I had spoken to Sharon once we got to Jamestown. We realized in the course of the conversation it probably wasn't going to work out for us to get up with her. Scheduling confusion and conflicts made it that way. I gave Nelson Matthews a call to line up a meeting with him to go riding the next day. Our friend was having a rough go with atrial fibrillation. He didn't feel like it was a good idea to go. I couldn't say I blamed him under the circumstances. The friends thing just wasn't in the cards this go round. No matter. Kenny and I would go and have fun.
Friday night we got a nice rain shower. We were glad to hear it. It quenches our drought and is good sleeping weather. I love to sleep. I had a man patient one time say to me "I'm gonna tell you about yourself." and he proceeded to do just that. He told me he bet I was rotten after my husband and hated it when he was away working out of town. He said he bet I slept in one of Kenny's t shirts with his stink on it. I was floored. I asked him how he knew? He laughed and said I'm in the same line of work. You put me in mind of my own wife. I know what she does and how she is. I was just betting you were like that. I laughed for he had described me very, very well. I always sleep better when Kenny is by me. I am ruined.
We slept in a little bit on Saturday, but got up and packed our gear and lunch. We set off toward Skinner Mountain. It felt like it hadn't been that long between trips, but it was longer than we imagined. It felt good to be heading back to one of our favorite places. The entire ride was pretty. I looked up the previous trip dates in Autumn when things were so perfect.
It was the second weekend in November 2022. We were two weeks early so I hoped the colors would be nice. I needn't have worried.
Below is a video of our ride on Skinner Mountain.
Kenny asked me if I wanted to stop at the overlook? I said of course! We rode out there creeping past The Big Crack! It is a dramatic spot on the mountain where the trail and the ridge is super narrow. Trees have come down on one side of it, and some damage has occurred to the trail. The view from the Bredesen Overlook was gorgeous! Maple and oak trees in the forest were bright red, yellows, oranges. I could still see a fair amount of green in the tree canopy so they were definitely not at peak.
Below: a zoomed in view of the colors at Bredesen Overlook.
Below: Bredesen Overlook View
Below: plaque at the overlook
Below: a different vantage catching the fiery red leaves at the far left edge of the overlook
Below: a different composition but still from overlook on the far right
Below: Tree and leaf colors in the forest just before the overlook
Below: one of my favorite scenes from all day was this shot taken on the main trail on top of Skinner Mountain.
Below is the only photo I captured of the big crack and the downed trees. I need to do a video of the crack to show how it really is. How narrow and deep.
Below is a video of the view from Bredesen Overlook
We reversed course and headed across the big crack and out the main trail. Skinner Mountain's main trail has some deep, squishy mudholes. One in particular is so bad that the work around is usually worse than chancing the regular trail. The work around has turned us over on the side before. Conditions are still pretty dry despite the rain the night before. We had a goal to get to Big Piney today so we did not take some of the typical side trips on top the mountain today. We skipped the fire tower site, pond, rat castle, and the overlooks to the north. We were able to get an answer on something today that I'd wondered for awhile. I spotted an old road heading to the north into the Mill Creek drainage.
I was able to get Kenny to slow down and really take a gander down in there this trip. There IS indeed a trail that goes down toward Mill Creek and parallels the main trail. It runs along on the hip of the mountain below. It is NOT a side by side trail. Foot travel or dirt bike only. Too narrow and it eventually comes back out on the main trail anyhow. Nothing major to see down there.
We arrived at the big intersection and headed down into Lost Cane. It was pretty down there, but the first part is a lot of second or third growth poplars tightly packed together. It is like a wall of skinny trees on either side of the trail. It will never be my favorite spot on this ride.
above: loads of skinny poplar trees to either side at the start of Lost Cane.
Below: another section of trail a bit further out Lost Cane. Lots of green down here still. Not as pretty as it will be in two weeks.
We rolled along down Lost Cane and passed all the spots where there are wet weather waterfalls. Not one of them was flowing. We passed the section where the monolith sits. I was very glad I got a photo of it in previous years. Today a tree had broken and was messing up the view. The leaves were not pretty this year around it at least not yet. This section of the trail has quite a few boulders to the left and right. More on the right... that are the size of houses. They are fascinating to see. I remember seeing a spot on the far left heading in where someone had stashed a bunch of sifters where they'd been looking for artifacts. This was new. I'd caught someone doing this down in Little Saigon before, but they'd moved their operation to another spot.
We got to the bottom of Lost Cane and heard other machines coming. We stopped to wait. It was a bunch of hog hunters and their dogs. They had just killed a big wild pig down in there. They left it behind. I imagine scavengers or bears will eat it.
Below: one of the dogs has been injured by the wild hog. The owner who was a Georgia boy, said he'd tend to him once they got back to the trucks. We spoke to them briefly and moved onward.
We made the turn to head to Frank's Flume. The little hunter's shack down in there is completely collapsed now. The trail got more and more damaged the further we went. Flooding, erosion, debris, hogs and use have torn the place to shreds. It was so bad the water down in that holler would have been twelve to fifteen feet deep in places during the last flood event. You could tell the level by the debris caught in the tree limbs. It would be terrifying to be down in there during such an event.
Before the water shooting out of Frank's Flume formed a pretty creek, flowed a short distance and disappeared below ground at a swallet. It still does, but the thick layers of mud, sandy sediment together with debris mats of limbs and leaves have it ugly and hard to approach. The side hollers were flushed out of debris and it piled up at their mouths. We need to take a day and open up a trail from Upper Bill's Creek down into Lost Cane that comes out BELOW Frank's Flume. There is a 10 foot waterfall on the stream and the gorge walls are pinched in so high, tight and narrow it cuts off all progress a half mile to a mile above Frank's Flume.
The trail we usually use to make a loop was so eroded it was all but impassable. We opted to turn around and leave the way we'd come in. Leaving by continuing down Lost Cane toward Boatland Road is a pretty ride, but it is rocky. It's another good place to tear something up.
Below: tobacco brown, copper and gold leaves in the part of Lost Cane heading to Frank's Flume
Below: Kenny checks the condition of the trail before we proceed
Above: Golden Woods down in Lost Cane near Frank's Flume
Below: Frank's Flume is a cave with water shooting out of it. It is still running, but there isn't much water.
Above: Our machine at Frank's Flume
Below is a video of Frank's Flume
We checked out Frank's Flume and the beautiful golden forest here. Leaves were filtering down through the air with the wind whirling them. It was glorious! We headed back and eventually made our way to the big intersection. It was around 12:30 p.m. so we stopped to eat lunch. We both felt better after a bite to eat. Kenny wanted to get going toward Big Piney. He chose a trail that went out to the left across the mountain top. I have video proof I tried to warn him off that trail. I tried to persuade him to take the trail we used the last Autumn we were here. I knew that mountain top trail went across the flat top of the ridge. It would likely be VERY muddy after last night's rain. I anticipated trouble, but Kenny had his own ideas about things. On we went. I admit it was a beautiful ride. The scenery and color here were outstanding.
We came to lots of mud holes nearly every one having its own "work around" spot to avoid going straight down the middle of them. He missed a work around and plowed on ahead. The RZR started to sink. Mud started to sling and the machine its tires like mad. Well, well, well. He was cursing now.
I got out of the machine to try to hook up the winch. It was out in the middle of that deep mud hole hard to reach without getting right in it. He told me to move that he'd reach it for me. I went round the machine to work the controls while he reached with his much longer arms. He still couldn't get it.
I handed him a stick to help snag it. Finally he got it and we fooled with it for some time. The controls were not affecting any change. The winch was as stuck as we were. I became very uneasy thinking we were done for. I could picture us having to walk back down the mountain for help.
Finally the winch came unstuck and began working so we were able to pull ourselves free.
Kenny went on out the trail, but upon seeing more and more mud holes he turned around and went the way I suggested. I was relieved!
Below is a video of us being stuck. It is worth mentioning that Kenny has already ordered a new winch cable to ensure that doesn't happen again!
Below: the view out the trail at the big intersection. This trail goes off the mountain down to Manson Road and is very, very steep.
We made our way off the mountain. We passed a spot where there is a DEAD END sign that has been by a gate for at least a decade if not longer. I put a way point on it because I wanted to figure where that went. I figured it might go into the terrain near the headwaters of Lost Cane Creek. I later learned it doesn't. It just comes out on some private land on the far side of Bill's Creek. There were some folks who rented a cabin up in there years ago. It comes out near that.
We finally came out on Manson Road. It was a little dusty, but very pretty. The fields there were a different sort of vegetation with lots of color. The trees and forest were a bit different. We pushed onward out Manson Road in order to go through Big Piney the opposite way of what we usually do.
On the way we passed a gate that Kenny was looking for and it was OPEN! I wanted to go down there to investigate, but he wouldn't do it. He said he was concerned there were hunters down there. He didn't want to ruffle their feathers. Trying to be polite.
^^^ The three images above are scenes from just off Manson Road heading down into Big Piney.
We were riding along and came to the point where the trail descends for the first time to go down to the creek and the floor of the holler. We heard more machines come from the opposite direction.
It wasn't long until they came into view. We stopped and got over for them as much as we could.
We stopped and talked to these folks for a little while. They were real nice. We learned some interesting things in this conversation. I recall a news article a year or so back that indicated Skinner Mountain WMA had several thousand acres added to it. It did not specify where the land parcel was.
Well today we found out. It was down in that first yellow gate for one thing! Property off Manson Road was included. The game warden had told these local guys that if they encountered anyone locking those gates to go ahead and open them. That the land was for public use. So we could have gone down there after all. Next time over we will have to go see for ourselves!
We ran into more mud holes before we reached the stream in Big Piney. Crazy as it was when we got to the stream it was bone dry! We'd never seen the entire creek bed dry, but we had also never been down there in Fall before. It was real pretty. It would be prettier if the creek was flowing, but it was nice. I was glad we went. It was very quiet down here.
Below: trail into Big Piney
Below: trail leading down to the dry creek
Below: Golden light down in Big Piney at the dry creek bed.
Below is a video of the ride into Big Piney
We crossed the stream at the main, big crossing and saw there was a little water in the stream there and there alone. Once across we began our climb up and out of the hollow. We enjoyed the scenery, but didn't try to get out to hunt for falls back in there as it was so dry now. I mentioned to Kenny that
I recalled seeing a rock house on the right side heading up toward Tay's. We found a really big one on the opposite side, but I had not gone looking for the other one yet. Today we found it, and more.
It was really easy to see because it had undergone some abuse that transformed it. Trees cut down.
A tent pitched beneath it. A fire pit built. Golf clubs. Rotten stuffed animals covered in mildew lying about. Household garbage like drink cans and food wrappers. A target put in the trees and shot at for target practice. It was a nasty mess. It makes the fifth time in our exploring careers we've encountered what we call Camp Crud. We stopped to investigate, but did not open the tent.
I didn't smell dead body so I was happy to leave it alone.
Below: trash at Camp Crud and a sifter. Someone had been digging and sifting for artifacts.
Below: Tent beneath the rock house
Below: pretty forest out from the rock shelter
Below: a view of the rock shelter which was pretty neat before they trashed it.
Above: Finally emerging onto Manson Road which is very, very pretty in Fall.
Above: Octagon House with torn up window blinds!
Finally we came back out on Manson Road and began our drive into the Wilder Mountain subdivision. We found our way onto the trail that goes by the Octagon House. It is a pretty ride with a lot of ups and downs. It crosses some drainages that have a few little cascades when it isn't so dry. We came by the Octagon House which has stood abandoned for a decade or more. The window blinds were trashed. Kenny remarked that "The cats have torn up the blinds! It doesn't matter where your house is. If you have cats and blinds they WILL tear them up!" Our cats have ruined our blinds three or four times. They are working on the fourth set now!
We kept moving and got to the river trail at last. The East Fork river was very dry also.
Parts of it had water, but not much. We encountered the same group of riders at the final creek crossing. One man introduced himself as Russell Hall. Kenny and him visited for awhile. They were all local and very nice people. The river trail is about the same as usual. It was drastically altered from flooding. It changes pretty much every time we go through there. The trail has some serious flood damage down near the big, main ford.
We made our way back out to Bills Creek and Boatland Road. The road between there and Sharon's where we'd parked the truck seemed to go on forever. I was so happy to see the vehicle when we got back. I was ready to go to the camper. It was a fun day. We got the experience of smelling the scents of Autumn and being fully immersed in the sights and sounds. It was exactly what I needed!
We made it back to the camper and took a breather before starting to fix dinner.
I felt like we'd had a good two days worth of riding and was satisfied to go home on Sunday.
Below is a short video of the last ride of the day. Wilder Mountain Subdivision to the Octagon House.
Thanks for reading and commenting. I enjoy hearing from those who read & make use of my blog. I have made some wonderful friendships through emails from readers. I respond to all comments and emails. I appreciate folks reaching out to let me know when my blog entries are not functioning correctly or if the situation somewhere has changed. Many Blessings to you! Dana 🐝
above: Red Maple Leaves near the Bredesen Overlook
Great trip. I have to find that over this winter.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and commenting. It was fun. I hope you have as good or better time. Let me know if I can help you
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