Road Prong 2023-- Waterfalls & Summer Wildflowers

  

 Above: Crimson Bee Balm in bloom along Road Prong

Road Prong 2023-- Waterfalls & Summer Wildflowers

Sunday July 2, 2023

Kenny & Dana Koogler

3.3 miles shuttle hike

Road Prong Pix Here

( photos combination of two trips. Start with frame shown and click right arrow)

  We decided we wanted to go hike the Road Prong Trail.  It is always pretty.  We wanted to do it as a shuttle hike. I already had my parking pass for the year.   I printed off the $5 day pass for Kenny's truck. We got an early start to be sure of getting a spot at Chimney Tops Trailhead.   I got the next to last spot. I left my jeep there and jumped in the truck with Kenny.  We parked at Indian Grave Gap up top.  There were two other vehicles parked at the time we arrived.   We started hiking around 9:45 a.m.  The weather was perfect. Sixty-five degrees and sunny. It had rained the night before so the trail and forest was drippy.    The vegetation along Road Prong was lush and green. It looks like  it isn't seeing either a lot of use nor maintenance.   

        The forest scenery up high is like something out of a fairy tale.  It is soft earth and pine duff and leaves. Ferns line the trail.   I saw lots of rugels ragwort in bud.    None in bloom yet not even in the lower elevations.   

Above: Looking back up toward the parking area at the very start of the hike! 

Above: Kenny ahead of me on the trail near the beginning.  

Below:  This moss looked like a tiny forest. 

 The trail started off easy, but eventually began to show its true nature.  Road Prong is a mostly rocky ditch with a lot of big steps down.  We had to take our time and be very careful. Everything was slick as could be from the previous night's rain.   It turned out to be harder than either of us recalled. All that downhill is hard on the knees.   I found myself wishing we'd hiked it in reverse order to spare my knees all that jarring.   By the time we got within 1/5 mile of the parking lot at the end I felt like every time I took a step I was going to fall forward. I had the gumby legs.  

          We arrived at the first creek ford.  The vegetation on either side of the trail began to encroach very closely around our feet and ankles. It was waist high too.  We were watching out for snakes.  

Thankfully we never saw the first one.    The first ford arrives at the creek and if you cross you have to go up and around a huge mass of what is left of downed  trees.  It has been this way since 2015.   Thank goodness we brought a rope.  Kenny tied it off double and we used it to go down this rocky, slick,  jagged mess where the trail comes back down to stream level.   If you hike this I highly recommend putting on your water shoes and just stay in the stream.   It would be safer  unless the water is high.

     Below:  The ford of the stream. That is the trail over there barely visible at streams edge.  

Below: The mess you have to go up and around and back down or better yet.. stay in the creek. It is easier and safer!

    

Below: a second ford after the first one. It is a pile of debris

Above: same spot looking to where the trail comes down to the creek

Above: Mossy tree limbs  in the creek

Above: Same ford.  Look in the bottom left corner of the photo.  I see wagon wheel ruts cut into a stone that has been part of the bedrock of the creek.   The trail takes its name from the fact it was a road used to transport military weapons like cannons and such as well as cattle up and over the mountain.  

I did not notice the wagon tracks at the time I took the photo.  

Above: a very picturesque spot along the trail

Below: We saw eighteen purple fringed orchids along the trail today

Below: We are standing by a part of the trail where there is a boulder field covered in moss on our right. To our left is the stream. 

Below: It wasn't much further until we got our first glimpse of Talking Falls. You see it from the trail in profile first.  

Below: It isn't long until you come to a place you can get in front of the falls for a better view. This photo and the one above taken with the Go Pro.  

Below: This image of Talking Falls was shot with my Canon camera.   I have not figured out how to zoom in with the photo feature on the Go Pro. I have got it figured out on the video portion.  

Above: Another nice section of trail.  Looking at this is very deceptive. On the rocky parts with the big steps down I did not bother taking photos or video! I was watching out not to fall.  Kenny has never let me forget falling on the trail to Stratton Bald.  I was lucky not to have got a concussion or needed stitches to sew up my scalp.  

We pushed onward until we came to Standing Rock Ford. Below is a photo of the Standing Rock shot with the Go Pro. It gives it a real fish eye lens look.  

Above and below are Standing Rock Ford looking upstream and straight across.  It is an unbridged crossing and can be deep and dangerous in high water. It is a butthole deep wade almost any time of year.  We sat here before we forded and had lunch. The water absolutely roars.  In 2015 we hiked this and the bridge they built for this ford was dislodged and sitting down in the boulders a ways.  Today we wondered if it had been replaced? Nope. It had not.   So in all the times we've hiked this we have never once got the advantage of the bridge!   

Below is an image of Standing Rock shot with my Canon camera.  It shows the fin shape of the rock much better.  The colors are a little over exposed, but yes, things were just that green! 

Below: It was not too far until we came to waterfall # 2 Trickling Falls.  It is necessary to crawl down the bank and get out in the stream to really be able to see it. I had to wade upstream to a clear view of it.  While there shooting video and taking photos I looked back to see a couple at the brink of the next falls below this one! They were trying to get their killing done. 

Below: You can see Kenny in the far left of the image.  Look out in the center.  Click the image to enlarge to full size.   There is a young man and woman sitting on the brink of the next falls.  I don't have a good poker face most of the time. Whatever is on my mind is right there for all to see.  I must have given them the Mama Don't Allow Look for they ducked their heads down and did not want any further eye contact.  They were actually being fairly cautious.  I think they waited until we climbed back up to the trail and worked their way upstream to where we had been.      Up until we encountered them we did not see anyone on this trail.  We saw them and about half dozen others on Road Prong.  Once down at Chimney Tops trail we saw lots and lots of people.  

Below is an image of Trickling Falls with me having zoomed in with the regular camera.

Below is another, lower falls. It is necessary to crawl under a log to reach this one.    We got muddy and dirty crawling under that thing.  The prissy people on down on Chimney Tops Trail saw how sweaty and wet and muddy we were and became quite distressed. I told one nice Asian lady with her husband "don't worry. Y'all will look much better than this when you get done" They were going to Chimney Tops on a real trail the whole way.   They could not have handled the off trail wallering we were willing to undertake. They were too perfumey and prim and proper.  

Above: We saw some Crimson Bee Balm lower down on the trail. 

We saw wood sorrel in bloom today.  We saw Summer phlox and wild bergamot. 

We also saw turks cap lilies in tight bud.  No bloom yet. down lower the rosebay rhodos were putting on quite a show. 

Below is a quick snap shot of one little bloom. 

  I got tired and quit taking photos once we got to Chimney Tops trail.   I was hot and my knees were hurting like a sumbitch.   I will hike that trail uphill next time.   

     We made it back to the jeep  and it was easier once we got to that part of the trail.  It was nice any time I got a little uphill or level.  My knees felt better. Kenny drove us up to the top to get his truck. This gave my rubbery legs time to recup.   I was okay after that.  

   Now let me comment on the parking pass situation.  Out of 10 vehicles in Chimney Tops Trailhead.. only two had parking passes.   Us and the two young men next to us.  You could tell they were pretty serious hikers.   To be fair most others in that lot were foreigners. They did not speak much English so how might they even know they need a parking permit?   I doubt they did.  

   Up on top of the mountain where we parked the truck we were the only vehicle out of five that had a parking pass.    The measures taken to stop the roadside parking at Alum Cave Bluffs along Newfound Gap Road are mostly effective. It is still better.  We still saw a couple law breakers.  They were having to work harder at it though!   Down at Fighting Creek Gap for Laurel Falls it was also better, but folks are now willing to park clean down at Elkmont entrance and walk all that extra to hike to Laurel Falls.

The word ridiculous comes to mind.     I guarantee you not one citation would be issued on a busy holiday weekend for parking violations.   

  

    On the drive home I saw a big, fat, slick and shiny bear. He was fat and on the run. His fat rolls were flopping and jiggling. He was so cute! I was glad to see him, but extra glad that I was the ONLY one who saw him. Otherwise... all traffic comes to a halt!  Traffic was bad though parking and people walking in the road was improved.   Take into account this is a busy, holiday weekend.  Traffic was bad on the opposite way from us. We were fine.  The folks trying to get into the parking from Metcalfe Bottoms were lined up for miles.   

        Note to Self: I want to go back and hike Road Prong down a short distance from the top to see Rugels Ragwort in bloom. I also want to hike it up from Chimney Tops a short distance to get some photos of the one cascade , bridges and the clear water hole.  

Below is a video of the highlights of our hike today from start to finish.