Beauty Spot and Deer Park: Embracing Winter on the AT

The final two weekends in January were marked by good weather and even better hikes. Last weekend, we wanted a hike with long range views and a good climb. One obvious choice is the grassy bald, Beauty Spot, that is accessible via Indian Grave Gap that crosses the Appalachian Trail. There is a forest service road that leads directly to Beauty Spot, but it is gated during the winter. This particular hike was rewarding, with rime ice and sweeping vistas. The previous weekend, we hiked from the AT trail town of Hot Springs, NC, to the Deer Park Shelter, a 7.5 mile trek, with cold and windy sections.

Indian Grave Gap is at 3,360 feet. It was 29 degrees when we began, with more snow on the trail as we climbed. Despite the cold, the sun and elevation gain kept us comfortable. The rhododendron leaves were tightly curled against the elements, and the deep green of the tree moss was in stark contrast to the snow clinging to the northern sides of the trees. This rime ice was much thicker compared to our Allen Gap hike a few weeks ago: https://hikescape.org/hiking-in-rime-ice-allen-gap-on-the-at/

The trail heads steadily upwards, with initially sparse undergrowth and secondary succession small trees. As we crossed over Forest Service Road 230, the canopy becomes thicker, with heavier rime ice illuminating the branches against the sky. The deep blue hue of the sky seemed even more brilliant, and we were simply in awe of the ice and sky landscape laid before us.

Beauty Spot…

We have done this section of the AT several times before and in all seasons, but we were so fortunate to walk under trees sparkling with rime ice and snow.

There are so many gifts found in nature, and this day was no exception, with both earth and sky on display as we tread lightly through the still layer of snow. Every once in a while, a light sprinkle of snow would sift down through the trees.

Beauty Spot is a grassy bald, elevation 4,437 feet. Grassy balds are a unique ecological system associated with higher elevations in the Southern Appalachians. Most grassy balds are found in North Carolina, with a few scattered in Tennessee and Virginia. These balds are not the result of logging, burning or other methods of land clearing, but are meadows that primarily consist of herbaceous vegetation. Here is a really interesting paper, illustrating that the origin of grassy balds is still debated: https://files.nc.gov/dncr-nhp/documents/4thApproximation/ghb-grassy-bald-grass-subtype.pdf

We reached the Bald, and noticed that while part of the sky remained bright blue, there were clouds rolling in from the north. The bald was extremely windy, with wind chills near zero. It wasn’t a place to linger, even for the views! We walked across the bald, and continued towards Deep Gap, with views of Unaka Mountain, another favorite destination.

This lichen, Lungwort, was a bright spot growing on a tree just off the trail, highlighting an otherwise gray scale landscape. There was less snow on the far side of the bald, but it felt colder, as the sun was obscured by clouds.

Clouds galore…

We decided that a 7.6 mile hike suited us just fine, and turned around at Deep Gap, watching the shifting cloud formations overtake any blue remaining in the sky. It was too cold to do much more than eat a quick snack for some energy.

We approached the top of the bald from the other side, leaning against the wind, and wondering if the clouds would bring more snow. The mountains were silhouetted against the afternoon light peeking through the low-hanging clouds.

The views continued to change as the clouds moved across the sky. The temperature seemed colder as we crossed the bald once again. We had passed some other hikers when we were coming up, but saw no one else on the far side of the bald towards Unaka.

On our way down, we encountered other hikers. The rime ice was still heavily coated on the tree branches, and the ground snowfall hadn’t melted at all. The only thing missing was the brilliant blue sky that provided a perfect canvas for the rime ice.

As we neared Indian Grave Gap, most of the snow was gone, obliterated by the warmth of the sun. It was a welcome change. We all agreed that this was the BEST winter hike, with indescribable beauty all around us.

To reach the trailhead at Indian Grave Gap, take TN Route 395 in Erwin, TN, past the Rock Creek Recreation area (Cherokee National Forest); proceed to a small parking area to the left where the Appalachian Trail crosses Rt. 395. If you miss the turn, you will soon cross into North Carolina.

Hot Springs to Deer Park Shelter

We hiked from downtown Hot Springs (the northern end of the section) to the Deer Park shelter on the AT. It was a beautiful, clear sunny day, but the wind was brutal in unsheltered areas. Leaving the southern end of Hot Springs, this section climbs up and around a steep incline that provides views of the town and the French Broad River.

We reached a ridgeline that winds its way to Deer Park Mountain, and then drops down to the shelter. We have hiked this section before, beginning at Garenflo Gap and heading north, with less climbing. It was good to do this trail in the opposite direction.

There are lovely quartzite formations found along the trail to Deer Park, interspersed with rhododendron tunnels as you are side-hilling on the switchbacks. I spied these tiny red dots on a rock, and on closer examination, they are Lipstick Powderhorn lichens nestled among the mosses. The fruiting bodies are TINY, less than 2mm across. I had hoped for a better image, but without a tripod, these are tough to capture.

We are getting out there for another hike tomorrow. It’s time to ramp up our training for the Trailblazer Challenge, a 28.3 mile one-day endurance hike. The Trailblazer Challenge is a fundraiser to grant wishes to children with life threatening illnesses. More about this challenge and Make A Wish in a future post!