Mt. Cammerer via Davenport Gap

This blog post details a hike that was taken months ago, but in my blog hiatus did not get posted.

I have been VERY slowly working on hiking all of the trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  This endeavor leads to some odd hikes and road walking to make loops wherever I can.  On this particular hike we parked near the Big Creek ranger station.  We started by road walking from there to the Appalachian Trail trailhead at Davemport Gap.  This also marks the northern boundary of the park.  Our plan was to hike up the AT to the Mt. Cammerer trail and then return to the junction with Chestnut Branch Trail.  From that junction we could take Chestnut Branch back to our car.  

The hike up the AT was rather uneventful.  We took a break at the junction with the Lower Mt Cammerer Trail.  I always like to stop for a moment at junctions where I have been before and think about the time or times that I have been there before.  I hiked the Lower Mt Cammerer trail as my first ever solo hike.  It was neat to stand in that spot again and think about all the changes that have taken place since then.  

The trail between Lower Mt Cammerer and Mt Cammerer was just as rocky as I remembered.  I was glad to reach the Mt. Cammerer trail to give my feet a break.  Even though spring wildflowers were well past their prime in the lower park elevations, there were still a number of wildflowers along the higher trails.  We saw several painted trillium along the way.  They are one of my favorite flowers in the park.

Unfortunately, the fog had not yet left the area when we reached the fire lookout.  The views that I so enjoyed on my previous trip were nonexistent.  Instead it was a bit like being on an island in the fog.  From where we stood, the rest of the world had melted into the fog and we were the only two people on Earth,  A few ridge tops would occasionally pop into view, but they would quickly be swallowed again by the fog. 

We stopped for lunch on our island in the fog.  It was a peaceful break.

I don't really search out the US geological survey markers like some hikers, but I do usually take a picture when I happen upon one.

The lookout tower at Mt. Cammerer is a short tower that takes advantage of the landscape and the lack of trees on the rocky outcrop rather than a tall tower that rises above the trees.

After lunch, the fog still held tight so we headed back down the mountain.

A random pit stop along the Chestnut Branch led to the unexpected surprise of a late blooming Pink Lady Slipper.I was surprised to see one blooming so late in the season.

Chestnut Branch turned out to be a pleasant hike.  The lower parts of the trail followed and often crossed a small creek.  There were numerous rock piles that showed where houses had been.  

Our total mileage for the day was 11.8 trail miles and about a mile of road walking.  The road walking was pleasant as well with most of it being along a gravel road where we saw no traffic.  Of the nearly 12 trail miles that we hiked, only five were new miles to me that helped towards my goal of hiking all the trails in the park.  However, this was a quite enjoyable and uncrowded hike.