Emery Creek Trail - April 18th, 2014

Emery Creek Trail

Mileage: 6 mi round-trip
Elevation Gain: 700'

Most of the hiking I've done since moving to Atlanta has been in North Carolina, and particularly, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. However, the drive to these areas is significantly longer than to North Georgia, so I decided to find some nice spots closer to home that would be feasible for day trips.  I saw that the weather for April 18th was going to be extremely overcast, leading to good conditions for waterfall shooting.  I had only seen several pictures of the Emery Creek area, but it was promising enough to go explore.

The Emery Creek Trail begins east of Chatsworth, GA. A gravel road continue past the Holly Creek day-use area, and immediately before a sharp switchback in the road is the trail head.  The Emery Creek Trail leaves the small parking lot, heading east along the right bank of Holly Creek.  Holly Creek is larger than I expected, with many cascades plunging into deep, clear pools. I would imagine that in the summer this area is extremely busy. The trail continues for maybe 0.5 miles up Holly Creek, usually far above the creek on the right.  Eventually, the trail and rive emerge at the same level on a small rock bank.  To continue along the Emery Creek Trail, you must first ford Holly Creek (I wouldn't want to do this if there had recently been a large amount of rain).  There are some thigh-deep fording locations across the creek from the obvious campsite. Immediately after crossing Holly Creek, the trail crosses Emery Creek and continues upstream.

Typical crossing of Emery Creek

My goal for the trip was to get some good waterfall shots in early spring conditions. Spring had definitely arrived to the North Georgia mountains by this point, though most of the fresh leaves were still in the tops of the trees rather than the understory. Quite a few different types of wildflowers lined the trail.  

The Emery Creek Trail follows what seems to be an old road or rail road.  The area was pretty clearly logged in the past, as many parts of the forest are still dominated by pine trees.  The trail fords the river several more times before climbing an unused forest road on the left hand bank.  The trail quickly descends back to the river, continuing the never-ending crossings.  The lower stretches of Emery Creek are relatively calm, and all of the crossings are easy.  In the summer, it might even be possible to cross in places without even getting wet.  Some old rusty junk is passed along the trail, along with a hard plastic cooler that looks like it was destroyed by a bear (obvious tooth/claw marks).  

First Emery Creek falls

After about 2 or 2.5 miles, the trail crosses the river one more time, and a well-signed spur trail points to the first Emery Creek Falls to the left.  The Emery Creek Trail diverges from the creek, and begins climbing a small feeder stream to the right.  The first Emery Creek Falls is reached after about a hundred yards along the side trail.  The falls cascades down many rock terraces, eventually flowing into a deep pool at the base.

Upper portion of the first falls along Emery Creek

View from the top of the first Emery Creek Falls

Some off-trail stream hiking is needed to continue to the other falls. A guidebook I have on hiking in the N. GA mountains explicitly does not recommend hiking off-trail here. I think this is poor advice - if you're careful, the off-trail hiking is relatively easy.  Thankfully, the overcast skies led to fantastic waterfall pictures, even in the middle of the day.  For those looking to make this an overnight trip, there are several good camping spots near the base of the first falls.

Continuing up and to the left of the first falls is the easiest path to the 2nd falls.  Once the top of the 1st falls is reached, the 2nd falls is immediately visible.  The falls is a single cascade flowing over a smooth rock face, with several smaller cascades beneath.  There is another great camping spot here, between the first and second falls.  Beyond this point, the ravine narrows significantly, reducing good camping places.

First view of the 2nd falls along the Emery Creek Trail

2nd Emery Creek Falls

Continue above and to the left again, and around the second falls.  Above this falls, the creek is essentially a continuous cascade of different varieties.  I found that the easiest path is usually to the left of any obstacle, because the mountain is very steep to the right.  The rock underneath many of the cascades is slick, so be careful if you choose to hike up any (even small) cascades.

Small cascade between the 2nd and 3rd falls

The distance between the 2nd and 3rd falls is the largest distance between any of the falls.  The 3rd falls is shrouded in rhododendrons, which is good for reducing light during the day. The falls has two distinct tiers, and unfortunately there aren't too many interesting foreground compositions beneath this falls due to a fall tree.

Third Emery Creek Falls

Once again, scramble to the top of this falls via an easy route to the left.  Above this falls, the fourth Emery Creek falls is visible.  This is probably the 2nd tallest of the 5 falls, and is very close in size to the first. The first picture shown below is a blend of two pictures; a darker exposure was hand-blended to obtain better detail in the falls itself.

Fourth Emery Creek falls

Fourth Emery Creek falls

The fifth falls is immediately above the fourth, and is a smaller 'double' falls; I found that this falls was easiest reached by going to the right of falls #4.  A relatively deep pool forms at the base, before cascading down to falls #4.  A short hike above and to the right of falls #5 takes you back to the Emery Creek Trail, where a right hand turn will take you around a small ridge and down the feeder stream valley.  Falls #2 - #4 can be heard (and sometimes seen) far below the trail to the right.  

Emery Creek falls #5

I tried some macro shots of wild flowers on the trail on the way back to the car, but I had a lot of trouble with my two available lenses to get good, close shots. I guess I'll just have to save up for an actual macro lens!

Lynn Camp Prong: April 5th - 6th, 2014

Lynn Camp Prong: April 5th - 6th, 2014

Total mileage: 11.2 mi round-trip
Elevation Gain: 1615'

I had some free time, so I decided to head to the Tennessee side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and do some hiking in the Tremont region, an area I hadn't visited yet.  I've seen lots of beautiful shots from the streams in this area, so I was hoping to see some good signs of early spring on the creeks.  I took the Middle Prong Trail 4.1 miles up to the junction with the Lynn Camp Prong Trail, which then led about 1.5 miles to BC site #28.

Immediately past the GSMNP Institute at Tremont, the road turns to gravel and slowly winds its way upstream along the right bank of the Middle Prong Little River.  There's quite a few good locations along this road for pictures, such as the shot shown below. Unfortunately, my arrival coincided with blue skies and minimal clouds - I would definitely be using my Hoya ND16 filter stacked on the B+W Slim Polarizer, but this combination essentially restricts me from using my Canon 10 - 22mm lens because of severe vignetting.  So, no wide angle shots during the day on this trip!

Middle Prong Cascade from the Tremont Road

The gravel road continues, eventually terminating in a parking lot at the trailhead of the Middle Prong Trail.  The trail is very easy to locate here, made so even more by the crowds of people you're likely to encounter.  The trail immediately crosses a bridge and veers to the left; taking the right trail would lead you on a short walk up the Thunderhead Prong (which originates from its namesake mountain along the main ridge of the Smokies).  The trail winds its way along the left side of the bank, with easy access to creek. The creek here actually isn't called the Middle Prong - it's the Lynn Camp Prong, which converges at the parking lot with Thunderhead Prong to form the Middle Prong of the Little River.

A short distance later, Lynn Camp Falls proper is visible. The falls is fairly tall (maybe 50 - 70 ft), and cascades over several layers of rock.  Above the falls, the creek is confined to a narrow ravine, resulting in some other nice cascades.  There are several nice views of the falls from here, though I didn't stop to take any pictures - maybe next time.  Within the next couple miles before the junction with the Panther Creek Trail, there are several nice cascades and pools. One such cascade is shown below - the falls itself is two-tiered, with the top tier being composed of many parallel streamlines - great for pictures! The shot from the top was actually taken the next morning on my hike out; much better lighting conditions than on the way in.

Another good sized cascade along the Lynn Camp Prong

Same falls as above, but from the top

Another nice cascade and plunge pool on the Lynn Camp Prong 

Some old rusty parts (not sure of what) and some obvious homesteading sites are passed before the junction with the Panther Creek Trail. One of these sites has a nice chimney, though it has since toppled.  The creek is significantly narrowed by this point, and the cascades have decreased in size.  As I'm sure you've seen from the pictures, there wasn't too many signs of spring yet in the park. There were some wildflowers along the trail, but nothing spectacular enough to take the time and get a good shot. The long winter in the park (and really, the whole US) delayed the onset of spring significantly.

Small cascades along the Lynn Camp Prong

One the junction with Panther Creek is reached, the trail makes a quick and easy switchback and continues along the stream bank. By this point, the crowds have substantially thinned, though there are still some stragglers heading to the last footbridge or maybe Indian Flats Falls.  Once this footbridge is reached, the trail picks up most of its hardest elevation over the next 0.75 miles or so, with several long and wide switchbacks.  Along one of these switchbacks is the turn-off trail to reach Indian Flats Falls, though I didn't know this at the time.  At the top of the switchbacks the trail intersects the Greenbrier Ridge Trail, which continues along an arduous climb to the AT just north of the Derrick Knob Shelter. Rather than partake in such torture, my route turned left and picked up the Lynn Camp Prong Trail, which gently undulates about 1.5 miles to BC 28, crossing several dry or almost dry stream beds along the way. I'm sure that in late spring, this area is rife with wildflowers.

BC #28 is a decent site, though not the best I've stayed at in the park. An unnamed creek cuts the site into two halves, with a large clearing on one side and several small clearings on the further side.  I tried to hack my way down this creek to reach the Lynn Camp Prong, but the rhododendron was so thick that I had to turn back.  Later in the evening, I discovered that if you take the worn path leaving the back on the campsite, you can quickly access the Lynn Camp Prong. However, at this point the creek is really too small to be photogenic.

I woke up very early the next morning with the goal of reaching the small footbridge over the Indian Flats Prong by sunrise.  Along the trail my headlamp caught the eyes of some strange creature flitting through the air - it landed on a rock mere feet in front of me. I've since identified the bird as Whip-o-Will, though I never heard its distinct call. I found a good spot for pictures just above the footbridge, though I never made it to Indian Flats Falls.

Cascade along Indian Flats Prong

I followed the same route back to the car, stopping frequently to get some good pictures while the light was ideal.  One of my favorite shots from the trip is a 6-shot panorama of the Lynn Camp Prong as it cascades into the bank and takes a sharp turn.

Lynn Camp Prong

Lynn Camp Prong

Panoramic shot of Lynn Camp Prong

Black Balsam Knob: March 17th - 19th, 2014

Black Balsam Knob:

Length: 17.6 mi
Max. Elevation Gain: 1214'

The Black Balsam Knob area and Shining Rock Wilderness are a very interesting and unique part of Western North Carolina and the Pisgah National Forest, near Brevard and Waynesville, NC.  The main ridge line extending from Black Balsam Knob to Cold Mountain has large portions which are entirely devoid of trees, resulting in amazing, almost continuously unobstructed panoramic vistas.  I had tried in late January to do some hiking in the area, but unfortunately my wife and I left early as she was feeling sick.  I finally made it back in mid-March, and fortunately the temperatures had warmed up substantially.  

An unfortunate aspect of hiking in the area this time of year is that the Blue Ridge Parkway is typically closed.  Thus, to reach Black Balsam Knob you must either take a side trail or hike along the road.  I initially decided to park at the Blue Ridge Parkway and hike along the road. However, I very shortly discovered that the tripod attachment for my camera was attached to my spotting scope - neatly tucked away back in Atlanta, GA. The afternoon was still young, so I got back in my car and drove to a Best Buy in Waynesville, NC to pick up a spare tripod. An unfortunate expense, but I'm glad I did it considering some of the shots I was able to get on the trip.  

Rather than road-hiking along the mist-shrouded, eerily quiet Blue Ridge Parkway, I decided to take the Flat Laurel Creek Trail, which leaves from NC 215 and heads east into the Black Balsam Knob area via a route which takes you between Sam's Knob and Little Sam's Knob.  The parking lot for this trail is hard to find; it's further north than the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (a.k.a, continue down the mountain if coming from the south).  There's a small dirt turn-off on the right with an even smaller post with a tent symbol - this is the Flat Laurel Creek Trailhead.  If you mark a sharp U-shaped turn to the right, you've gone too far.

The trail begins by immediately crossing the extreme upper reaches of the West Fork of the Pigeon River.  The crossing should be relatively easy, unless there's been an inordinate amount of rainfall in the area.  The trailhead is at approximately 5000' elevation, and slowly climbs to about 5500' in between the the two Sam's Knobs.  The trail follows some sort of old road bed, soon crossing a creek with a nice cascade. Thankfully, there is a very nice concrete bridge at this location - no need for crossing! After about a mile or a mile and a half, Flat Laurel Creek becomes visible and audible down to the left.  A nice cascading waterfall becomes visible soon, and not too long after this point I crossed the creek and took the Sam's Knob Trail.  The opposite side of the creek was somewhat muddy and swampy, and required some uneasy navigation to cross unscathed.  The trail climbs about 100', and a side trail summits to Sam's Knob at 6000' to the left; I continued right, where a large grassy flat awaits. It's an easy 1 mile hike to the Black Balsam Knob parking lot from this location. At this point, the entire range was covered in fog, with very few breaks.

Here's a link to a panoramic shot from the grassy area near Sam's Knob: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pvarney3/13426118065/

Weathered tree near the base of Sam's Knob

I reached the parking area just as near-complete night set in. The fog totally obscured the sunset, SO I wasn't too distraught over not being at a good vantage point for sunset pictures.  I took the Art Loeb Spur Trail from the back of the parking area to the Art Loeb Trail; the trail is steep, rocky, and crowded with thick rhododendrons.  It's very clear when the Art Loeb Trail is reached - the ridge top is almost entirely devoid of trees.  Taking a left soon brought me to another side trail leading to the summit of Black Balsam Knob at 6214'.  Thankfully, there was little wind so setting up the tent solo was no issue. Also, the cold weather and closed Blue Ridge Parkway gave me the entire mountain to myself.

My tent on top of Black Balsam Knob early in the morning, looking west towards GSMNP

The fog cleared sometime in the night, and the full moon was so unbelievably bright that I kept waking up sure it was morning, only to discover that morning was many hours away. Around 5:30 AM I decided to just get out of the tent and try to get some pictures. This was an excellent decision, as the clouds were totally gone and the valleys were filled with thick banks of fog.  There isn't too much rock or bushes on the actual summit of Black Balsam Knob (there is in the area, but I at least couldn't find any near my tent) so I decided to use my tent to provide some interesting foreground elements to the night shot.  

Sunrise from Black Balsam Knob

The sun finally began to rise, and the past hour and a half or so I spent searching for an interesting foreground finally paid off.  The bank of fog in the valleys was slowly rising, obscuring everything to the east, looking towards the Black Mountains and Asheville, NC.  I really liked the trail as a direct foreground, with some type of evergreen tree breaking up the monotony of the mountain/cloud interface. I got the shot I wanted just in time, as the clouds rose further and enshrouded the mountain top. 

Breaking fog from Black Balsam Knob

I returned to my tent, somewhat disappointed that the fog had caused my to miss the actual rising of the sun.  I packed slowly, just waiting for a break in the fog to try to dry out the condensation on the inside and outside of my tent. Around 9:00 AM, the clod banks began to break apart - above is a shot looking east over North Carolina while the fog broke apart over the slopes of Black Balsam Knob.

Similar shot as previously, but during the day time

I gave the sun some time to dry my gear, and then continued my northward hike along the Art Loeb Trail.  The trail winds across the top of Black Balsam Knob, before sharply descending in a very, very water-worn trail down to the gap between Black Balsam Knob and Tennent Mountain.  The trail here was so eroded that the dirt rose several feet on each side, with extremely thick shrubby rhododendrons on every side. The fog on the mountain tops was gone, but still remained in the valleys.  Some interesting rock provided a nice foreground for a day-time shot of the mountains, with a little good color from various reddish-yellow shrubs.

Gap between Black Balsam Knob and Tennent Mountain

View from Tennent Mountain

The trail climbs steeply from the gap to the top of Tennent Mountain, which is much smaller than the summit of Black Balsam Knob, and has some interesting rock formations.  I decided that this would be a good location to return at night for some sunset shots.   I continued down the trail towards a stand of trees visible in Ivestor Gap, as one lucky wind-free night on Black Balsam Knob is enough to ensure gales the next night. The stand of trees made a great, protected spot from the soon-to-begin wind. I set up camp and explored a few miles north to Shining Rock Gap. I hiked to Shining Rock Gap on the wide Ivestor Trail, which is almost assuredly an old road of some sorts. The trail hugs the western side of Shining Rock Ledge, with occasional views to the west.  There are also some springs along this trail, some very near to Ivestor Gap.

Entrance into the Shining Rock Wilderness at Ivestor Gap

I turned around at Shining Rock Gap (which is not grassy, but tree-covered), and headed back to my campsite via the Art Loeb Trail.  The fog was periodically covering the mountains at this point, as I made my way over Flower Knob and into Flower Gap (which had several nice camping spots).  The trail then climbs sharply to the summit of Grassy Cove Top, which instead of being grassy is covered in incredibly thick rhododendrons of some variety.  The trail then descends back to Ivestor Gap via the heavily eroded, rocky, and muddy Art Loeb Trail.

I sat around the campsite and read some before making dinner, anticipating the coming sunset. My only human 'contact' of the trip happened at this time, as a group of college aged guys hiked past the grove of trees on the Art Loeb Trail - they didn't notice me, so I kept quiet. I headed up to Tennent Mountain to await the sunset, and the wind gradually increased, bringing some bitterly cold wind chills. The sunset was decent - nothing extremely spectacular, but any sunset in this area gives great photo opportunity. Below is three shots from the sunset, one looking towards the pink sky behind me, and one looking towards the sunset along the Art Loeb Trail. I'm a fan of the last shot, which really shows the reason why these mountains are called the 'Blue Ridge' mountains.  The night was cold and windy, and I hiked out before sunrise the next morning because of the constant wind and fog cover - no need waiting for the sunrise!

Sunset from Tennent Mountain

Sun setting over the Art Loeb Trail from Tennent Mountain

The appropriately-named Blue Ridge Mountains