The 4.5 mile moderate to strenuous ascent from the parking lot to Naked Ground was through huge trees. In order to see the larger trees, we side tracked and followed the Poplar Cove Loop trail that is part of the Joyce Kilmer Memorial trail. We saw eastern hemlocks are close to 6 feet in diameter & the some of the poplar were close to 7 feet thick & 300 feet tall; not the proportions of the giant redwoods in the West, but unquestionably massive for the Eastern US. At the base of the trees were large ferns & rhododendrons. This trail was once part of a Cherokee trading path that ran along side Santeetlah Creek to Naked Ground and then down the Slickrock Creek trail into Tennessee.
During the last .5 mile to Naked Ground, the trail climbs very steeply. Most of this section of the trail is a series of switchbacks with about 1,000 feet of elevation climb. With the different levels of experience in our group our pace slowed considerably. As a result, we reached the top much later than we had planned.
In addition, we should have refilled our water before we left the creek & started the climb. We found no available water sources at Naked Ground or on Bob Stratton Bald. Instead of continuing on west from Naked Ground into the valley, we decided to stop for the night. While we could have pressed on, the trail ahead would have been very challenging and the return to the high ground at Naked Ground could have been a real problem.
We found a great camp site for the night & pitched camp. While we were exploring Bob Stratton Bald, we encountered a couple of hikers who had lost their dog. She was an older Vizsla, who had backpacked with them many times before. Unfortunately her nose had lead her away from them on this trip. Apparently, her hearing and eyesight were not that great and the dog’s owners were understandably worried. We left them as they were retracing their steps, calling the dog’s name. We worried about the dog’s safety all night. Much to our relief, by the next morning, the dog had found her owners and everyone was very relieved.
As the next morning arrived, we found that at least one of us was feeling the effects of the previous day’s climb to the extent that we decided to shorten the trip. In addition to the extreme fatigue, we had very little water left. We decided to eat a few granola bars and get an early start on the Stratton Trail back to the car expecting to find a water source an hour or so into the morning’s hike. This trail is about 8 miles of moderate trail that descends along the wilderness boundary back to the Rattler Ford Campground where we had left our car.
The Stratton Bald trail was easy to follow, but clearly does not get much use. It descends from Bob Stratton Bald along tree covered ridges. At times the trail ran along ridges that were barely 20-30 feet wide, dropping precipitously away on both sides.
Once about a third of the way down, we emerged from the tree cover onto the side of the mountain. The trail was about 2 feet wide with mountain on our left and a sharp drop on our right. Stepping off the trail on the right would have resulted in a tumble down a very steep incline into the tops of trees below. The view was incredible! However, this section of trail was only about 50-75 feet and then plunged back into the woods.
At times, we walked for long stretches through pleasant smelling sassafras bushes. Other sections of the trail were almost clear of any underbrush. We didn't encounter any other hikers on this trail. It was a real wilderness hike.
While we expected to find water soon into our hike, we walked for almost 5 hours before finding even a small water source from which we could filter drinking water. A couple of us were completely out of water & it was good that we found it when we did. Once we had water the rest of the hike progressed quickly. We arrived back at our car tired but determined to return another time to cover the full route.
During the last .5 mile to Naked Ground, the trail climbs very steeply. Most of this section of the trail is a series of switchbacks with about 1,000 feet of elevation climb. With the different levels of experience in our group our pace slowed considerably. As a result, we reached the top much later than we had planned.
In addition, we should have refilled our water before we left the creek & started the climb. We found no available water sources at Naked Ground or on Bob Stratton Bald. Instead of continuing on west from Naked Ground into the valley, we decided to stop for the night. While we could have pressed on, the trail ahead would have been very challenging and the return to the high ground at Naked Ground could have been a real problem.We found a great camp site for the night & pitched camp. While we were exploring Bob Stratton Bald, we encountered a couple of hikers who had lost their dog. She was an older Vizsla, who had backpacked with them many times before. Unfortunately her nose had lead her away from them on this trip. Apparently, her hearing and eyesight were not that great and the dog’s owners were understandably worried. We left them as they were retracing their steps, calling the dog’s name. We worried about the dog’s safety all night. Much to our relief, by the next morning, the dog had found her owners and everyone was very relieved.
As the next morning arrived, we found that at least one of us was feeling the effects of the previous day’s climb to the extent that we decided to shorten the trip. In addition to the extreme fatigue, we had very little water left. We decided to eat a few granola bars and get an early start on the Stratton Trail back to the car expecting to find a water source an hour or so into the morning’s hike. This trail is about 8 miles of moderate trail that descends along the wilderness boundary back to the Rattler Ford Campground where we had left our car.
The Stratton Bald trail was easy to follow, but clearly does not get much use. It descends from Bob Stratton Bald along tree covered ridges. At times the trail ran along ridges that were barely 20-30 feet wide, dropping precipitously away on both sides.
Once about a third of the way down, we emerged from the tree cover onto the side of the mountain. The trail was about 2 feet wide with mountain on our left and a sharp drop on our right. Stepping off the trail on the right would have resulted in a tumble down a very steep incline into the tops of trees below. The view was incredible! However, this section of trail was only about 50-75 feet and then plunged back into the woods.At times, we walked for long stretches through pleasant smelling sassafras bushes. Other sections of the trail were almost clear of any underbrush. We didn't encounter any other hikers on this trail. It was a real wilderness hike.
While we expected to find water soon into our hike, we walked for almost 5 hours before finding even a small water source from which we could filter drinking water. A couple of us were completely out of water & it was good that we found it when we did. Once we had water the rest of the hike progressed quickly. We arrived back at our car tired but determined to return another time to cover the full route.
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