[at-l] White couple-of-days-after Christmas sort of trip report

[Charles P. Copeland" <charles@uswnet.com (Charles P. Copeland)]

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I drove up to Tellico Gap near Franklin NC to "scout" out a hike for my Sco=
uts.  Actually, I *almost* drove up.  About a 1/2 mile from the AT crossing=
 the road was frozen into a solid sheet of ice.  My truck would go no furth=
er and I wasn't going to push it - the sides were steep and it was a lonnng=
 way to the bottom so I parked and walked/slipped/slid/danced/spun my way t=
o the top.

The road from Franklin is from the East and the East side of the mountains =
were covered in snow.  At Tellico Gap there was over an inch and in on the =
Trail in the woods there was more.  Even though our hike is our "snow hike"=
, I had decided it was a "no go" by the time I made it to the top.  I figur=
ed it was too dangerous to get there.  About that time a car came trundling=
 up from the *other* side.

The driver [Paul] stopped and we chatted for a while.  He was headed where =
I'd just come from so I decided to ride back.  I told him about the ice and=
 he said no worries - all the way up to the point we started sliding.  It w=
as a sudden slide and its amazing how quickly you go from a slow roll to a =
really fast slide - all the way to the edge of the road and off it a bit wi=
th a corner of the car.  Paul kept saying "hold on" and I kept seeing trees=
 getting closer and closer.  As soon as we stopped we got out - quickly!  T=
he way we stopped looked like it was from a movie scene.  One wheel was jus=
t over the edge enough to pull up the back diagonal wheel until it was almo=
st off the ground.  Scary.  I decided to walk down to the truck and get som=
e straps I carry for, well, strapping things and I tied them together and a=
ttached one end to the car and another end to a tree.  That would keep the =
car from going any further.  I then dug out behind the front tire and lifte=
d the front of the car enough to get it back on the road as Paul put the ca=
r in reverse.  It took a couple of tries but it worked and his car made it =
back on the road and down the hill.  I sat down for a while.  My legs were =
very tired.  They hadn't worked that hard since my track days.

We both headed back to Franklin in our vehicles and he stopped and told me =
about Needmore Rd - a road that paralleled the Little Tennessee and would t=
ake me to the NOC and then around to Wayah Rd to the *other* side of Tellic=
o Gap.  I decided to go that way to check it out.  What a beautiful drive -=
 up to the point that I realized that I had lost my cellphone...  Arghhh...=
.  That meant I *had* to go all the way back to Tellico Gap.

The road along the Little Tennesse was flat and smooth and the river was ru=
shing along...  very nice.  I made my way to Wayah Rd and it was even bette=
r.  There is a river alongside it also and it was full of rapids and waterf=
alls.  All of a sudden I was at Tellico Gap from the west side.  Very, very=
 nice...  I walked down to where the car went off the road and found a part=
 of the strap I'd dropped but not my phone.  I went up to the parking lot a=
nd there it was - sitting on a truck.  How lucky!   I decided to hike south=
 (which by the way is straight up) towards Cold Spring shelter.  Bad idea. =
 I was already tired and that trail never stopped going uphill!  Between th=
e ice, snow, and constant climb the trail kicked my butt after a mile of cl=
imbing.  I then decided to go back and hike up to the Wesser Bald lookout t=
ower.  Unfortunately, I decided to take the road (which by the way is also =
straight up) to the tower.  I remember being told a long time ago that havi=
ng an accelerated heart rate is "good for you" for aerobic conditioning.  L=
ets just say that I was severely aerobicized today.  Anyway, after about 30=
 minutes of walking [did I mention that it was straight up??] and about a h=
alf-billion heartbeats later I made it - and it was worth it.  What an incr=
edible view of the mountains!!!  A clear day, a beautiful sunset, a camera =
to take a panorama...   Ahhhhhhh.....  :-)


Charles

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