The Greenbrier valley in the Smokies is rife with history as it was once almost completely farmed and logged. You would not recognize the area in pictures from the 1930’s with stands of corn everywhere. But that all began to change with start of the National Park in the 1930s. Other than the smattering of old homesteads throughout the valley, one would never know it had been inhabited by anything other than wildlife.
Today’s hike started at the Ramsey Cascades trailhead in the Greenbrier Day Use area. About 1.5 miles in we took an unmaintained trail (the old Greenbrier Pinnacle Trail, which was abandoned after the release of the Peregrine Falcon) up to Greenbrier Pinnacle, just shy of the Cat Stairs. The hike involves crawling over several large tree blowdowns and marching through thick Rhododendron. A slow, steady ascent took us to a nice vista at around 4500 feet, where we ate lunch overlooking Mt. LeConte, Greenbrier Valley, and Gatlinburg. Another half mile would have taken us to the old fire tower and cabin site, but our hiking guides decided against taking us up. At this elevation and temperature, I was surprised at how little layering I need. My heavy parka remained in my pack the entire time and I contemplated seriously on removing my fleece which would have left me in long underwear and a tshirt. I took my hat and gloves off and on several times to keep from sweating.
Distance: There and back, 9 miles
Elevation change: Unknown, moderate continuous incline
Weather: 25° F, light winds, partly cloudly, 2 inches of snow at elevation
Time: About 3.5 hours to the vista from the trailhead and about 2 hours to return.
The view did not meet my expectation as I had envisioned something similar to the view I saw from Charlie’s Bunion on Monday. In spite of the disappointment, I would still hike it again, simply for the enjoyment of being in the wilderness.
My post-hike activities included a well-deserved soak in the jacuzzi, a nap, and then a burger and nice porter from Smoky Mountain Brewery. Yum.