It has gone from winter to summer with only a teasing brush with spring here. Temperatures were projected to be in the mid to upper 80’s with humidity, of course. We parked the Jeep at the Big Fork Ridge Trailhead and well prepared with water, Gatorade and snacks and a wetting cloth to help us cool down, we put on our packs and headed to the Rough Fork Trail Head at the end of the road in Cataloochee. It was a very short walk to this trail head.
Rough Fork Trail is a 6.4 mile trail linking Cataloochee with Polls Gap. Our route would take us 2.9 miles of its length. The first mile is mostly flat along an old road grade to the Woody house. There are several footlog bridges crossing Rough Fork. It is a nice stroll accompanied by the peaceful sounds of rushing water. I took a moment to poke around inside the Woody House. We sat on the front porch and dabbed Citronella oil on exposed skin and in our hair to ward off the swarming gnats. It was mostly successful in that the gnats were a tolerable nuisance as opposed to being a black cloud that engulfed the head and moved as we moved.
Once we were past the Woody house we saw the sign for campsite 40. Donna said it was a pretty cool campsite and I took her word for it instead of exploring it myself. The water flowed close by the trail and I thought about wetting my cooling cloth and draping it around my neck, but I wasn’t overheating and there’s always more water in these mountains. I would regret that as we left the creekside and began to climb. We climbed around 1000+ ft in less than 2 miles. It was not bad Trail. There were not a lot of roots or rocks. The heat and the relentless incline had us sweating profusely and cursing ourselves for not taking advantage of the easily accessible creek to wet our cooling rags. Red faced and breathing hard, we were slowly making progress. We stopped frequently to drink and catch our breath and check our mileage on our fit bit watches. Heart rates high we climbed, the trees broke in a few places and allowed us a nice view of nearby mountains. The trail maintenance crews had been hard at work, the evidence of it displayed by chainsawed tree trunks. There were a lot of cleared blowdowns on our route.
We huffed and puffed along finally taking a sit down break at this flat place on the trail. Remarking that we had to be close to the juncture we loaded back up and walked a few feet further down the trail and discovered we were indeed close to the juncture.
At the juncture with Caldwell Fork we met a solitary lady working on her map. She was doing a loop out of Polls Gap and we had a very nice conversation. We parted, she heading on up Rough Fork and we headed down Caldwell Fork.
Caldwell Fork was a very pretty Trail. Going downhill and a slight breeze added to its appeal. For the most part it was easy walking, the only obstacles were water hazards. There were places in the trail where water, mud, and rocks made progression tricky if you didn’t particularly want to get your feet muddy. I misjudged the solidity of the ground and sank into muck up over the top of my shoes a couple of times. The decline in Caldwell Fork was fairly gentle so it wasn’t hard on my knees. We passed campsite 41, a nice looking back country spot next to the creek, Hemphill Bald, McKee and took a food break at the juncture with Big Fork Ridge Trail.
We wetted our cloths before climbing the 500 ft elevation gain ahead of us on this final leg of our loop. The cool cloth on the back of my neck was nice as my heart rate increased and I began to sweat seriously. It was not the most difficult or longest climb of the day, that one was behind us. When we topped out I paused and rested a few before heading down the mountain. Big Fork Ridge Trail climbs over Big Fork Ridge connecting the Rough Fork watershed to the Caldwell Fork watershed. It was with a sense of accomplishment we made our way over the Ridge and out of the Forest. The trail itself is a soft forest floor base with a few rocks and roots here and there. It is easy walking. The views it offers at times are nice. This loop hike adds up to 9.3 trail miles. We did it in 6.5 hours. The heat and frequent rest breaks slowing our time. Some things are not meant to be rushed after all.
Stepping onto a trail is stepping out of everyday into a special place where everything is slowed down and all concerns and worries can be brushed aside. The heat and humidity add to the challenge but with pacing and adequate hydration it is a doable challenge. Refreshed at the end of the trail one can pick up the concerns of life and look at them from a different perspective. Hike on my friends. There are many trails and too little time.
MrsSmithsLifeUnexpected 