The Bartram Trail travels 112 miles through Georgia and North Carolina. Named after the 18th Century naturalist William Bartram, the trail roughly follow the route Bartram took in the 1770s while studying the flora and fauna of the Southeastern US. The Southern Terminus begins at Russell Bridge Trailhead on the Georgia side of the Georgia/South Carolina along the Chattooga River. After traveling about 36.5 miles in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia, the trail crosses into North Carolina for the remaining distance- mostly in the Nantahala National Forest. The trail ends on the AT at its Northern Terminus at Cheoah Bald.
 |
The Northern Terminus of the Bartram
on Cheoah Bald |
In the last year or so, I have been backpacking several trails in the South. I originally planned to hike the Bartram in October, following my Foothills Trail hike. following that hike, a week of rainy weather, with ice and snow on the higher summits, changed my plans. I still planned to hike it in late 2025, but the weather and my schedule didn't cooperate.
After a cold and snowy winter in the Southeast, I finally caught a break. The weather improved. There was a solid week of decent weather forecasted in mid February with temperatures generally in the 60s. I quickly found a shuttle between the trailheads to lock in my trip. On Sunday, February 15th, I headed south and began my trip on the next day.
Day 1
Russell Bridge to Speed Gap
11.4 Miles
My shuttle wasn't available until 1130AM. After a two hour drive, I arrived at the Southern Terminus of the trail at the Russell Bridge Trailhead in Georgia. Russell Bridge sits along the Chattooga River. I was actually just a few miles from the Foothills Trail, which I hiked back in October on the South Carolina side of the border. The fictional river in the movie Deliverance is based on the Chattooga with scenes filmed on the river. No, I didn't hear banjos at any point along the river.
 |
| The Southern Terminus |
 |
| The first blaze |
I started my hike around 140PM. The weather was absolutely gorgeous for February with the temps approaching 70F and not a cloud in sight. It was a shame I couldn't start earlier since this turned out to be one of the nicest days on the hike.
 |
| View on a bridge crossing |
The trail starts out pretty mellow as it generally follows close to the Chattooga River. Within the first twenty minutes of hiking I saw a bald eagle take off along the river. The river isn't always in sight, but never too far away. Despite a pretty heavy rainfall the day before, the trail was pretty dry.
 |
| Near where I saw the eagle |
 |
| The trail was fairly flat at the start |
Just a couple weeks earlier, the area went through a pretty significant ice storm. There were plenty of broken branches along the trail, but it looked like trail crews had already cleared this section of the trail. Other than a few fisherman in the first mile or so along the river, it appeared that I was the only one hiking the first six miles or so.
 |
| A short climb away from the river |
The trail follows Warwoman Creek before it reaches the Chattooga again near Earl's Ford Road. I saw a day hiker pass by, the only other hiker for the day. Crossing Earl's Ford Road, the maintenance seemed like it ended. I started to encounter more blowdowns more frequently.
 |
| Bridge over Warwoman Creek |
 |
| Warwoman Creek |
 |
| Back at Warwoman Creek |
 |
| The blowdowns start to become more common |
The trail soon followed closer to the banks of the Chattooga. The river appears more rugged in this stretch with bigger rapids. The Bartram crosses Dick's Creek about nine miles in. A side trail here leads to 60-foot. Dick's Creek Falls and some larger rapids on the river where Dick's Creek flows into the Chattooga. The side trail isn't very long but was quite choked by blowdowns and a bit of a challenge to get through.
 |
| The trail stayed close to water for several miles |
 |
| I was bleeding by mile 7 from pushing through blowdowns |
 |
The Chattooga is the low point on the Bartram
around 1,500' |
 |
| Dick's Creek Falls |
Dick's Creek was the last place with water to camp for a while. With my late start I wasn't ready to stop for the day. I still had some daylight and wanted to keep moving. I filled up my water and kept going. About a half-mile from Dick's Creek, I crossed Sandy Ford Road. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was heading into the worst of the blowdowns on the entire trail.
 |
| Log bridge |
 |
One of many blowdown clusters by Sandy Ford Road
I heard most of this was cleared by the end of the week |
Almost immediately after crossing the road, I encountered a massive snarl of downed trees on the trail. I struggled to get around it, only to encounter another snarl of blowdowns, and another. In a very short distance, I must of forced my way through more than half a dozen snarls. It wasn't just one tree I had to pass through, one big tree took out a handful of smaller trees as it fell and they all seemed to rest across the trail. I didn't expect to get to far before dark since I was slowed down quite a bit.
Fortunately, I gained a little bit of a ridge and the blowdowns were less frequent and not nearly as intense. I reached a small saddle at Speed Gap at a junction of the trail with an old logging road. I had plenty of room to put up my tent. By now, it was just before 6PM and the sun was starting to drop behind the mountains.
Since I had a calorie dense lunch at McDonald's during my shuttle, I didn't feel like I needed to cook. I settled for some snacks for dinner. By 630PM, I still had lingering twilight, but it was mostly dark. The sky on the western horizon had a nice pink glow to it. As it became dark, I could only see one or two lights in the distance. At times I could hear trucks on a road as well as dogs in the valley below. I occasionally heard barred owls calling through the night as well as a coyote at one point. Sitting up along the ridge, I had a nice breeze and no condensation. This was my coldest night on trail with the temperature dipping into the upper 30s.
 |
| My campsite at Speed Gap |
Day 2
Speed Gap to Saltrock Gap
19.1 Miles
It was pretty dark until after 7AM. After nearly 12 hours in my tent, I was still a little slow moving with the chilly morning. I was on the trail about 740AM.
I hiked about 8 miles in the morning before reaching Warwoman Dell. This was the first decent water I came across since Dick's Creek. A nice Forest Service picnic area with a covered pavilion seemed like a nice spot for a break. The picnic area had kiosks explaining the unusual name and background for the Warwoman Dell moniker.
 |
| Sign explaining the naming of the area |
 |
| Pavilion at Warwoman Dell Picnic area |
The trail crosses the road near the picnic area just a few miles from Clayton, GA (the banjo player in Deliverance was actually a native from Clayton). If you need a last minute supplies or a night off the trail, Clayton offers lodging and stores just three miles away. The trail climbs quite steeply from the road along Becky Branch before crossing the creek by a nice waterfall. Within a couple miles of Becky Branch, the trail crosses Martin Creek at Martin Creek Falls and a nice observation deck. I saw a day hiker on this stretch and it was the only person I would see for the day.
 |
| Becky Branch Fall- maybe 20' tall |
 |
| Sign at a road crossing |
 |
| 40' or so tall Martin Creek Falls |
The trail climbs away from Martin Creek. Martin Creek was the last solid water source for several miles. I generally climbed a series of nondescript mountains with numerous drops between them to gaps. It didn't seem like the trail ever went over the summit. While I actually had some ok views through the leafless trees at the surrounding terrain, when the trees are leaved, there wouldn't be much to see. Even though the route was somewhat nondescript, I enjoyed the day with the winter views. It was a pretty clear day and temperatures probably hovering around 60F.
 |
| One of many rhododendron tunnels along the trail |
 |
These etched location markers were only in the
Georgia section of the trail |
 |
| Decent views in an old burn |
 |
| Views like this were fairly common in the leafless forest |
By late afternoon I started to hike through an old burn area. I came to the first open view on the trail at a clearing called Victor's View. Beyond Victor's View I passed a few ledges with more views.
 |
| Victor's View |
 |
| Another shot from Victor's View |
 |
| A ledge just beyond Victor's View |
 |
| Same area zoomed in a little bit |
I stopped late in the afternoon at a campsite with water. I decided to cook my dinner a little early at the campsite since it was the last water for a while. After my dinner, I hiked about a mile further to Saltrock Gap. Saltrock Gap had a nice flat area just below the final climb to Rabun Bald, but no water. As night fell I was treated to a nice pink sky as the sun set. I was surprised at how many lights I could see in the distance. Even though I was camping around 3,700', it was much warmer than last night. I don't know if it dropped much below 50F. At times the wind screamed through the tree tops, but below the canopy it wasn't too bad. Eventually I had to zip my rainfly closed to stop the tent from flapping. Otherwise it was a pretty peaceful night.
 |
| Pink skies after sunset- much brighter in person |
I would have liked to hike a little further and cross over Rabun Bald for the night, but my route description was somewhat vague north of Rabun Bald. It didn't list the campsites or water for the final several miles in Georgia. Gaia showed campsites but described them as campgrounds. It wasn't clear if they were pay campgrounds or normal backcountry campsites. Either way I was satisfied with my spot at Saltrock Gap.
Day 3
Saltrock Gap to Campsite at Mile 53.9
23.4 Miles
4,696' Rabun Bald stands as the second highest summit in Georgia. A viewing tower on its summit provides unrestricted views. I was camped just 1.8 miles and about 1,000 vertical feet below its summit. While I wasn't feeling ambitious enough to get up for sunrise on the summit, I was eager to see the view from the tower. I made quick time to the summit but started entering the mist before I reached the tower.
I climbed the tower to find that majority of the view was obscured by clouds. I had a few hazy windows to the valley when I first got there. After a little waiting, the clouds parted in short bursts. I got some decent views, but the clouds would blow back in fairly quickly. I managed to get a decent look in all directions as I lingered on the tower. Not that it did me any good now, but a few campsites sat pretty close to the summit. I think they would have been terrible last night though, with the wind.
Beyond the waterfall, the Bartram continues climbing away from the highway enroute to Big Scaly Mountain. Despite climbing above 4,000' a bunch of houses come into view just off the trail. The closest house is no more than maybe a couple hundred feet from the trail with its own side trail. These were high dollar homes.
Once away from the homes, the views open up as the Bartram continues up Big Scaly. The route heads across several open slabs with views. While the views were pretty nice, the clouds were starting to drop as I got closer to the 4,804' summit of Big Scaly. Big Scaly Mountain stands as the highest mountain on the southern half of the Bartram Trail.
By now the day was full on overcast. I anticipated a dry campsite for the night. I decided to cook for lunch. A nice campsite at the creek had a picnic table and it seemed like a much better place to cook while I had a good stream. My trail description notes made the water situation for the next 10 miles look somewhat grim. It showed an unreliable creek in about four miles. Many of the smaller water sources listed on my trail description I already passed were not flowing great, so I didn't want to count on it. I reluctantly hauled four liters of water to get me through a rugged ten miles and hold me over until the next morning.
Leaving Tessentee Creek didn't look to bad on the map. In reality the trail was quite brutal. I climbed a steep but short section of trail. On the map the trail looked to sidehill a fairly flat course well below the summit of Peggy Knob. In reality, I undulated between short, punchy elevation changes along sections of rock. Deep leaves in the area made the footing challenging. I passed right through Hickory Gap without even noticing. Not much further I popped out on a dirt road at Jones Gap. Other than a one viewpoint, there wasn't as much to see through here, especially since the clouds had dropped fairly low.
 |
| View through the trees of the terrain ahead |
 |
| A decent view to the east |
From Jones Gap, the trail seemed to mellow for a little bit. Just north of the gap, there are a few signs along the trail identifying different trees and plants as an homage to William Bartram's journey to study plant life in the area in the 1770s. There are some nice views of Whiterock Mountain as you approach Whiterock Gap, maybe two miles past Jones Gap.
 |
| Hiking through a field near Jones Gap |
 |
| Clouds starting to drop on Whiterock Mountain |
 |
| Closeup of the white rock on Whiterock Mountain |
 |
| View near Whiterock Gap |
While I had some decent views in Whiterock Gap, I could see that the clouds continued to drop. I was starting to hike in mist. I have heard the next several miles of the Bartram are among the most scenic on the entire trail. I was losing hope that I would see the scenery I was hoping for. And for what its worth, the small stream listed as "intermittent" was flowing. I drank more than I anticipated for the day with the punchy terrain and humid conditions. I decided to camel up since I still was expecting a dry campsite later.
 |
| The clouds starting to drop across the mountaintops |
 |
| Along the crest of the range |
Not long after I tanked up on water, I passed several side trails for summits. One for Whiterock and another for Fishhawk Mountain. I was already hiking in minimal visibility. I didn't even bother to check out the summits. The final vista along the crest, Wolf Rock, sat right on the trail and I could barely see a hundred feet into the trees. It became obvious that I wasn't missing anything on the summits. The trail was pretty rugged along this entire stretch, even if the elevation changes weren't that dramatic. I suppose on a clearer day this would be a better experience. Even with the poor visibility, it wasn't unenjoyable. I was just a little disappointed I missed out on the far-stretching views.
 |
You get a good look at how obscured the visibility was-
This is supposedly a good view when its clear |
Passing Wolf Rock, the trail begins losing elevation quickly as it descends along the spine of the ridge. With roughly 5,500' of climbing through the day on some pretty challenging terrain, I was happy to descend for a while. I was hoping to get out of the mist and breeze.
One of the strangest features along the Bartram Trail sits along this section as you descend from the crest of the ridge. An abandoned school bus from the 1940s sits pretty much right on the trail, fairly high above the valley. There are some old logging roads and structures visible not too far below the trail, but it doesn't seem like it would have been possible to get the bus in this location. The bus is missing the engine part. I looked in side and there are still seats, albeit mostly just the frames. A little backstory to bus can be found
here.
 |
| Descending along a rock ledge |
 |
| The long abandoned bus |
After passing the bus around 5PM, I saw a day hiker doing some trail clean up. This was the first person I saw on the trail after more than twenty miles. Less than half a mile past the bus, the trail reaches a junction. To the left is the Buckeye Creek Trail. This used to be the route that the trail followed. Now yellow blazes continue straight at this junction.
By this point I lost over 1,000' from the crest of the range. Now below the clouds, I had a few views of the valley below. Not too far beyond the Buckeye Creek Junction, I passed a piped spring that was flowing well enough. This was the second viable water source since I ate lunch at Tessentee Creek. I carried the extra water over the brutal terrain for nothing. Well better safe than sorry I suppose.
 |
| I got a few views below the clouds |
 |
| Another view as I descended |
 |
| The trail passing by a large rock |
There was a campsite shown on the Gaia map less than a mile beyond the Buckeye Creek Trail. The hiker I passed near the bus confirmed there was a spot there. The campsite sat along the trail on a long abandoned logging road. There would have been room for several tents, but a large blowdown took up some of the prime real estate. Nonetheless, there was plenty of room for one. This campsite was only a few tenths of a mile from the piped spring. Since I cooked at lunch, I just ate some snacks before bed. This appeared to be the last real spot to camp before the road walk without getting really creative. Not too long before dark, I was startled by noise on the trail. Two mountain bikes were bombing down the trail. I'm not sure where they came from, but wasn't expecting it so close to dark. I'm not sure the trail was even open to bikes. Either way, they came and went in just a few seconds.
As night fell, I could see quite a few lights sprawled out in the valley below. It was kind of neat to see the sparkle of civilization. I could hear distant traffic and dogs barking in the distance, but not so much that it disrupted the experience. I tried to leave my rainfly open, but drizzle began to fall not too long after I settled in for the night.
Day 4Campsite at Mile 53.9 to Wine Spring Campsite
25.6 Miles
I woke up periodically through the night with light rain pattering on my tent. It never seemed too heavy, but fairly consistent. By the time I started packing for the day, just before 7AM, the rain had stopped. It was still quite cloudy with fog banks in the valley below.
Just as I was getting ready to leave, I heard rustling in the leaves above me on the hillside. A skunk was making its way down the hill. Fortunately it turned on the trail rather than continue into my campsite. I don't think it was aware of my presence and just sauntered out of sight before I started hiking.
From my campsite, I only had about three miles or so before reaching the Franklin Road Walk.
In these few miles I had a couple of views in to the valley. I also saw the first few deer on the trail up to this point. The Bartram Trail is kind of like two trails, one south of Franklin, NC; and one north. The trail leaves the forest between along the road walk that leads in and out of Franklin. Assuming I plotted it correctly on Caltopo, the road walk runs about 10-11 miles (It shows 15 on the Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy website and I can find figure out the discrepancy) . It sounds like quite a few hikers skip the road walk altogether. Although I don't love road walks, I figured I'd just hike it. It seemed more of a hassle than it was worth arranging and paying for a shuttle or hitching around it. Besides, the trail/road walk passes right through part of Franklin with a grocery store right along the route and countless eating options. If nothing else, it was a good way to keep my pack light with a convenient resupply near the middle of the trip. The miles usually fly by quickly on road walks as well.
 |
| Fog and low clouds in the valley below |
For the most part the road walk was pretty straightforward. I had a copy of paper directions to follow the route. The route stuck to pretty quiet roads with infrequent traffic. There are a few blazes on poles and trees, especially near intersections. The least appealing part of this road walk was the weather. The rain had moved back in. It wasn't raining particularly hard, there's just not anything that enjoyable about walking on random roads in the rain. It rained on and off for the seven miles before reaching the food and groceries in Franklin.
 |
| The wet road walk |
 |
I didn't have great visibility but had
some views along the road |
 |
| Cows along the road, unsure what to make of me |
I made the seven miles into Franklin pretty quickly. I stopped at the grocery store first to top off my food bag to get me through the trail. I then walked down the road a short distance to enjoy a salty and calorie dense fast food lunch and milkshake. I was back on the road, feeling satiated, around noon. Exercise caution in the Franklin business district. Unlike the first part of the road walk, this section sits on a busy four-lane road. Use the sidewalks and pedestrian signals.
The walk out of Franklin isn't nearly as long. It ran only 3-3 1/2 miles (according to my calculations) to get back to the National Forest and actual trail in the mountains. The road became much more peaceful after leaving the business district. The rain stopped for good by the time I finished my lunch. The clouds were even starting to break. The road walk ended at the Wallace Branch Trailhead, just northwest of Franklin.
 |
| Finally finished with the road walk |
Wallace Branch flows along the trail for the first half-mile or so back in the woods. At one point I crossed a bridge with a nice waterfall. This is the last sure water along the trail for nearly ten miles. Having already hiked 13 miles for the day, I wasn't sure if I'd make it to the next water source, so I reluctantly filled up with four liters of water in case I had a dry campiste. Some online sources list Wallace Branch Trailhead as a potential campsite and there are nice flat spots there. However, the area is posted as day use only. Heading about a half-mile in, you leave the day use area and can still find a few potential spots to tent.
 |
| Trailside waterfall not too far from the Wallace Branch TH |
I expected the next ten miles to be somewhat of a slog. The elevation change from the trailhead to Wayah Bald is greater than 3,000' with numerous ups and downs along the way. While that may not seem to bad, it's much more rugged than the elevations let on. Between the trailhead and the summit, the trail continues a rollercoaster over a series of smaller knobs and ridges. In that ten miles, the trail actually climbs over 5000' with another 2,000' of descents. The elevation changes are usually quite steep.
The morning rain also burned off providing some hazy sunshine. The day approached 70F with pretty humid conditions. While this may not sound too bad, the days approached record highs for mid February. It felt pretty stuffy considering less than a week before the temperatures were below zero at my home in WV. The extra water I carried certainly didn't make the hike any easier. I have backpacked about 1,600 miles in the past 18 months. This felt like the toughest ten mile stretch in that time.
There are some partial views through the trees. The best view comes from an outcropping called Williams Pulpit. The Pulpit seems to be a fairly popular day hike destination near Franklin and I saw several groups on the trail below the overlook. The view was quite hazy.
 |
| Hazy view from Williams Pulpit |
 |
| Another shot from Williams Pulpit |
As expected, I didn't really encounter useable water. Despite the weight, I was happy to have the extra water. I drank quite a bit as I sweated profusely on the humid day. There were a few serviceable places to camp, but none with water. Mostly it was just one nondescript knob or ridge after another.
At one point, the trail merged onto an old logging road. This was probably the only soggy section on this ten mile stretch of trail. I tried to pussyfoot my way through the muck, stepping on rocks and wood. I took one wrong step though. I'm not sure what I stepped on, but it was extremely slick. As soon as my foot touched it, I slipped, spun around- off balance, and fell in black mud. I'm sure I released a profanity or two about my mother that could be heard a little bit away. My legs were covered in black mud and my shorts were soaked through. My pack and upper body some how managed to stay out of the mud. At this point my shirt was saturated from sweat and my shoes and shorts were wet from the fall. At least the ground was soft when I fell.
Since I got a pretty early start on this stretch of trail, I made decent time. As I gained elevation and approached 5,000', I started to get a few views toward Franklin. I could also see the tower on Wayah Bald. I thought it was interesting to see a large home not too far off the trail as well. Looking at the map you could see the property lines of the National Forest and there are some private inholdings in the area.
I had plenty of daylight to reach the AT and campsites with water. Just below the Wayah Bald, the Bartram joins the AT. A shelter with room for tents nearby, sits about a 1/4 mile from the junction as well as water. I reached the AT junction shortly after 5PM. Since I didn't end up dry camping, I probably could have carried at least one less liter of water.
 |
| Scrubby forest approaching Wayah Bald |
 |
| Macon County Airport in the valley |
When I reached the AT, I looked at my map and notes. I still had about 45 minutes of daylight left. The forecast called for a rainy morning. I didn't want to miss out on a view from Wayah Bald, even if it was hazy. When I thru hiked the AT, Wayah Bald was socked in rain and had zero visibility. I didn't want to risk missing out because of rain. I was only .6 miles from the summit and about 2.5 miles from another campsite with water. Even though I had already hiked around 23 miles for the day on some pretty challenging terrain, perhaps against my better judgment, I decided to make the push. If nothing else, I didn't have much climbing left.
 |
| The Bartram and AT running together |
I quickly reached the summit of Wayah Bald. At 5,342' Wayah Bald stands as the highest elevation on the Bartram Trail. A lookout tower stands on the summit providing excellent views. While the hazy skies obscured the visibility, the views were still pretty good. I was happy to get hazy views today rather than no view tomorrow morning. There is a good road to the summit of Wayah Bald, but at 530PM on a Thursday in February, I had the summit to myself. After taking in the scenery, I moved on. I still had close to two miles to hike and less than an hour of light.
 |
| Tower on Wayah Bald |
 |
| Very hazy view from Wayah Bald toward Franklin |
 |
| I imagine on a clearer day the view would be pretty good |
 |
| Nearby ridges from Wayah Bald |
Leaving Wayah Bald, the trail was naturally downhill to start. I made descent time. Although I climbed a little more as the trail skirted Wine Spring Bald, the changes were gradual. I made it to Wine Spring about 610PM with at least twenty minutes of twilight remaining.
Wine Spring has a small piped spring with several campsites. While the area was flat and well established, the campsites left nothing to be desired. Had it not rained last night and this morning, I'm sure they would have been fine. However, the ground was muddy clay and quite soft. As it was, the area would work. With rain likely overnight, I knew the area had the potential for some thick mud. At this point I hiked around 25 miles for the day and didn't really have any other option with darkness closing in quickly. This was by far my toughest day on the Bartram. With longer daylight, it would have been still a tough day, but a little more manageable. In mid February though, it wasn't very light until after 7AM and pretty dark by 615PM. When I backpack solo. I often hike until within an 30-60 minutes before dark. I usually take more on trail breaks when I have more light. Because I spent the extra time in Franklin to resupply and eat, I didn't take many breaks otherwise today. It was definitely a tough day.
Before I settled, I left my wet clothing outside hanging from branches. I hoped that the rain would hold off long enough for my clothes to dry some. I was camped pretty high at roughly 5,280'. It was pretty breezy. At this point they were pretty wet from my fall and sweat. Clouds descended on the mountain not long after dark though. I woke up around 1AM to relieve myself and the trees were dripping from mist from clouds that settled on the mountain. I knew my clothes wouldn't dry and didn't want to leave them out if it rained so I brought them under my tent fly. My clothes were now even wetter. At this point I could ring moisture out of my shirt and quite a bit of water dripped from it. Light rain and mist pattered on the tent for most of the night after this.
Day 5Wine Spring Campsite to Ledbetter Creek Campsite
25.7 Miles
I have been waking up and getting moving in my tent around 640AM the past few day. Today however, it was raining steadily when I woke up. Camped at a higher elevation, I had phone service and checked the weather. It looked like it was clearing not longer after 8AM. Unfortunately the radar showed an intense squall line passing by before the weather broke. I wasn't looking forward to this. I was already pretty windy most of the night. I didn't really want straight-line winds from a squall line adding to it while I was so high in elevation.
While I waited for the weather to pass by, I ate and started to pack while in my tent. This morning I noticed a small bulge in my sleeping pad. I could tell I had a baffle break inside the pad. At this time it was manageable. As I moved around in my tent on the pad in the morning, I kneeled on my pad. The pressure caused a more baffles to blow out. At this point I had a pretty big bulge right where my torso lays. Not much I could do about at that point, plus I likely had only one more night on trail.
As the radar showed, intense weather blew in around 745AM or so. The winds picked up. The wind battered my tent pretty good, pushing the fly into the inner. At one point I popped one of my stakes from the ground. I don't think this would have normally happened, but the clay was now much softer from the rain and the stake didn't have a great bite. I reached out and got the stake back and tried to add another to ride out the wind. I couldn't get a new stake to grab in the mud though. Despite the intense gusts and quick deluge of rain, I didn't hear and thunder or see any lightening. The intense squall line only lasted about 15 minutes.
Ready to go for the day, I quickly packed up my tent. At this point my tent was fairly muddy and the ground around it was pretty mucky. I reluctantly put on my wet clothes to hike for the day. Maybe it was good I caught Wayah Bald while it was still somewhat clear.
I don't think I hiked more a few hundred feet and reached the junction where the Bartram split from the AT. Much to my great disappointment, there were more campsites at the junction that looked far less muddy. This appears to be the more official campsite. There an official "camping" sign.
 |
The trail passing through a brushy field- in
summer this looks like it would be overgrown |
 |
| I didn't see nearly as many blowdowns in NC |
Although it started out cloudy, I could see the clouds breaking to the west. Unlike yesterday's hazy sunshine, the squall line cleared out the air. It wasn't too long before I was hiking under bright blue skies and sunshine. While still up fairly high, the drier air and steady breeze helped dry my clothes pretty quickly.
Although there were a few minor rises, the trail lost elevation steadily as I dropped down the long ridge of Jarrett Bald. At times there are some steep sections navigating the rocky spine of the ridge, but generally the drop seemed fairly mellow. There were some decent views through the trees. At times you look down to Nantahala Lake deep in the valley below. Over five miles, the Bartram drops more than 2,000' before reaching a road along Nantahala Lake. I think I was just happy to descend after the rough climb from Franklin to Wayah Bald.
 |
You can barely see the trail with all the leaves on
the ground here |
 |
| Nantahala Lake |
The trail follows a road briefly with nice views of Nantahala Lake before heading back into the forest. The route generally stays in the valley for the next ten miles or so. The trail sticks to the woods for the next few miles, though it doesn't feel like deep wilderness as you pass the occasional house and cross several lightly traveled roads.
The trail dropped back to a road. I crossed a cement bridge with warning signs. This is the Nantahala River below the dam on the lake. The area can become impassible when they release the dam. When I reached this spot it was dry. The trail then follows a road with a bunch of homes that sit along the river. This road was actually quite pleasant. It's a nicely maintained gravel road and all the properties appear to be seasonal second properties. I didn't see a single vehicle along this road. A different road runs along the opposite side of the river with some pretty impressive homes. I could see occasional traffic and heard a few dogs, but nothing on this side of the river. I was surprised to hear frogs croaking from the edge of the river. I wouldn't think this was typical in February here. I followed this road for a couple miles but didn't mind with the lack of traffic and river flowing next to me.
 |
| Warning signs below the dam |
 |
| Water floods this when the dam during dam releases |
 |
| Interesting sign along the road |
 |
I saw quite a few daffodils when
I passed through the valleys along the roads |
 |
The road was in really nice shape and
almost had a maintained rail trail feel to it |
The Bartram leaves the road and passes along the Appletree Campground. This appears to be a National Forest Service Group campground and not really an option for Bartram Trail hikers. The campground wasn't open for the season. I reached the area just before noon. With nobody around, I decided to take advantage of the grounds for lunch and dry out my gear. I covered more distance than I expected yesterday. I had an extra dinner in my food bag. I decided to cook a meal for lunch while I dried out my tent and wet gear from this morning's rain. The air was dry with bright sun and a nice breeze. Everything dried out quickly while I enjoyed a rare cooked trail lunch with a picnic table to sit.
 |
| Field by Appletree Campground |
 |
| The river near the campground |
At Appletree Campground, the trail follows close to the Nantahala River for the next few mile, sometimes right along the banks. Occasionally the trail veers away from the river but drops back to the water before turning away for good. A road travels along the river on the other side with occasional drive-in campsites. I could see a few people fishing and camping but didn't really hear road traffic. I came over a rise along this section and startled a flock of 10-20 turkeys. They immediately took off when they saw me.
 |
| Hiking along the river |
 |
| Section of open hardwood forest |
When the trail leaves the river for good, it begins to climb for the next mile and a half. Unlike most of the climbing on the Bartram, the trail follows an old logging road bed. The climbing is pretty gradual as the old road winds slowly upward. After reaching the height of the land, most of the elevation you gain is lost as the trail drops down to a shallow saddle with abundant rhododendrons at Piercy Creek. I took a short break at Piercy Creek to get some water and enjoy a snack. Piercy Creek was a little tricky to cross. It's too wide to step over and it was flowing enough to make rock hopping not so straightforward. If it was any deeper, it would have been a wet crossing.
 |
| A nice section of rhododendrons |
 |
| Easy climbing along the old logging road |
 |
| Piercy Creek |
After my break, the trail soon left the old logging road and began a steeper climb up Rattlesnake Knob. The trail gained about 1,000' in the next mile and a half. The path skirts a few hundred feet below the actual summit. There are some decent views through the trees at time. This was most difficult climb of the day up until this point.
 |
| Trail on lower part of Rattlesnake Knob |
 |
| Rhododendron tunnel on Rattlesnake Knob |
From the height of the land, I started to descend, somewhat gradually at first. The route steepens as I lost about 800' in a little over a mile. Cheoah Bald, the end of the Bartram, can be seen thought the trees at times- about four miles away as the crow flies. I reached the end of the singletrack as the trail approached a large surge tank towering ahead, that's part of the power substation in the valley below.
 |
| Cheoah Bald visible through the trees |
 |
| Surge Tank |
There are some decent views from the surge tank. There is a clearing for powerlines providing a nice open view to the north. The Bartram utilizes the service road to the surge tank for the next mile and half or so. At the end of the service road you pass by a large power substation. It's not exactly the prettiest site. Ultimately the trail drops back to the Nantahala River, crossing it at dam by the power station. From the high point on the flank of Rattlesnake Knob to the river, the trail dropped about 1,800' in just under 5 miles.
 |
| View from the powerline by the surge tank |
 |
| Another view near the surge tank |
Back along the river, the Bartram utilizes a paved bike path that travels along the river for a little over a mile. I saw several people out for afternoon strolls along the bike path. There are a several good spots to get down to the banks of the river. While along the bike path, I passed by a marshy area. I saw something move in a muddy side creek. It was a snapping turtle. I don't think I ever saw a snapping turtle in February. They are pretty common turtles, but it was neat to see one this time of year.
 |
| An old chimney along the bike path |
 |
| The Nantahala Bike Path |
My time along the flat bike path went by pretty quickly. I crossed a bridge over the river at the Winding Stairs Parking Area. The Bartram continues on the other side of US 19. Back on singletrack, I crossed over railroad tracks that parallel the road before heading back into the forest.
 |
| The Nantahala by Winding Stairs Parking Area |
Less than 1/2 mile beyond the road crossing, there is a nice campsite along Ledbetter Creek. Stopping here would have put me at 24 miles for the day. Despite the distance, it felt significantly less intense than my miles yesterday. Most of the day traveled through lower elevations with much easier climbs. Unfortunately the campsite sits pretty close to the railroad tracks and not too far from the road. The roar of the creek drowned out the road noises, but I just didn't want to really camp along the railroad tracks. I'm not sure if they are even active, but my notes showed a potentially nicer site with a more wild feel ahead. This meant I would have to hike another 1.7 miles. Not too bad, I still had an hour of daylight. The caveat, I had to climb a fairly steep 1,100' on top of the 24 miles I had already hiked for the day. I'm not known to backdown from a long day, and preferred a more secluded campsite, so I continued on.
 |
| Bridge over Ledbetter Creek near the railroad tracks |
I have to admit, after 24 miles, the initial climb was a little rough. The climb leveled off quickly though as I approached Ledbetter Creek again. The last 1/2 mile wasn't so bad. I reached Ledbetter Creek, where it was a little tricky to cross without getting wet. There's a nice little waterfall not too far above the crossing. I maybe traveled another tenth of a mile and had another tricky crossing on a feeder creek. Just beyond the feeder stream, I reached my home for the night along the banks of Ledbetter Creek
 |
| Crossing Ledbetter Creek |
 |
| Waterfall on Ledbetter Creek |
Despite hiking nearly 26 miles for the day, I made the right decision continuing this campsite. It definitely felt more remote and wild than the lower site next to railroad tracks. Ledbetter Creek is a beautiful, rushing mountain stream. My site was right along its banks. There's nothing like camping next to a mountain stream. The sound lulls you to sleep and drowns out any noises in the forest.
 |
| My campsite for my last night |
 |
| Ledbetter Creek by my campsite |
 |
| My last dinner on the trail |
My campsite
After my long day, my final trail dinner for this trip consisted of beef ramen, and it tasted delicious. I think enjoying dinner on the banks of the creek made it taste even better. And despite covering 25.7 miles, I didn't feel nearly as beat as yesterday. The gentler terrain felt much easier on my body. I even enjoyed several breaks throughout the day. I was also glad I took the longer lunch to dry my tent and sleeping bag. It was nice crawling into a dry tent.
After dinner, I had a couple minor mishaps. I dropped my cooking pot into the creek. With the strong current, my pot got swept away pretty quickly before I could react. I saw it travel out of site. I figured it was gone. I walked downstream a short distance and saw it hung up, teetering on a downed branch. I had flip flops on at this point and went out into the creek and was able to retrieve my pot.
While in the middle of the creek, my flip flop slipped off. It too went for a short ride. Fortunately it quickly went into a slow pool where I could retrieve it. This all happened with not too much visible light left, so I'm glad I could still see enough to find them.
After my excitement, I wound down with my flavored water and wrote some notes for the day in my journal. I didn't get into my tent until after dark. It was still clear and it was the brightest stars I have seen in a long time. Rain was forecasted overnight, so I'm glad I got the nice view before the clouds moved in.
When I laid down in my tent, it quickly became clear, my sleeping pad was no long serviceable. The large bulge from the baffle blow out made it unusable. I thought I'd flip it around and have the bulge at my feet. Since my pad is mummy shaped, the taper was too much to actually keep my torso on it comfortably. I decided to just use it mostly deflated. All the air was in the bulge and the rest of the pad had no cushion. The ground was relatively soft and the night was only supposed to be around 50F. I was hoping I wouldn't lose too much heat through the ground, and it turned out ok, albeit a little firmer than I like. The rumbling of the creek and the fact that I hiked about 50 miles the past two days made it pretty easy to sleep.
 |
Baffle blowout in my sleeping pad. It looks
like it would make a nice pillow but the
bulge is below my shoulders. |
I woke up around 10PM to relieve myself. By this time the clouds had rolled in. I lucked out catching the brilliant stars when I did a few hours earlier. Not much later showers moved in. At one point I could hear thunder rumbling in the distance overnight.
Day 6
Ledbetter Creek Campsite- Nantahala Outdoor Center
10.9 Miles (2.9 Miles on Bartram/ 8.0 Miles on AT)
The overnight showers mostly let up by the time I woke up and got moving. There was more dripping from trees than actual rain by morning. I also got a little wet passing through sections of rhododendrons encroaching the trail. The official Northern Terminus of the Bartram Trail on Cheoah Bald was only 2.9 miles away.
From my campsite on Ledbetter Creek, the trail follows the creek for a mile and a half or so. The creek is stunning. At this point it drops steeply down the mountain. I seemed to reach a waterfall or smaller cascade every few minutes. I took my time along the creek to enjoy the falls and take quite a few pictures. The trail crisscrosses the creek several times. With the wet morning, a few of the crossings were quite slippery.
 |
| Small cascade not far from my campsite |
 |
| One of the taller falls |
 |
| Probably a mile of continuous waterfalls |
 |
| This was flowing on a small feeder stream |
 |
| Another feeder stream |
 |
| Probably the highest drop |
When I crossed and left Ledbetter Creek for good, the terrain levels out and it becomes much calmer. It was strange that this final crossing had a bridge while the rest of them didn't. It would have been easy enough to step across at this point.
 |
| Last crossing of Ledbetter Creek |
 |
It was 2' wide, I don't know why it had a bridge
but none of the other crossing did not |
After leaving Ledbetter Creek for good, I climbed up to the shoulder of Little Bald. The junction with the AT was only about 3/4 of a mile from the creek. Upon reaching the AT the yellow blazes of the Bartram Trail end. From here it is any easy .2 miles to Cheoah Bald
 |
| Climbing away from Ledbetter Creek |
 |
The last blaze of the Bartram where it meets the AT
about .2 miles from Cheoah Bald |
From my campsite, I hiked about three miles while gaining 2,000'. The climb seemed pretty docile. I think the scenery along Ledbetter Creek combined with the fact I was just about finished with the trail distracted me from the climb. A few views open up along the grassy east slopes of Cheoah Bald just before the summit. About 920AM I reached the summit of Cheoah Bald and the end of the Bartram Trail.
 |
| The first view as I approached Cheoah Bald |
I took some time to enjoy the views from Cheoah Bald. At 5,062'- this is the second highest point along the Bartram after Wayah Bald. The summit was fairly clear. The mountains and valleys below Cheoah held onto low clouds and fog. It was a nice way to end the Bartram Trail. The best vistas are from the grassy east side of the mountain. A short side trail also leads to the west side of the mountain with some similar views.
 |
| The end of the Bartram |
 |
| Looking down on the low clouds |
 |
| Enjoying the distant peaks and partial undercast |
 |
| Tomcat on Cheoah Bald |
 |
| Looking southwest on Cheoah Bald |
 |
| Northwest from Cheoah |
I was finished with Bartram. However, my trip was not quite over. I still had to get to my car at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). This required an 8 mile leg of the AT. While on paper, this seems pretty easy. It was 8 miles with 3,000' feet of elevation loss to the NOC. The AT had a few rocky sections and ledges to slow my progress. AT northbounders typically hate this climb away from the NOC. I at least had the luxury of heading downhill. I might get tired knees, but at least I wasn't breathing hard.
 |
| Following the AT to the NOC |
 |
| Clouds settling near Sassafras Gap Shelter |
The trail was damp from the night's rainfall. I didn't want to get too careless on wet rocky terrain. Nonetheless, I did slip and fall pretty hard at one point. The trail traversed a somewhat narrow ledge. The ledge was covered in moss and lichens and still pretty wet. I slipped on my backside just as quickly as my foot touched the rock. I took the brunt of the fall on my butt cheek leaving it tender for about a week afterwards. My forearm also hit the rock on the way down with a nice abrasion. My water bottles popped out their pockets when I hit the ground. I wasn't in too much pain, but I was more alert on the rockier sections.
 |
| View of the Nantahala River along the AT near my fall |
One thing that surprised me was the number of AT northbounders I passed on this 8 mile stretch. I expect to see thru hikers on the AT during the main season. For mid February it seemed like a lot. I passed so many hikers that I lost track. I saw far more people on just this section than I did on the entire rest of the trail. Typically the peak starting time on the AT is March into mid April. I didn't expect to see so many this early in the season.
About 1/2 mile before reaching the NOC, I could smell it. There are several places to eat at the NOC and I could smell the food cooking. Soon the NOC itself soon came into view. I reached the NOC around noon. As I neared the NOC, I was also surprised to hear peepers. Never heard them in February.
 |
| Spring seeping from the rocks along the trail |
 |
| Passing under a rock outcropping near the NOC |
I enjoyed the Bartram Trail. I have never done a backpacking trip this long in the middle of winter so that was a real treat. I really can't complain about the weather for February. While it was a little cooler at elevation, most days were in the 60s to near 70. While I did see a little wet weather, nearly all the rain fell overnight while I was still in my tent. I also enjoyed the peace and solitude this time of year. The trees are still leafless this time of year allowing for a lot more views.
The Bartram Trail offers a nice mix of terrain and scenery, typical of the Southern Appalachians. There were plenty of good mountain views, at least when the clouds cooperated. I was surprised at the number of waterfalls along the trail. I also enjoyed the frequent stretches of rhododendrons. While there were some easier stretches, particularly in the lower elevations, the trail offered plenty of challenge. The stretch from Rabun Bald to Franklin is quite rugged and tiring. I was caught off guard by the brutal rollercoaster between Franklin and Wayah Bald.
Back when I hiked the AT, the Nantahala Range was considered the toughest range in the South. Much of the Bartram goes through the Nantahalas, and they still are tough. I think some of tougher climbs on the AT may have been rerouted or reworked since my thru hike to take soften the ruggedness in the Nantahalas. A few sections of the Bartram still seemed pretty abrupt with no apology climbs and descents- straight up or down, with little to no switchbacks at places.
According to the Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy, the group that maintains and promotes the trail, the current distance clocks in at 112 miles. Using the official numbers, my hike wrapped up at 120 miles including the finish on the AT. My numbers above don't quite add up, but I was using a reference from the early 2000s for my numbers and don't have the current trail guide. I managed to hike the trail fine with my older trail description and the free Gaia app.
 |
| The final view from the Bartram on Cheoah Bald |
I’d you enjoyed this post, check out and “LIKE”
Tomcat's Outdoor Adventures on Facebook where I post photos more often and revisit past adventures.
No comments:
Post a Comment