sweetwilder

June 23, 2024

I thought often of Harry Middleton’s seminal work, On the Spine of Time, while hiking Hazel Creek Trail. Writing a love letter to the mountains and its people as much as to fly fishing, he had this to say about the Smokies in the chapter “Bagpipes on Hazel Creek:” 

“There is something in me that needs mountains and fast mountain streams… There is no true wilderness here, but there is wildness, honest and deep and as much as a man could hope for. These mountains are sincere. They are a place of margins rather than pristine grandeur. There is as much ruin along these ridges, deep in these valleys, as there is natural glory. In these thick forests man and the land have collided again and again, battled for hundreds of years, and still there is no clear victor.”

In no line have I found more solace in than “there is something in me that needs mountains.” Men such as Horace Kephart left everything, scholarly job, wife, children to simply be in the mountains, where “[t]here is not a cranny in the rocks of the Great Smokies, not a foot of the wild glen, but harbors something loveable and rare.” I found peace during my normal workday in the thought of a fern I saw on a particular hike. During times of stress that fern will transport me, lessen that stress level instantaneously. What is it about those woods that calms us? It isn’t because the terrain is easy, for no hike in the Smokies is easy. There is something deep and honest about this place.

I highly recommend this hike. The natural grandeur is undeniable. Instead of breaking this hike into separate smaller hikes, I wanted to experience the entire trail, from the headwaters of Hazel Creek near Kuwohi (Clingman’s Dome), as it widens and winds down to meet Fontana Lake. For 15.2 miles, the trail descends through a beautiful tapestry of foliage. The area of Welch Ridge was slightly overgrown, but the Hazel Creek trail was in pristine shape on this hot June day. The upper regions are steep, especially the stark switchbacks between Hazel Creek Cascade and Mule Gap. A mile and a half above campsite #82, the trail becomes a forest service-style road in lieu of single track. From there, the hike is almost pleasant, with the bustling, gurgling Hazel Creek providing background music for the walk. Several miles from the lake, a natural piped spring appears from the rock. I filled my water bottles to the brim, taking large gulps. Simply the best water I have ever tasted. A ranger happened by as I was taking that break and stopped. “Getting some of that good Hazel Creek water?” he asked with a knowing smile.

For my part, I took a ride back on the Fontana Boat Shuttle Service, as this is the only way to get out from a day hike and was well worth it. Even waiting for the shuttle, I was amazed at the bluish green hue of the lake. 

Even though this trip was over a month ago, the mere thought of it brings happiness to my heart. Middleton was exactly right that the Smokies are as much as we could hope for. 

For those interested in the history of the area, Michal Strutin’s amazing book, History Hikes of the Smokies, has an excellent chapter about Hazel Creek, in which she traces its history from Native American stewardship to the white settlers of the 19^th century.

Total mileage is 21. 2 miles.