
and even if we didn’t the weather was forecast to be ideal for a walk up the
Middle Prong from Tremont.
I
met David and Nate at 8AM at Browns Creek, and David drove to the Upper Tremont
Trailhead. I took GPS tracks and a few pics, while David took more pics and
posted his to Facebook. I started with my fleece hoody, which I wore until
lunch, and my fleece mitts, which I didn’t need. The start temperature was
about 40F, but it warmed to T-shirt weather after lunch.
We
kept a steady pace hiking up the Middle Prong Trail, stopping only to see the
remains of the old, crushed Cadillac near the mouth of Woodchuck Branch at the
east end of the Green Camp Gap Manway. Middle Prong is an obvious old railroad
grade converted to road and is now a wide, gently graded but often rocky trail.
We were too early for most flowers, but it very much felt like spring and some
of the trees were beginning to bud out. Above the confluence with Lynn Camp
Prong the trail switchbacks upward as the terrain gets steeper. We saw one
other hiker returning down the Lynn Camp Prong Trail.
At Lynn Camp Prong Junction (David Smith)
On
Lynn Camp Prong Trail the flowers improved, and we saw good displays of fringed
phacelia. The campsite is 0.2 mile down the main grade from the Lynn Camp Prong
Trail at the spot where the trail first leaves the main grade. With 5.5 miles
already behind us, we stopped at the campsite for early lunch, unsure of how
strenuous our pursuit of the end of the grade would be. 
Flowers along the railroad grade (Smith).
The
campsite has four isolated tent spots, two on the main grade and two below.
With a frisky stream passing through, each of the sites would be isolated from
the others. 
Campsite 28.
After
refueling, we set off across Buckeye Cove. The grade first went through one of
the tent spots. Then we encountered a healthy field of dog hobble. I was afraid
the fun would end there, but there was a rough path through the dog hobble, and
we quickly punched through into open hardwoods. Beyond, we could see the grade
clearly along with an intermittent path. We soon entered a cove filled with a
carpet of phacelia, with lesser trout lily and sweet white trillium. The carpet
was dense with flowers and undisturbed by wild hogs or other animals. The sun
was bright and the tree canopy extensive, so our photos of the carpet don’t do
it justice. Best to say that it rivals some of the best in the Smokies, such as
those at Porters Creek or on Bent Arm. 
Following the grade (Smith).
We
followed the grade, which was sometimes dug in, and other times built up, but was
usually wide, straight, and clear. We found one old bucket, but no other
artifacts. Finally, we came to the end of grade (at ~3600’) which is marked by
a small berm across it, much like the bulldozer load-sized ends of various railroad
grades I have seen in the Cumberlands.
The
woods ahead remained open so we followed the right side of Lynn Camp Prong to
about 3720’ where a lively side creek crossed. Up to this point we’d
encountered scattered briers and blowdowns, but conditions had been great. But
now it looked like the rhodo was waiting to welcome us. Our wide valley looked
to extend to Miry Ridge, almost exactly where Bent Arm Ridge also joined from
the opposite side. It was tempting to follow that route to its end, but we had
not prepared for that long a journey, and we did not have the time to complete it
even if the improbable happened and our route stayed clear.
On
our return trip we stayed closer to Lynn Camp Prong and crossed it briefly with
the thought of exploring up the 3531’ drainage to the north. But that terrain
looked rougher so we headed back to the campsite to fuel up for the hike back
without crossing the suspected route of the 3531’ grade. Our exploration
covered about 1.1 new miles for me.
The
return hike went well with David pushing the pace. We took the short side trip
to Indian Flats Falls for more pictures. 
Indian Flats Falls.
We
had seen only two parties on our hike in, but the lower part of the trail was
busy with families hiking up to see the cascade and other features along the
Middle Prong. We were back to the car by ~3:45 and I was home around 5:15.
Cascade on Middle Prong Trail.
