Gunter Fork Falls with Smoke Hiker

Gunter Fork Falls

Round trip distance 16.4 miles DIFFICULT

8.2 miles one way to the falls

March 14, 2002

Back in 1998 I decided upon the goal to hike to all the guidebook waterfalls in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I purchased the little Waterfalls Guide to the Smokies. I got started on the goal the first trip down here. Grotto Falls was first. Then Rainbow. Abrams. Laurel Falls. All the well known ones. I worked on my goal every vacation trip to the mountains. We decided to move to the area so every job hunting or house hunting trip I worked on completing it. We moved to the area in December 2001. I completed my goal in 2003.

The final hike was Hazel Creek coming in around 15.5 miles. That was a debacle Kenny went through with me. I was so green and ignorant about hiking still. I conditioned for a year to make that hike so the physical conditioning I had a handle on. The preparation for the trail otherwise was a failure.

Another extremely long hike that dismayed me was Gunter Fork Falls. It is long enough to need to be a backpack trip. I was no backpacker. I wasn't a very good day hiker to be honest. I had a heck of a time getting anyone to agree to go with me. I did not want to make that trek solo. You are a long way from help if you run into trouble especially alone.

There used to be a message board for the GSMNP online. It was in the days when social media was just message boards and forums. No Facebook or Instagram or any of that. I put a wanted ad on the site trying to round up some company to go with me. No takers until finally I got a bite. A fire fighter from Oak Ridge took pity on me and said he'd go. He was a 900 Miler and an older, far more experienced hiker and backpacker. He went by the online handle "Smokehiker" He said he'd bring the gear and we'd just go light and stay one night at Walnut Bottoms and come out the next day. It sounded ok to me so I planned to meet him in Kodak at the visitor center near the stadium. My friends worked there and I knew if things went bad Lee and Mike weren't going to let anybody harm me.

I met the dude at the agreed upon time and place. I pride myself on being very together and calm. I try to be cool and collected. I don't like it when I am not. He showed up and I got out to meet him and suddenly this was a remarkably BAD idea. I debated bolting and running into the visitor center and hiding in Lee's office. I calmed myself down enough to resist doing that, but I still was not nice.

I looked at that man and said with NO filter "Ain't no way in Hell I'm stayin' with you in the woods overnight. I don't know you! You are a stranger. I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound hateful or put ya out none, but I ain't doing this. If you don't like it that is too bad. You can either day hike it with me or I'll go it alone. Either way is alright. You decide." He played it off very cool and didn't get at all upset.

He quickly shifted gears and said "No worries. I understand. We will just day hike it. We can do it."

It will be alright. I cannot remember who drove us to the trailhead. That was 21 years ago.

I do remember us arriving at Big Creek and getting parked and hitting the trail. It was a pretty hike. I had been as far as Mouse Creek Falls and Midnight Hole so I had done part of it before.

We had a lot to talk about and he was an interesting person. He was a Vietnam veteran and a fire fighter. He told me some great stories about working on his 900 miler map. The time flew by since I was hearing all new stories and the company was great.

I remember parts of it as we got to Walnut Bottoms campsite. I recollect thinking this is a nice spot to camp. It might have been okay, but not today! He showed me the brake shoe spring.

Gary did not miss a trick. He knew all kinds of things that helped. He had me bring super light weight shoes to use to cross the creek. I think we both wore aquasocks or the like. He cut down the weight by hiding our shoes in the rocks where we could find them on the way back and use them again. A very smart man and I was learning a bunch!

I remember the water crossing being deep enough it would have been over your boot tops. It was a pretty spot also. We made it over without incident. I had enough sense by now to use trekkers. They helped a bunch with stream crossings. I remember winding our way through the trail ever further into the backcountry. We never saw another soul today once we got past Walnut Bottoms.

I stopped us at Lower Gunter Fork falls.. the cascade. I wanted to see it. He said we would, but let's hit that on the return trip. I agreed and on we went. I knew we were only 0.30 miles further to the falls. I cannot forget the elation and absolute euphoria as we came within hearing and then seeing distance of the main falls. Gary stopped and made me go first since it was my goal and my first time being there.

It was so beautiful! We had pretty decent flow on the falls today. It is a 150 foot tall curving cascade with lots of pebbles or inclusions in the stone that makes up the face of the falls. We were cheering! We did it! He brought along rope and wanted to know if I was okay with climbing up to the top of the falls? I was game so he tied a rope off and we climbed up through the woods to the top of the waterfall. Using the rope and staying either in the edge of the woods or on the dry rock face and holding the rope we were able to find us a spot to sit and enjoy the view.

We had lunch here in this spot. I packed us gourmet sandwiches of croissants with ham and cheese. I remember I had baked cookies and brought fruit and chips. We had us a picnic sitting there looking down the falls. It was a memory that I'll treasure forever! This was one of my all time favorite hikes despite the difficulty. I remember him laughing at me on the return trip for my creek crossing technique. He said he wished he had a camera. I was glad he didn't!

It helped a lot to make me learn to like this trail. A few years earlier when I hiked to Mouse Creek Cascade and Midnight Hole with Kenny it was Hell. Our marriage was ending. It was in the toilet. I have a photo of me taken in front of Mouse Creek Falls where I am not crying, but you can tell I am unhappy. A second or so after the photo was snapped I burst into tears. Ugly crying. The kind you cannot stop or hide. I don't know if anyone besides Kenny saw it, but I expect they did. It is a popular hiking destination and not a real hard hike. It didn't matter to me right then. I was so despairing nothing mattered. I had lost so much weight I was about 90 pounds. I had a real distorted self image back then and it wasn't good. Thank the Lord our marriage was saved by His grace, but the memory of the event waits for me like a ghost every time I go there. It is a visceral reaction that I have no control over. Hiking with Gary had me distracted enough that it didn't bother me. I have said that maybe hiking with different people there and having fun would create new, better memories and change my feelings. It is a lie. It never changes. Part of the trouble now is that I have one of the worst memories of my life there as well as some of the best, most fun ones.

Hiking up there later in Winter after we moved to Tennessee with Kenny and going off trail up Betty Branch and going to try to see Upper Mouse Creek Falls. Him chasing me down like a caveman for romance. I have said it before and I stand by it. There are too many ghosts waiting for me on Big Creek Trail. I avoid the area. Sad, but true. I do ok on Baxter Creek and Mt. Sterling, but the main trail really gets me upset.

Above: Me in front of Mouse Creek Falls about 30 seconds from bursting into tears.. crying ugly.

Above: Mouse Creek Falls

Below: Midnight Hole

Below: Gary Powell the first time we hiked together on the Gunter Fork trip.

We stowed our trash and gear. I took lots of photos of the falls at Gunter Fork. We began our return hike. We did stop by the lower cascade with the pretty pool of water. Gary said hiking with me was fun and caused him to slow down to stop and smell the roses. He had not bothered to ever see the lower cascade before! It was too pretty to miss.

He seemed a little down or upset on our return hike. I asked him what was wrong and he played it off as nothing. I knew that wasn't true, but I didn't want to intrude. I figured if he wanted me to know what was up he'd tell me. We made it back to the vehicle and began our drive to Kodak.

Once we got there I thanked him profusely for going. I had made a new friend who really blessed me. I got to go volunteer in the backcountry office sometimes with him where I met more friends.

I learned a bunch more. He later told some of the rangers that though guns were prohibited in the park at the time he brought a pistol along because "Nothing was going to happen to her while she was with me!" He did not want to have to explain to my family why I got eaten by a bear. I appreciated the sentiment very much, but old smart mouth here couldn't let that opportunity pass. I had an audience.

I spoke up and said "Well Gary, I didn't realize you were that scared of me!" to which the rangers gathered there laughed like mad. Gary's face turned beet red, but he was a sport about it. He didn't get upset with me.

I learned once we were back at Kodak that he had NO sleep the night before and was very, very tired. Then I felt like a dog. I put this man through hell. Now he had to drive back home to Oak Ridge exhausted. I made him give me his phone number and let me know he made it home okay. He did, but I felt foolish. That is a good man right there who did not waiver despite my uncool handling of the situation. I was grateful for his friendship. I was glad that was over with and he made it home safely.

I met a fellow named Reggie who was also a volunteer with Gary. I became friends with him and was able to go hiking with him numerous times. Once Gary had to flake on me and instead of getting upset I remembered how good he had been to me and showed grace. I called Reggie up and we went instead! We laughed so much. This man maintained twenty campsites. I went with him a good bit to help. He was another blessing that came from the friendship begun with Gary.