With my leg starting to feel better, we headed out for some more hikes here in western North Carolina. One of the trails that makes its way near us is the Mountains to Sea Trail (or MST for short). Starting in the west at Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park the MST snakes it’s way nearly 1200 miles across the state and ends at Nags Head in the Outer Banks. Presently 700 of those miles are on trails and about 500 on connecting roads. The easiest access point to the MST is at Soco Gap where the Blue Ridge Parkway crosses US-19. In the span of several days, we head here twice to hike some of the eastbound trail and then the westbound trail.
BRP at Soco Gap
The parking area is rather large and will hold over a dozen vehicles which means parking typically won’t be a problem. The eastbound MST from Soco Gap crosses the BRP and starts to climb pretty quickly. In short order you’re a couple hundred feet above the BRP but probably well less than a quarter mile away. So even though we cannot see the road, we can definitely hear the vehicles driving by, especially when a large group of motorcycles passes below. The trail is in good shape and wasn’t too busy with us seeing only 2 other groups of hikers. If you’re so inclined, this section of the MST will go up to Waterrock Knob Visitors Center but that is just over 4 miles one way and over 1700 feet of elevation gain. We will end up going just over 2 miles and gaining 650 feet before heading back.
Steps along the MST
Unclear Who Howard is but This is his Bridge
This section of the trail was quite lush. There were still a few wildflowers in bloom but the real ambiance of the trail were from all the mushrooms, lichen and other oddball plants we saw along the way. Some were quite prolific while others were rather infrequent. A lot of them piqued my interest and I tried to determine what the heck they were.
Ground Cones - Look Like Pine Cones on End
Strange Looking Mushrooms
Fly Poison? - Reminded Us of Bear Grass from Montana
Fire Pink - A Very Pretty Flower
Yellow Staghorn Fungus
Prolific Mushroom Patch
Ghost Plant
Trillium with Seed Pod Developing
Looks Like Miniature Cedar?
Bright Mushroom
When we came back to try the westbound section of MST from Soco Gap you first need to dodge the traffic on US-19 but once on the trail, it climbs a few hundred feet above the BRP. One section was steep enough that a couple switchbacks were needed. Similar to the opposite direction, the road noise from the BRP made us realize we weren’t in the middle of nowhere. Although we were seeing both hoof prints and droppings from what we presumed to be elk but we didn’t actually see any. The owner of our camping site did say that elk were often seen in that area of the trail. There didn’t seem to be quite as many interesting plants in this direction.
Switchback Westbound on MST
More Ghost Plant
Spiderwort in Bloom
A Large Quantity of Small Mushrooms
At about the 2 mile mark, the BRP has climbed up to the level of the trail and we cross under it by way of a tunnel - a highly graffitied tunnel! It looks like the next portion of the MST follows a forest service road. Even though it was in fine condition, it wasn’t all that interesting of a hike so we turned back after a bit and ended up with another 4.5 mile hike on the MST
Graffiti Galore
Another Bright Mushroom
I had mentioned in the last blog post about seeing a “fire tower” from the BRP and wondering where it was. Well it turns out that from the Soco Gap parking lot we were very close to it and even got a good picture of it. We went home and investigated a bit and decided that it must be the Barnett Knob Firetower. There is a small pull off on the BRP and a gated forest service road leads up to the fire tower. It’s just over 0.6 miles up to the fire tower but gains 360 feet in the process - over a 10% average grade. It was slow walk up the hill but we did get a better view of a shrub we have been noticing during our drives on the BRP but not able identify while traveling at speed. Flame azaleas have a bright orange flower and the shrubs are typically loaded with them this time of year.
Flame Azaleas in Bloom
We finally make it to the top of Barnett Knob and are greeted by the 60 foot steel tower. Unfortunately there are several other large antennas nearby and even one that hangs from the fire tower. Climbing this fire tower is permitted however the actual canopy on top is locked. Chris had the courage to go up one flight of stairs to the first landing and decided the view was fine at that height! She headed back down while I continued up. Since the tower is wider at the base than the top, the landing at each successive set of steps is smaller and smaller. This wasn’t too bad on the way up, but noticeable on the way down.
Barnett Knob Fire Tower
Looking Up Near Base
The views up top weren’t as great as I was hoping. Between the other antennas, support braces for the tower and the tall trees, it was difficult to get a good view.
View on Way Up Tower
Just Below Canopy
Chris Waves Back from Ground Level
There was practically no wind and the tower felt secure but heading back down was slightly unnerving. The small landings near the top and what seemed like minimal railing kept me heading down slowly and always making sure I was gripping the railing securely.
The Scary Descent
There was one very strange thing at the base of the tower. There is a building that I presume used to be the tower keeper’s residence. Nothing strange about that but the place was wide open and there was a 12” black and white TV (like I had freshman year at college) was plugged in and turned on with just static on the selected channel. We both went in expecting to find some homeless person asleep on the floor, but nobody was home or was hiding from us in a closet! The walk back down the knob was much easier. But I got to thinking about what Barnett Fire Tower looks like and what the one we thought we were going to looks like. It was still on my camera and could verify the towers are not the same. It was a bit of a puzzle but I like puzzles. I finally stumbled on an article from earlier this year about a new cell tower being installed near Soco Gap that was made to look like a fire tower so it will blend in better with the surroundings. Puzzle solved!
There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. ....
Power Line Clearing to Towers
The "Fire Tower" We Were Looking For is a Cell Tower
Another hike we picked out was called the Rough Creek Watershed Loop located a bit north of the town of Canton NC. It’s only about a 25 mile drive from camp. The loop is just under 8 miles with over 1400 feet of elevation gain. It sounded pretty and remote which is often a good combination. The last quarter mile of the drive to the parking area and trailhead requires opening a gate on a gravel road up a steep hill and closing the gate behind us to keep the cattle in. There was plenty of parking near a storage building and after studying the map we started hiking up another gravel road. Not far up the road was another gate but this one was locked. A couple bars in the center of the gate were cut out so we could crawl thru the opening. I presume the cattle haven’t figured this one out yet. Part of our mission here was to complete a geocache that required us to be observant on our hike and count certain “features” along the way in order to then calculate the final coordinates for the container. Our GPS didn’t have the trails marked but I had loaded a map onto the phone that had the trails but didn’t require cell service to use.
View Near Rough Creek Watershed Entrance
Crawl Thru Cattle Gate
After about a mile, we hit a the loop portion of the trail. We went right to head in a counterclockwise direction. The road had some 20% grade sections that kept our pace quite slow. Fortunately the footing was good so the challenge was just the incline. There weren’t many wildflowers along this section of the trail but we did spot a snake, a very cool moth and what looked like small cucumbers hanging from a vine on a large tree. Near the top of the hill we heard voices and realized we weren’t in such a remote location after all. There were multiple homes, nice ones just on the other side of the fence for the watershed. The one in the picture was even for sale.
Snake in the Grass
Leconte's Haploa Moth
Maybe Wild Cucumber
Home For Sale
We knew from the description for the cache that we were looking for a trail that headed into the woods but the one we found was about 800 feet from where we were expecting it. So we climbed over a locked gate and continued up the recently mowed perimeter trail. Turns out the map I had on the phone wasn’t accurate so we went back over the gate and onto the trail we found. Initially it was pretty good. It appeared somebody had come thru in the past week and cut down the overgrown grasses with a weed eater. But it turned out this clearing was only done for a half mile or so. Once we hit the sections that were not cleared, it was somewhat difficult to even determine where the trail was. We found a nice rock outcropping that actually had a nice view of the valley below. We declared that our lunch spot.
Turtle Watches Us Pass By
View from Our Lunch Spot
We were growing tired of walking thru the tall grass and brambles so when we realized we could cut over to the perimeter trail, we went for it. Since the perimeter trail is more open, it had been cut in the past several weeks with a tractor and brush hog. It wasn’t a well manicured trail but much better than the overgrown single track in the woods. We saw lots of butterflies and moths taking advantage of some of the flowering shrubs along the mowed trail. We had Goat Rock marked on our GPS but as we passes by we never really saw any big rock let alone one that looked like a goat. The views were good at spots but I would have needed to climb a barb wire fence and wade thru tall grasses to get better views.
Near the southwest corner of Rough Creek Watershed, the perimeter trail simply ended, we had to backtrack a bit and found an obscure opening in the woods that headed in the general direction we needed to travel. This turned out to be a very steep downhill trail that slowed us down dramatically since the footing was poor. We eventually found a more significant trail/road that led us back to the same point where we had started the loop. Given our couple of diversions and not following the planned loop, our hike came in just over 8 tiring miles.
One of the things we had been putting off for some time was a trip to the dentist. Given our lifestyle of moving around a lot and not consistently spending time in the same area each year, scheduling dentist appointments is difficult. Throw in COVID and the general aversion we have for dentists in general had kept us away for over 2 years. Since Chris knew we were going to be in the general Asheville area for 4 months, she did some research and picked a dental office to schedule cleanings, X-rays and checkups.
The point in mentioning this isn’t so much about our dental situation but more about the how the world can be completely random at times. After we each had our first two appointments with the dentist, we received an email from the office inviting us to a concert at an Asheville brewery. Turns out my dentist (Chris had a different one) is a member of a local band - Vinyl Brothers Big Band - and they were going to have a free concert for friends and families. Having only met the dentist a month earlier and aren’t likely to be back for his services after this summer, it seemed strange we would be included in the invite list. The Event Center at Highland Brewing sounded like a neat place and I already knew I enjoyed some of the beers they make. We decided we would drive over for the Saturday night concert. The invite suggested we all dress in our favorite clothes from 70’s but we decided to go incognito!
Highland Brewery is a large place. We arrived a bit early so we headed to the main hall. A band was just setting up and the place was packed. But this wasn’t the location of our concert, we were in an adjacent building that has several different venues that can be rented out for receptions or other parties. When we first entered the Event Center, we were told it was a private function. But all I needed to say was my dentist is in the band and we were given a string of beads and let in. Besides my dentist’s band, there was another band opening the concert - Karma Dogs plays rock and pop songs from the ‘70s and ‘80s. They were still setting up so we checked out the place to see where we wanted to sit. The main floor has the stage on one end and a large bar on the other end. There were some tables and chairs setup but most we already occupied. We grabbed some beers and headed up the stairs to the mezzanine level. Most of the seats that had a direct view of the stage were already taken but the far corner closer to the stage was open. The mezzanine level also has an open view into the production plant. Being a Saturday evening, it was quiet on the bottling line.
Highland Brewing Company Main Room
A Quiet Production Area
View of Event Center from Mezzanine
There is also a third level that is outside. It had rained when we arrived but had stopped so I wandered around outside to check out the views. The roof of the main brewery building are covered with solar panels. There is more seating, a bar and some sunshade tarps coving parts of the roof. You cannot hear or see the concert from this location but is a nice place to get some fresh air. I went back in to listen to the Karma Dogs. They were good and I definitely knew all the songs they played.
Massive Solar Farm on Roof
Third Floor of Event Center
Karma Dogs Takes the Stage
As the Vinyl Brothers started to setup, I was trying to determine which band member was Dr Tim. I had only met the guy twice in the dental office and each time he had on a white jacket, a surgical cap and mask and face shield. So I really wasn’t positive what he looked like. But with the process of elimination, I discovered he was the trumpet player. His band played lots of songs from the 60’s and 70’s (think the band Chicago) and were quite good. There were a small number of concert goers that had followed the instructions to dress for the 70’s and some had gone overboard.
Young Concert Goer with Ear Protection
Dressed for the Party
Large Group Celebrates by Stage
Dr. Tim Toots His Horn
Vinyl Brothers Performing
Vinyl Brothers Video
It was a rather fun experience especially after being isolated for the past year or so. Our last event like this was in Yuma Arizona in early March 2020. After the Vinyl Brothers set was over, the Karma Dogs came back out for another set. We didn’t stick around for the end since we still had the 45 minute drive back home.
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