I pulled into the hikers parking lot which is about 1/2 mile more or less from the trail head which is located in the campground. There were fewer campers today than there were the last time I was here. I used the facilities and struck out on Cooper Road Trail covering familiar ground. For some reason the trail seemed a little steeper, a little more challenging than it had been on my last hike. I passed where Little Bottom Trail intersects with Cooper Road and continued on up past Goldmine trail then I passed Cane Creek Trail and was on new trail for me. Cooper Road Trail is an old Road bed that connects Happy Valley to Cade’s Cove. It has a wide profile and the definition of tracks still remains in many places. It is not overly rocky or rooted out, the footing, therefore is good. I climbed towards the juncture with Hatcher’s Mountain and Beard Cane trails. The heat was relentless and I was sweating heavily. I got to the 4 way intersection of 3 trails and turned right onto the 2 mile Hatcher’s Mountain Trail. I paused here for a snack from the bounty I had acquired at the Weigals in Sevierville. I was a wee bit more fatigued than I had expected to be at this point in my 11+/- mile loop. Perhaps a bit due to the difficulty I have in getting enough rest when I am working, and perhaps even more due to the physical exertion of the climb combined with the humid heat.
There is a swath of destruction from an EF 4 tornado that hit this area of the Park in April of 2011. That was over 8 years ago and nature is reclaiming the damaged ground, but the canopy of leafy shade I had enjoyed to this point became spotty in places. I walked lengths of trail exposed to the bright sunshine, it seemed to reach down and leach the hydration from my system quicker than I could replace it from what was quickly proving to be an inadequate supply. Hatcher’s Mountain Trail is only 2 miles or so in length so I rationed and trudged on checking out the scenery, the broken trees, the open spaces, the grasses, bushes, briars and small trees growing in abundance. The trail also descended from Cooper Road so at least I wasn’t climbing.
I was glad to reach Little Bottom Trail. Lots of folks wanting to hike into Abrams Falls, one of the most popular waterfalls in the Smokies, hike in from Abrams Creek Campground on Little Bottom Trail, avoiding the masses of humanity that come into the falls from Cades Cove. I didn’t cross paths with other hikers on this day. I was glad to reach the last leg of my loop and imagined Little Bottom Trail would be an easy stretch of trail back along the river to intersect with Cooper Road. Alas, it was not. Partly due to my fatigue, and the heat, the scramble up narrow parts of trail that looked down on the river gorge challenged me physically in ways I haven’t felt challenged in a while. I drank the last of my Gatorade and water long before the end of Little Bottom. I was so ready for level ground when I finally found some, I sat down with a huge deep sigh of relief and contemplated my reasons for being where I was. I still had a ways to go to get back to my Jeep.
I sucked up my resolve and hiked on. I was rewarded by an awesome wildlife encounter as I came upon a black bear turning over and grubbing under river rocks on the bank opposite of the trail. I got a decent picture unlike my last 2 bear encounters on trail. That pepped me up and on that burst of energy I hiked on. I took a short break at campsite 17 and snacked on an energy packet.
I came upon the Cooper Road intersection with great relief, knowing the campground then my Jeep were not much further. It was a good hike with varying scenery and challenges. It is a nice loop hike for a day hike out of the Abrams Creek Campground.
MrsSmithsLifeUnexpected 