Hike #17 : May 3, 2014
From Finley Cane to Bote Mountain, Schoolhouse Gap, Scott Mountain Trailhead back to Schoolhouse Gap and down Turkey Pen Ridge
13.3 miles
8.7 new miles231.9 total overall miles
Another great day to be hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains!
Mr. Eddie Wright and myself met at the Finley Cane Trailhead on Laurel Creek Road around 7am this morning to continue our journey to 900 miles. Finley was a surprisingly easy trail. A nice early morning walk in the woods.
At 2.8 miles, Finley runs into Bote Mountain. A right turn here would have led us to the Appalachian Trail - but not today. Turning left, we go a mile and a half before returning to Laurel Creek Road. Here we cross the road for the next half of this loop hike.
Now we begin Schoolhouse Gap. This is a more moderate trail with more of an incline. At about 1.1 miles up, we came to Turkey Pen Ridge but pass it up in favor of hiking on up another 1.2 miles to the Scott Mountain Trailhead. Here we were supposed reverse direction back to whence we came but Eddie had a shortcut. I know that sounds like a bad idea but this time the shortcut was actually a shortcut down an unmarked and lightly used trail. Quite a bit of trees, water and mud but a nice hike. My hiking pants took one for the team when they got snagged on a fallen tree. Soon, we made our way to the White Oak Sinks.
The White Oat Sinks aren't on the map but are pretty well known. It's a beautiful place. Caves, flowers, and even a waterfall. There's also the single grave of Abraham Law high up on a hill.
The Bat Cave...
A view from the sinks...
The waterfall...
The hike out of the sinks isn't very long but it is steep and strenuous. As we found our way back to Schoolhouse Gap, it was just a short walk down to Turkey Pen Ridge. This trail was a bit of a surprise as is was mostly uphill and far from easy. Guess that was the price for the laid back walk of Finley Cane. We had really planned on a longer and harder day on the trail, so today was a pleasant surprise. Kinda nice when things are unexpectedly easier than we thought for a change.
We ended this hike with a visit to the ice cream shop at Cade's Cove Campground. Awesome as always.
TRAIL REVIEW
Finley Cane Trail - 2.8 miles
Schoolhouse Gap Trail - 2.3
Turkeypen Ridge Trail - 3.6 miles
This hike was also inspired by Elizabeth L. Etnier's book Day Hiker's Guide To All The Trails In The Smoky Mountains.
For more pictures of this hike, check out the Smoky Mountain Hikertrash facebook page.
For more information on this hike and many more, visit Hiking in the Smokys.
