You Never Step In The Same River Twice

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AT to Charlie’s Bunion/Sweat Heifer Creek Trail/KephartProng Trail – 10/5/12 - 12 Miles

Very excited this morning, anticipating a trifecta of myfavorite things:  (1) hiking on agorgeous fall day in the Great Smoky Mountains (2) with new friends who havenever been to Charlie’s Bunion (3) plus a few extra miles on my own.  I must figure out a way to do this for aliving. 
After breakfast this morning Christine, our GSMNPranger-leader-friend for our Trails Forever volunteer week, treated us to a slide presentation she had created fromour work week and gave each of us a DVD copy. A great catalogue of memories of our unique experience!  After that, our group began to dissolve, acouple of people leaving for the long drive home, some hiking in differentareas.  Sarah and Helen and I headed toNewfound Gap to check out the Appalachian Trail – Charlie’s Bunion, here wecome! 
A beautiful beginning
The AT was busy, of course, because Charlie’s Bunion is oneof the most popular and iconic points in the Park.  The hike is moderate, gradually gainingelevation, and in many places you can look down on both sides as though you arestraddling a wide fence dividing North Carolina and Tennessee.  For many visitors this is the only place theyset foot on the AT and not everyone makes it the four miles out to the Bunion(remember, it’s four miles back).  Butevery step of the way was a celebration for me.
Dog hobble showing its fall colors was the stand-out of theday
We passed Tina, Frieda and David along the way and caught upwith the other Sarah from our work crew at Icewater Spring Shelter.  We had a leisurely lunch, enjoying thesunshine after work days in the rain, and the four of us pushed on to the Bunion.
Charlie’s Bunion is a magnificent rock bluff facingTennessee, once sleeping underneath the typical Smokies soil and trees and thenuncovered by two events:  a fire in 1925that destroyed the vegetation followed by a particularly vicious cloudburst in1929 that washed away the exposed soil.  Acrew that included Horace Kephart and his friend Charlie Conner took a hike tocheck out the damage after the storm. The story goes that when Charlie removed his boots and socks to tend tohis sore feet, Kephart likened Charlie’s bunion to the rocky outcropping. 
Helen and I out on the farthest point of the Bunion
Our Trails Forever crew with a random guy from Atlanta.  He took photos of us first and we invited himto join in.  Loads of people at theBunion today and we had to take turns to get pictures.
Looking at Mount LeConte, the high point of Tennessee andsecond highest point in the Smokies.
We left Charlie’s Bunion and began our backtrack on theAT.  My friends were hiking back to ourstarting point at Newfound Gap and I planned a longer route via Sweat HeiferCreek Trail and Kephart Prong Trail.  AtIcewater Spring Shelter we parted ways.
The intersection of Sweat Heifer Creek Trail and theAT.  From here I’ve got about 3,000 feetof descent.  Hope my knees are ready forit!
I’ve hiked Sweat Heifer Creek Trail only once before, in theopposite direction, climbing up from Kephart Prong to the AT, so this excursionwas a sweet treat indeed, in a different season and rolling downhill.  The previous hike was solo, cold and crunchywith snow and there was evidence that I had company ahead of me.  Never met them face-to-face, though.

The first quarter mile of trail appeared unloved, narrow andfaint, but eventually it grew more distinct. Purple asters, the last of the fall flowers, were hanging on. 
Fall leaves
A very recent blowdown. I had to suck in my belly to scoot around this one.
“Hiking Trails Of The Smokies,” aka the “brown book”contains descrip- tions of every trail in the GSMNP, but the write-up of thistrail is surprisingly lacking.  At aboutthe halfway point there is a sharp left turn (going downhill)at a gap wherethere are rusted buckets and other artifacts, perhaps evidence of a work crewfrom years long past.  There is nomention of this spot in the brown book. 
Soon after this point I heard a rush of water that grewlouder and louder.  Funny, I didn’t makemuch note of water features on my prior hike. I wonder why not?  The firstcascade didn’t photograph well but was really beautiful in person, sparkling inthe afternoon sun.  This is a tributaryto Sweat Heifer Creek. 
The thick carpet of leaves crunched with each step and Imade many attempts to photograph the trail at ground level.  How about if I blow this up to life size andhang it on the inside of my front door? Then every time I leave home I’ll feel like I’m walking right into theSmokies.
Again, the increasing roar of water and this time it was thereal thing, Sweat Heifer Cascades, where the creek tumbles across the trail,spilling from ledges into pools and forming more cascades.  This hike just kept getting better!  My heart was joyful.
Just before the junction with Kephart Prong Trail I reacheda footbridge crossing Kephart Prong. 
I didn’t realize at the time how close I was to theintersection and the Kephart Shelter.  Isat on the bridge to have a snack and watch the ever-changing flow ofwater.  Paraphrasing a saying attributedto Heraclitus, “You can never step in the same river twice,” what does it meanfor you?  Many interpretations.
A few steps later, I walked up to Kephart Shelter andchatted with the fellows who were stopping there for the night – oh, how Ienvied them!
The two-mile walk down Kephart Prong Trail went quickly andsoon I was at my car, set to return to base camp for one last night with thetrail crew.  This was a rare time when Iwas not ready to end my hike – I felt I could keep going for miles.  But the sun was going down soon and all goodthings must come to an end…until next time.
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace willflow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their ownfreshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares drop off likeautumn leaves.”  ~John Muir