The Cat Stairs Trip Report

The Cat Stairs Trip Report 

3-6-2007

Dana Koogler & Tom Dunigan 

9 miles Round Trip approximate 

with approx. 7 of those miles being off trail 

 The Cat Stairs is the northwest end of the Greenbrier Pinnacle. It is a mountain in the Greenbrier section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.   The route is a navigation challenge as well as a physical challenge.  I have made that climb three times.  The first time was with me and Kenny.  That was about 2005 The second time was with Bill Stowell and that was about 2006.   The third and final time was March 6, 2007 with friend Tom Dunigan. He is the creator of the much loved, well used Tennessee Landforms website.   Tom called me up and wanted to experience this off trail venture.  I had always said I'd not do it in snow, but that just goes to show... never say never.   

     The first trip with Kenny I was very proud of because I planned the route 100% myself and 

nailed it!  The first trip up there was quite a struggle.  We climbed the ledges of rock up the end of the mountain hand over hand super steep.  We finally got to the top and what was funny was you arrived at the top to find you had to crawl through a hole in the rhodo that a dog could barely fit through.   We were happy to drop down to our knees and crawl since that was easier than what we'd just done.     It went on for quite a ways and finally opened up only when we met the unmaintained Greenbrier Pinnacle Trail.   It was once an official park trail that went up to the summit of the mountain to an old fire lookout tower.    We went to the tower site that time to sit down and rest before beginning our descent.   

       The Greenbrier Pinnacle trail is no longer officially maintained, but it was in pretty good shape that day.  It looked good to us as it was something of a trail whereas we'd had none up until then. It also was welcome since the way was all downhill or level from there on out.    We walked the Ramsey Cascade trail the final bit to the road and then down the road closing our loop at the jeep.   

     Bill Stowell and I did it the next time.    It was far easier since I'd done it before not that long ago.   It was made even easier because trees had fallen on the rhodo tunnel at the top and we could just walk across the mountain top instead of crawl!  We had to pick our way over and under a few trees, but it was nowhere near the struggle as the first time.  

       I actually have the typed trip report from mine and Tom's trip which I am putting on here for posterity.   It is such a difficult trek that I took very few photos. It really isn't the place to be dragging out a camera and trying to take photos.   

   One of the things that led me to want to do this hike was an old friend who passed away around 2015.  He was a hoss among men.  He was a guide and an avid hiker. He set records in hiking all the routes of LeConte with Lee Lewis. within 24 hours!  He was employed at the time I met him at The Happy Hiker store in Gatlinburg.   He told me once that you didn't know nothing of the Smokies unless you knew where the Barnes sisters were buried.  I didn't realize it at the time, but hiking the Cat Stairs Route was the time I was to find where they were buried and where their family homestead was!  

     

  Tuesday  morning I met Tom at the parking area for Ramsey's Cascade. We left his vehicle there and took the jeep down the road to begin our day of hiking.He had wanted to climb The Cat Stairs, and asked me to lead the way.  He was kind enough to lead me on a trip up Marks Creek Manway to the falls so I was happy to return the favor. Kenny and I had done this trip a little more than a year ago, and we enjoyed it.  I enjoyed Tom's company of course so I was glad to spend some time with him. He is a fun person to hike with.  The weather today was sunny with clear blue skies and temperatures perfect for this trek.

     It warmed into the sixties which was nice especially on the uphill portions. A couple thoughts went through my mind as we started off.  I was thinking how nice it was going to be that we had a shuttle today, and wouldn't have to walk the additional miles on the road like last time.  I was thinking how I hoped my recall on the journey was true.  Lastely, I wondered if Sunday's snow fall had melted or if we we encounter ice and snow on that dark underbelly of Greenbrier Pinnacle where the Cat Stairs lay?  I had always said there were two times of year I'd not climb it.  Winter in snow and ice and Summer when the snakes were out on the rocks. 

                 We headed up  the mossy old road grade that begins at the side of the Greenbrier Road up to Ramsey's Cascade.  It is a narrow path that travels between crumbling rock walls covered in moss.  The path is not maintained, but enough people make this trip up to the Barnes Place to trample it down. It isn't hard to follow this far.  A year ago when we made this trip the first time we saw rock cairns pile up leading the way until about 1/2 mile past the Barnes Place. Today we saw one rock cairn the entire time.

Someone had knocked them all down and scattered the rocks, but it made no difference to me.  We made our crossing of Bird Branch and a nameless little feeder stream. Today I was relieved to know in advance that the grade would be almost constantly uphill although gentle at first.  The first time I thought I was really out of shape and suffering until I looked at the elevation profile when we got home.

The hike gains 3000 feet of elevation in 3.4 miles by the time you reach the summit. We covered the trip to the top in 3 hours. I was pleased since I am so slow and out of shape. My short legs cannot keep pace with that long-legged, lanky Tom.  He makes it look like a walk in the park on level ground!

     We arrived at the Barnes Place. It is another old homesite here in the Smokies.  There are many like it. It is a special, kind of sad place since the three Barnes daughters ... all children, are buried here.  Their grave sites and markers are surrounded by a single strand of barbed wire, and the ground here is covered in green velvet moss. The cabin site sits just a bit further past the cemetery.  There are two springs here The ground around the Barnes homestead is something odd to see in the Smokies.  The cleared level field which stood before the cabin is covered in grass tussocks, and is low lying and boggy. A small bog type pond is across from the girls graves. It is strangely out of place here.  The chimney pile of the old Barnes cabin still stands and is a crucial landmark for this trip. The path gets notably harder to discern here, and one must go behind the chimney and head left into the woods to find the way.  The path is very difficult to spot and grows fainter beyond the cabin site.  Animal paths cross and re-cross in a maze from here on out. 

above: the Barnes sisters graves.  Rosy ( 8yrs old), Julles (2 yrs old) and Della Lenora Barnes (14 months.old)  Ok Povy.  I know where they are buried! 

Above: The chimney of the Barnes homestead .

Below: Looking back down the chute we just climbed.  The photo does a poor job showing the difficulty and steepness.

below: looking up at the hole in the rhodo we are aiming for up top.  

Below: where the Cat Stairs are located on the map

Above: various points along our journey this day. 

above and below the cistern hole at the old tower site on the summit. You can see our packs in the bottom image.

Below: Dave Landreth took this photo of Steven climbing the Cat Stairs.  He let me use it to show a bit more of the climb.  Thanks Griz!  

above: the view of Mt. Leconte from the overlook on the Greenbrier slopes. 

     We traversed left and continued up until we came to a level clearing.  I saw a bluff line and had that odd feeling I was getting ready to repeat a  navigation mistake from the previous trip. We stopped to let me check my bearings, and Tom entered the way points I had given him earlier.  As he was entering the coordinates I stood there and shut my eyes and listened. I could hear the trickle of water. Funny how that sound helped me figure out where we were.  At once I knew we were on the right course and had not gone astray.  I could hear more water bubbling. There is a rock walled spring and I remembered we had not passed it yet.  A few steps more and we did pass it. The water I heard bubbling was not from the spring since it barely had any water, but was from stream seeping down the bluff a bit further on. WE found the now more or less level path that lay just below the ridgeline and continued.  This is a very pretty trail and while it has some blowdowns is easy and there is a view in the distance of the mountains.    Before too long we came to the real place we made the mistake before.  Kenny and I had gone low and left to the base of this massive cliff on our first trip. Today I was able to avoid that and we made a right turn and positioned ourselves on the spine of the Cat Stairs. 

    The wind storm of October 2006 had put a lot of blown down trees over the already hard to follow track.  It forced us to do some circumnavigating. We stuck to the spine though and were able to stay on course. I don't know how other people are, but I tend to make difficult journeys seem easier in my memory. Today was a wake up call that this trip was a butt kicker before and today was no different. What really hurt was coming to parts I'd conveniently forgotten.  Like the false summit. It all came back to me as we climbed up, up and more UP! Today we climbed the false summit in three inches of slippery snow! We'd take one step forward and two steps back. We made it though and when we arrived at the portion where it leveled off and I laid eyes on the true Cat Stairs I was one happy woman.

I'd gotten us this far. I walked over and took a look at them. Snow and ice on the rocks. Well, I'd deal with the climb after I'd refueled.  I sat down on a dry spot in the sun to rest, eat and rehydrate before we began the climb. I wouldn't even let myself think about it right now.  I knew full well I hadn't gotten this far to    chicken out and turn around. We were going to make it and that was all there was for it. 

    Tom loaned me a pair of gloves which I was happy to put on.  I lead the way since I'd done this before.  He had three remarks for me. 

1. Let me know if you're gonna fall so I  can get out of the way. 

2. No use taking pictures right now. When you're not the lead dog the view never changes.

3. Do you want to turn around and smile for this picture or will a view of your butt have to do?  

He sounds like some of my other friends. 

    There was glaze ice and snow covering sections of the rock and scattered all over the climb.  Fortunately it wasn't that bad, and I found that adrenaline is a great eye opener.  It helped me pull off some moves I didn't even consider before and spot some hand and foot holds that I hadn't seen previously. The climb actually went better than the first time. I fell into my unfortunate habit of not giving a crap about taking pictures.  I just wanted to live through the experience. Call it a weakness.  We  had some nice views of the AHHHHHH! behind usonce we got to a level spot and could survey where we'd come from.  I must really love this climb or I wouldn't keep going back for more. Looking back down the chute is quite an experience.  We kept pushing on until we got to the point where I could see the little hole in the rhodowe were to aim for. The Autumn windstorm had opened up things considerably up top. Now instead of one hole there were two! Instead of getting up there and going through the single hole and being forced to army crawl for 1/4 mile you can stand up almost at once! The top of the ledge here sticking off the northwest end of Greenbrier Pinnacle is 25 feet wide in total.  You can see from one side to the other easily.

There is but one path along it that it is obvious.  We pushed our way through shrubby, tangled heath. Finally we came out at a point where there is a clearing and a trail junction. The path goes right to an outstanding view of Mt. LeConte and down off the mountain or goes left to the Greenbrier Pinnacle summit at 4.476 ft elevation and an old fire tower site.

We spoke to a group of gentlemen hikers who were finishing their lunch at the overlook. They wondered where we came from? We continued our trip to the firetower site and the high point.  The old tower site has a crumbling old chimney pile and you can see where the watchman's hut stood as well as the tower.  The tower was dismantled long ago. One stick of metal rail is all that is left of the tower.  I was fascinated by the cistern up there. I have seen cisterns atop mountains before, but this one is a perfect circle and held a frozen pool of water. We sat in the sun and ate a snack and talked a bit before starting down the mountain. 

The Greenbrier Pinnacle trail used to be a maintained part of the regular system of trails in the Smokies.  We both wondered why the decision was made to let it go to unmaintainted status? It is still traveled enough to be easily followed and is in fair condition. There are some massive trees up there along this hike. There are some very cool rocky outcrops. There is one rock house along the way and you could see where someone piled wood to build a fire beneath it.  

    On our trip down the mountain we overtook the group of five older gentlemen hikers. 

We stopped and spoke with them at streamside and went on past them. On the trip down Tom spotted a white patch of ice or water on the slopes of Mt. LeConte which he believed may be one of the waterfalls on Cannon Creek.  He is probably right. Cannon Creek is supposed to have three waterfalls on it. I have made it to the first one. I have not visited the second and third despite a couple attempts. We ambled down the trail and before long came out on the Ramsey Cascade Trail. I was real pleased to have navigated it successfully. and me the challenge yet again.  The hike distance was 8.4 miles round trip. 

 An aside to this story. Taking photos of this trip is something I've found to be difficult.  It requires too much of my physical energy and mental focus to be worried about pictures. 

It also is frustrating to show the scope of the climb to portray the experience accurately. 

While I do not recommend this trek for most people it is a fun and daunting challenge for experience off trail hikers.  There are many other interesting features to the climb if you hunt them.  Different routes can be taken. The one I chose was the simplest and easiest.

 An alternative way to experience parts of this journey would be to simply hike the old Greenbrier Pinnacle trail and go up to the overlook and the fire tower site