Return to Mt. Cammerer

Hike #25 : October 5, 2014

Mt. Cammerer via The Appalachian Trail from Davenport Gap and down Chestnut Branch

12.4 miles

4.9 new miles
347.1 total overall miles

239.8 total miles of 800.8


Yesterday, I met up with Eddie and Mike for my first return to Mt. Cammerer since March of 2013. That was my first solo hike and the beginning of this wonderful adventure to hike the 900. (You can read about all my mistakes and mishaps on that first hike here.)

We met at the Big Creek Ranger station, dropped a car and headed to the Tennessee/North Carolina border and the beginning of The Appalachian Trail in Tennessee where we began our hike. Just two weeks ago, I was in shorts and short sleeves but this morning finds me in long pants and a jacket. Very nice hiking weather!

Every time I have the pleasure of stepping foot on the AT, its an almost spiritual feeling. There is just so much history and legend about it that I feel a its a honor and blessing to be there.

And so we begin. The trail is well used and maintained and wastes no time getting serious as the incline is immediate and steep. Eddie refers to this as a moderate trail but as we know, he is inhuman. It is, in fact, a strenuous trail. The first 1.2 miles climb around 900 feet before leveling out about .3 mile past the junction with the Davenport Gap Shelter to the right. Its a beautiful morning, although the clouds and fog are still hanging heavy in the air. The trail is magnificent...

At 1.9 miles, we pass the junction to the Chestnut Branch Trail. We'll be taking this trail down, but for now we continue on towards Mt. Cammerer. Right around the two mile mark, the trail again heads up. From here we climb over 2,000 feet in the next 3 miles. Its a really tough climb at points but it didn't seem as hard as the last time when I hiked up Low Gap to the AT. Then there's the views along the way peeking out from behind the trees. The fall colors are starting to show!

At around 3 miles, we come to the junction to the Lower Mount Cammerer Trail to the right. About 1.3 miles beyond that, we arrive at the massive rock that towers over the trail. A short climb up on this rock offers a spectacular view.

There's a lot of steps on this section of the AT. Most seemed spaced far enough apart to be not so intrusive. That changed in the final mile up. The trail gets a little steeper and the steps are coming one after the other. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not fond of lifting my sore ass legs up on all these steps. But you do what you gotta do! At 5.2 miles in, we reach the junction with the Mount Cammerer Trail.

The next .6 miles to the tower seems a lot longer that it should. I guess a combination of anticipation and the many false summits play a part in that. But alas, the tower comes into view.

When we finally climb our way to the tower, the wind is heavy and ice cold. The views are, as always, breathtaking!

Our early start allowed us the luxury of having the place to ourselves for a while so we snap a few pics and quickly head inside out of the wind for lunch. We were soon accompanied by others including a fellow 900 hiker. We hung out for a good 45 minutes or so just sharing hiking stories before deciding to head out.

We retrace the trail all the way down to the junction with Chestnut Branch where we turn right. Chestnut Branch is immediately a very steep and rocky downhill climb. Me and Mike took turns trying to cripple ourselves tripping over as many rocks and roots as we could along the way. The last mile leveled out into an old road bed used for logging back in the 1930s. There were also several homesites in this area. We discovered a few signs of the past along the way.

The Mount Cammerer Fire Tower is without a doubt one of my favorite spots in all the Smokies. Or the world for that matter. I have to say I was disheartened at the condition of the tower itself. In just the year and a half since I was last there, it has deteriorated rapidly. The door no longer closes. The floor is buckled and even rotting around the doorway. The paint on the outside has all but flaked completely away. I really hope and pray that the Park does not let this beautiful and historic landmark fade away.

Well, that's it for my return to Cammerer. A much more successful hike this time around! A wonderful day of hiking with friends in my favorite place on Earth. Awesome.

Happy trails!


TRAIL REVIEW

Appalachian Trail - 5.2 miles
Mount Cammerer Trail - .6 mile one way (out and back)
Appalachian Trail - 3.3
Chestnut Branch Trail - 2.1 miles

Davenport Gap Shelter

Wanna hike the 900? Start by checking out the book Day Hiker's Guide To All The Trails In The Smoky Mountains by Elizabeth L. Etnier.

For more pictures of this hike, check out the Smoky Mountain Hikertrash facebook page.