GeorgiaRoller
Exit Stage Left
A non RR...RR.
In my constant pursuit of life simplicity and escaping the relentless insanity of modern life stresses and societal idiocy me & my wife took a 3-day trip to the mountains over Thanksgiving. Our kids were on vacation and with their other "part time" parents so we took leave to get the heck out of Dodge. Was a wee bit cold for a FJR trip so we took the cage instead.
I've been wanting to get in a winter hike in the Smoky Mountains this year and Tue/Wed of last week the higher elevations got some snow. But hwy 441 between Cherokee, NC & Gatlinburg, TN was closed for two straight days because of snow/ice. I also figured there wouldn't be as many venturing out so perhaps we would have some solitude on the trail. So on Thursday we did some hiking in Panthertown Valley outside of Cashiers, NC instead. We did about 7 miles of hiking and visited 3 waterfalls. As always when your out in nature for the day (at least for me) life seems so much more simple...they way it should be. Its just you, the forest, the trail, the elements, the fresh air....simple.
After a awesome day of hiking with the wife and a good nights rest at the hotel and our own T-Day feast, we headed up to Cherokee after an early breakfast to see if 441 was open Friday morning. We got there around 8:30am and the barricade was still up. But there was one car waiting. After knocking on their car window and asking what they knew, they said they heard it would actually be open in the next 20min or so. We waited as well. Sure enough 15-20 min. later the GSMNP folks showed up and opened the hwy. We were the second car to make it up to Newfound gap at 5,000' elev where we parked and promptly hit the A.T. heading east.
I wanted to hike to "The Jump Off" overlook at 6,200' elev with it's views of about 40+ miles looking north / east about 5,000' above the sprawling flat lands of TN down in the distance. There was snow & ice everywhere on the trail which just added the winter hiking experience...especially for a couple from Georgia. After the Jump Off we continued east to "Charlies Bunion Overlook" with it's 360 degree panoramic views of the Smoky's. We only passed a handful of Thru-hikers on multi-day backpacking trips along the way and had the entire trail practically to ourselves. We took about 20 min each at both overlooks just listening & looking. We heard nothing except the wind, no people talking, no sounds of motorcycles, no planes flying overhead....you almost forget what true "quiet" sounds like when we're constantly bombarded with man made sounds 24/7. It was wonderful!
We had a little packed lunch on Charlies Bunion overlook and enjoyed that as well. We hiked another 7-8 miles or so that day as well before we made it back to the Gap parking area. On the way back down to Cherokee we made a final stop at "Mingus Mill" which was built in 1886 and is a still working Grist mill. Working in the sense that the GSMNP service people show demo's during operating hours of it working and you can still watch & then purchase their stone ground flour if you like for a piece of real history.
We ended our trip with a hike down to Glen Falls on the way back home. For the most part we did in fact escape society in general for 3 days...I can't wait to do it again!
Pantertown Valley - Frolictown & Granny Burrells Falls
Smoky Mountain Pano along the Appalachian Trail looking south into NC.
Negotiating the snow & ice along the way. Trekking poles were very handy. Next time I need to get some Microspikes for my boots as well.
Serenity now!...just the sounds of the wind & the views at "The Jump Off" ledge & overlook.
Our Lunch spot! - "Charlies Bunion Overlook"
On the way back down the mountains to Cherokee we stopped along the Oconaluftee River.
Then made our way to Mingus Mill to check that out....I had previously ridden past this turn off countless times on the bike in the past....I'm glad I finally stopped to check it out. Was pretty cool for sure.
Then our final stop at Glen Falls just outside of Highlands, NC.
In my constant pursuit of life simplicity and escaping the relentless insanity of modern life stresses and societal idiocy me & my wife took a 3-day trip to the mountains over Thanksgiving. Our kids were on vacation and with their other "part time" parents so we took leave to get the heck out of Dodge. Was a wee bit cold for a FJR trip so we took the cage instead.
I've been wanting to get in a winter hike in the Smoky Mountains this year and Tue/Wed of last week the higher elevations got some snow. But hwy 441 between Cherokee, NC & Gatlinburg, TN was closed for two straight days because of snow/ice. I also figured there wouldn't be as many venturing out so perhaps we would have some solitude on the trail. So on Thursday we did some hiking in Panthertown Valley outside of Cashiers, NC instead. We did about 7 miles of hiking and visited 3 waterfalls. As always when your out in nature for the day (at least for me) life seems so much more simple...they way it should be. Its just you, the forest, the trail, the elements, the fresh air....simple.
After a awesome day of hiking with the wife and a good nights rest at the hotel and our own T-Day feast, we headed up to Cherokee after an early breakfast to see if 441 was open Friday morning. We got there around 8:30am and the barricade was still up. But there was one car waiting. After knocking on their car window and asking what they knew, they said they heard it would actually be open in the next 20min or so. We waited as well. Sure enough 15-20 min. later the GSMNP folks showed up and opened the hwy. We were the second car to make it up to Newfound gap at 5,000' elev where we parked and promptly hit the A.T. heading east.
I wanted to hike to "The Jump Off" overlook at 6,200' elev with it's views of about 40+ miles looking north / east about 5,000' above the sprawling flat lands of TN down in the distance. There was snow & ice everywhere on the trail which just added the winter hiking experience...especially for a couple from Georgia. After the Jump Off we continued east to "Charlies Bunion Overlook" with it's 360 degree panoramic views of the Smoky's. We only passed a handful of Thru-hikers on multi-day backpacking trips along the way and had the entire trail practically to ourselves. We took about 20 min each at both overlooks just listening & looking. We heard nothing except the wind, no people talking, no sounds of motorcycles, no planes flying overhead....you almost forget what true "quiet" sounds like when we're constantly bombarded with man made sounds 24/7. It was wonderful!
We had a little packed lunch on Charlies Bunion overlook and enjoyed that as well. We hiked another 7-8 miles or so that day as well before we made it back to the Gap parking area. On the way back down to Cherokee we made a final stop at "Mingus Mill" which was built in 1886 and is a still working Grist mill. Working in the sense that the GSMNP service people show demo's during operating hours of it working and you can still watch & then purchase their stone ground flour if you like for a piece of real history.
We ended our trip with a hike down to Glen Falls on the way back home. For the most part we did in fact escape society in general for 3 days...I can't wait to do it again!
Pantertown Valley - Frolictown & Granny Burrells Falls
Smoky Mountain Pano along the Appalachian Trail looking south into NC.
Negotiating the snow & ice along the way. Trekking poles were very handy. Next time I need to get some Microspikes for my boots as well.
Serenity now!...just the sounds of the wind & the views at "The Jump Off" ledge & overlook.
Our Lunch spot! - "Charlies Bunion Overlook"
On the way back down the mountains to Cherokee we stopped along the Oconaluftee River.
Then made our way to Mingus Mill to check that out....I had previously ridden past this turn off countless times on the bike in the past....I'm glad I finally stopped to check it out. Was pretty cool for sure.
Then our final stop at Glen Falls just outside of Highlands, NC.
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