On Wednesday September 25, 2019, I rolled out of bed, getting a later start than I intended. I think I am getting a handle on this awesome swing shift crazy schedule; but I believe I am just kidding myself. I had my clock set to get an early start but I felt so bad when it went off I rolled over for a couple more hours of wretched sleep. When I opened my bleary eyes again I got up, deciding I could feel bad laying around the house or I could feel bad doing something.
I got my maps out and put together an in and out hike for my first adventure from the Abram’s Creek Campground in Happy Valley. I am starting to try and get some trail miles in on the ‘far’ side of the park. There are a lot of blank spaces to fill on my map and most are further than nearer. I marked out nearly 12 miles for the day, intending to go out Cooper Road to the short .8 mile spur trail Goldmine to the Park boundary, then back to Cooper and on to the 2.1 mile Cane Creek trail, venturing once again to the Park Boundary. I would finish my day by backtracking to the Jeep.
My route to Abram’s Creek would take me through Sevierville to Wear’s Valley, where I would take the Foothills Parkway to its end then take a left on Hwy 129 in Chilhowee. About 50 ft from where the Foothills Parkway ends I would take another left onto Happy Vally Road and drive until I got to the sign for the Campground.
At the campground entrance there is a hiker’s parking area. It is about a 1/2 mile walk to the trail head from the parking area. There is no place for hikers to park in the campground.
The scenic drive over the Parkway is in itself a real visual treat. Unloading my stuff at noonish, I hoped I would have enough daylight to finish my intended quest. I hit the flush toilet in the campground then set out on the trail.
Cooper’s Road is a 10.9 mile trail that goes from Abram’s Creek to Cade’s Cove. I planned on doing 3.5 miles of it. It was the main access to Cades Cove in the days of the settlers, it is the wide well defined remnants of a road turned hiking trail, and makes for easy hiking. I drove and walked off the yucky feeling I woke with and by the time I got to Goldmine Trail I was feeling pretty good. I turned left on the .8 mile spur and began the short ascent to the Park boundary. About 3/4 of the way up the trail I heard a loud rustling to my left and looked up into the forest to see an enormous bear butt hustling away from me. I was glad to see it and even happier it was going away from me. I found the boundary and retraced my steps to Cooper Road and made my way to Cane Creek.
Cane Creek goes out 2.1 miles to the Park Boundary. There is a neat cemetery out this trail and campsite #2. It is a nice quiet little trek, the route not overly strenuous. At the well marked boundary I turned once again to retrace my steps. I took a nice snack break at Campsite #2. I only saw a few other souls out and about. It has been really hot and dry this September and today was no exception. I had plenty of water and a Gatorade and stayed well hydrated. I did this hike in approximately 5 hours, which is a good time for me. The Abrams Creek area is not congested like Cades Cove. I will be exploring the other trails located here over the next few weeks!
The awesome healing power of time spent in nature cannot be overstated. I felt like a totally different person coming out of the woods from the one who went in! Happy Hiking, my friends!
MrsSmithsLifeUnexpected 