Well, I can’t say anything else about my super guides Frank Carter and John Burgess, my guides for this off trail hike through the Ash Hopper Branch and Spring Branch drainages.
I’d been through the first half of this hike before with these guys about 3 years ago. We came running down the Ash Hopper Branch drainage escaping the falling trees from a freak wind storm. That day three years ago, we heard trees snapping off like twigs and actually watched one slide to rest and explode just 100 feet behind us. Who says hiking isn’t exciting?
Distance: posted at 6 miles, but by GPS and pedometer our group figured it at about 3.8 miles
Total Elevation climb: I didn’t record it
Trail Type: single track dirt and manways, but mostly off-trail
Temperature: 30s, cloudy
Time: I didn’t record it
Significant Features: old homesteads and a still standing rock chimney
Started out on the Husky Gap Trail, but quickly left it trudging off trail. I should mention that this is not something I normally do or encourage anyone else to do. Frank and John are very familiar with the area. It would be very easy for me to get lost out here.
We hiked past some old homesteads and some of the park’s hog traps. Russian hogs run around in the park now. Prior to the park’s formation, a portion had been used as a private hunting ground. Once the caretaker stopped getting paid, he left to find the owners and collect his pay. The year was 1929 and when he found the owners, they had no money to pay him. These non-native hogs run lose today in the park and rangers try to trap them. One of the three traps we saw had a small piglet (or hoglet?) dead from being there a long time.
After a LONG ciimb we got to the Ash Hopper Branch drainage where we stopped for lunch at an old homesite. Since it was still chilly, we didn’t tarry long. After another climb we ended up in the Spring Branch drainage where we found a chimney still standing. These are unusual as most in the park have fallen over (or been pushed over) in the 70 years since the park was formed.
Just a little ways (really, it wasn’t a fir piece at all) and we were out on Little River Road. Overall a nice hike and better than any day I’ve spent in the office.
Pictures are HERE