Saturday, April 6, 2013

Smokies Day 6

For our final hike in the Smoky Mountains we decided to check out a section of the park that was new to us. The Greenbrier area is a quieter part of the park that sees lighter use. Located about 15 minutes east of Gatlinburg and consisting of a single, narrow road that follows the Little Pigeon River into the mountains, the Greenbrier area provides access to a number of quieter trails. Our hike for the day was to the Ramsey Cascades, an impressive waterfall located a couple thousand feet below Mt. Guyot. The trail makes a 4 mile, 2,200 foot climb into the mountains, and dead-ends at the falls. Since it doesn't connect to any other trails or access any campgrounds it sees lighter traffic than many trails.

On the drive to the trailhead we were treated to a show by some whitewater kayakers making the descent down the Little Pigeon. The previous day had brought over an inch of rain turning the creeks and rivers into raging whitewater displays. We had chosen the perfect day for visiting the cascades.

For the first mile and a half of our hike the trail was a wide dirt path that was closer to a road. It climbed moderately and afforded views of the creek along the way. Eventually the trail came to a roundabout, a first for a trail in my experience. Beyond this point the trail quickly narrowed and increased in difficulty. Trees of rhododendron blocked out the daylight, turning the trail into a tunnel. The surface of the trail had turned into moss covered rocks, thick, tangled mounds of tree roots and mud, all of it slick from the previous day's rain. It was slow hiking picking our way up the trail. Eventually the trail arrived at a bridged stream crossing. The park service had constructed a wood beam across the stream with a railing on the lower side. The crossing was a good ten feet over the raging water. Looking down made my toes tingle during the crossing. A second bridge of a similar nature appeared about twenty minutes later.

As the trail climbed into a more open and airy part of the forest I was struck by the giant trees. They were something like Sequoias of the East. Hundreds of feet tall and tens of feet in circumference, these giants blocked out the sun, preventing much of the undergrowth from taking hold. The result was an unusually open forest, something uncommon for the east where most forests have been logged in the last hundred years.

As the trail climbed further and further into the mountains it continued to increase in difficulty. In places it was necessary to use my hands to crawl over large rocks and under downed trees. The trail here was more like something I would expect to find in Maine or Canada.

After what seemed like more than four miles the trail finally spilled out onto large, flat slabs of rock at the base of the falls. Ramsey Cascades exceeded my expectations. Granted, we were seeing them at a high water level. Probably 40-50 feet in height, the falls were really a myriad of shorter drops, slides and chutes. The sun had finally come out, so we relaxed on the rocks and ate granola bars. Mist from the falls made it necessary to wear our rain coats while eating.

The skies cleared completely and the air warmed into the 60's for our return hike, making for a pleasant downhill stroll on a beautiful spring day. Ramsey Cascades is now one of my favorite Smokies hikes.

Sadly, our vacation had drawn to an end. We were lucky enough to experience the mountains in variety of conditions: buried in snow, shrouded in fog, frozen in sheets of ice and bathed in spring sunshine. My respect for the power and majesty of this place has grown considerably. Sad as I am to leave, our next adventure awaits, and the season is just beginning. Happy hiking everyone!