Trucker and Tumbling Runs
Jun 9, 2015 22:00:36 GMT -5
Post by AegisIII on Jun 9, 2015 22:00:36 GMT -5
Photos
Near the end of March, with the snow nearly all gone, I decided to try a bushwhack which I had cut short when I attempted it in the summer. This was following Trucker Run and Tumbling Run in southern Michaux.
I started at the Old Forge Picnic Area, and made my way to Trucker Run at a sharp switchback in Staley Road by road and a small bit of trail. In the vicinity of the switchback, the creek was highly threaded, and I crossed numerous forks before I began my climb. The terrain was not too bad, though there were some blowdowns to detour around, plus some steep banks to do the same. Most of Trucker Run was gently cascading, with a couple of larger, rockier rapids along the way. No major falls however, which I was hoping for. I left the creek to head back to Staley Road after passing the second cabin, where upstream, the creek becomes more gentle.
After the bushwhack, I used a combination of woods roads, narrow trails, logging roads, and deer fence lines to cross over Briar Mountain. One reasonably good vista from the logging road at a deer gate. One trail I thought was there did not exist, so I had a short bushwhack through young mountain laurel to reach Swift Run Road.
Once there, I started my search for a trail to take me up towards Snowy Mountain. Couldn't find it; I walked up and down the road for a bit. Perhaps a possible trail near a wet pulloff, but more likely a drainage ditch as what looked like a trail immediately ended. Up and down the road some more, headed back to the drainage ditch, and figured that the trail used the ditch for a short distance, before becoming obvious, though slightly overgrown. Crossed Tumbling Run on a small bridge, then up to the end of a logging road. I then took a small loop on the "Tumbling Run" bike trails, first up the left side via a faint, lightly used trail climbing up via numerous outcrops and rock ledges. It was in much worse shape than the last time I hiked it a few years ago. I then winded down the right hand side on a better trail, mostly less rocky but a few ledges and one rock field to cross. I then reached back to the logging road, and followed it to a tail to cross Tumbling Run.
And then I started the second main bushwhack of the day, following Tumbling Run downstream. I started forcing my way through thick mountain laurel, in a hollow still with snow left. The creek gentle at first, I crossed the creek again to reach a small hidden campsite. The creek soon got steeper, and the terrain much rockier. The creek was fully boulder strewn, so the creek's rapids and cascades were partially hidden and never large. Worse, this area has seen massive hemlock death, with trunks strewn all about, and new, dense thorny growth of assorted kinds taking its place. Really just fairly horrendous. No good ways to cut short the bushwhack, so cursewords were plenty. At one point I had to belly crawl to get under a couple of fallen trees, and then scoot myself along a boulder ledge. Eventually, the hemlocks returned, the thorns subsided, and the creek flowed between large outcrops rather than through boulders. I did find one middle sized waterfall near the bottom of the outcrops area. Once out of the rocks, I decided it was time to end this bushwhack, so I left the creek to bushwhack back to Swift Run Road. Still not easy, but I soon made it to the road at the switchback near Monument/Schaeffer Rock.
I then took the trail past the Hermitage Cabin to reach the bottom of the Chimney Rock Trail, taking it to the AT near the Tumbling Run Shelters. I had heard that the spring trail by the shelters continued to the road, and decided to take that instead of the AT. I heard incorrectly, as the trail ends at the spring. A nice small cascade nearby in season though. So a steep climb up the bluffs back to the road, followed by a short road walk, and took the snowmobile trail back to Staley Road just above the picnic area.
Near the end of March, with the snow nearly all gone, I decided to try a bushwhack which I had cut short when I attempted it in the summer. This was following Trucker Run and Tumbling Run in southern Michaux.
I started at the Old Forge Picnic Area, and made my way to Trucker Run at a sharp switchback in Staley Road by road and a small bit of trail. In the vicinity of the switchback, the creek was highly threaded, and I crossed numerous forks before I began my climb. The terrain was not too bad, though there were some blowdowns to detour around, plus some steep banks to do the same. Most of Trucker Run was gently cascading, with a couple of larger, rockier rapids along the way. No major falls however, which I was hoping for. I left the creek to head back to Staley Road after passing the second cabin, where upstream, the creek becomes more gentle.
After the bushwhack, I used a combination of woods roads, narrow trails, logging roads, and deer fence lines to cross over Briar Mountain. One reasonably good vista from the logging road at a deer gate. One trail I thought was there did not exist, so I had a short bushwhack through young mountain laurel to reach Swift Run Road.
Once there, I started my search for a trail to take me up towards Snowy Mountain. Couldn't find it; I walked up and down the road for a bit. Perhaps a possible trail near a wet pulloff, but more likely a drainage ditch as what looked like a trail immediately ended. Up and down the road some more, headed back to the drainage ditch, and figured that the trail used the ditch for a short distance, before becoming obvious, though slightly overgrown. Crossed Tumbling Run on a small bridge, then up to the end of a logging road. I then took a small loop on the "Tumbling Run" bike trails, first up the left side via a faint, lightly used trail climbing up via numerous outcrops and rock ledges. It was in much worse shape than the last time I hiked it a few years ago. I then winded down the right hand side on a better trail, mostly less rocky but a few ledges and one rock field to cross. I then reached back to the logging road, and followed it to a tail to cross Tumbling Run.
And then I started the second main bushwhack of the day, following Tumbling Run downstream. I started forcing my way through thick mountain laurel, in a hollow still with snow left. The creek gentle at first, I crossed the creek again to reach a small hidden campsite. The creek soon got steeper, and the terrain much rockier. The creek was fully boulder strewn, so the creek's rapids and cascades were partially hidden and never large. Worse, this area has seen massive hemlock death, with trunks strewn all about, and new, dense thorny growth of assorted kinds taking its place. Really just fairly horrendous. No good ways to cut short the bushwhack, so cursewords were plenty. At one point I had to belly crawl to get under a couple of fallen trees, and then scoot myself along a boulder ledge. Eventually, the hemlocks returned, the thorns subsided, and the creek flowed between large outcrops rather than through boulders. I did find one middle sized waterfall near the bottom of the outcrops area. Once out of the rocks, I decided it was time to end this bushwhack, so I left the creek to bushwhack back to Swift Run Road. Still not easy, but I soon made it to the road at the switchback near Monument/Schaeffer Rock.
I then took the trail past the Hermitage Cabin to reach the bottom of the Chimney Rock Trail, taking it to the AT near the Tumbling Run Shelters. I had heard that the spring trail by the shelters continued to the road, and decided to take that instead of the AT. I heard incorrectly, as the trail ends at the spring. A nice small cascade nearby in season though. So a steep climb up the bluffs back to the road, followed by a short road walk, and took the snowmobile trail back to Staley Road just above the picnic area.