Johnny's Latest Adventure
Backpacking Cumberland Gap
National Park
Cumberland Gap
National Park is located at the point where Tennessee, Virginia
and Kentucky meet. This historical national park is an
undiscovered hiking, camping and backpacking destination.
View
from Ridge Trail at Cumberland Gap National Park
My
buddy Bryan Delay and I started a three night backpacking trip at
Pinnacle Overlook, a rock rampart overlooking Cumberland Gap. We
chose the leafless time of year to best enjoy the geological
wonders that can be found along the 20-mile Ridge Trail, running a
top Cumberland Mountain. Interestingly, this national park
exhibits characteristics of both the Cumberland Plateau -- rock
houses, stone spires and massive boulders -- as well as the
Southern Appalachians – high, parallel ridges divided by
deep valleys where rocky streams flow.
Boulders on the Ridge Trail
The bright sun lit the trail as we headed east from Pinnacle
Overlook. Great views could be had from this vista point, yet
it wasn't long before trailside outcrops opened onto the
Powell River valley below, dotted with farms fields and houses
that were absent during Boone’s day. Our five mile hike
undulated through boulder gardens and tall barren trees. I
made Gibson Gap campsite, one of five designated backcountry
campsites in the park, with an hour to spare before dark. I
immediately gathered plenty of firewood for the long, cold
night. Bryan rolled in later, lauding the rugged splendor of
this park, especially the myriad rock formations rising from
this ridge dividing Kentucky from Virginia.
Gibson Gap Campsite
Temperatures dipped into the mid-30s overnight, yet I rose
before dawn, stoking the fire. As usual, Brian slept in. After
a seemingly interminable period, I departed easterly on the
Ridge Trail, going up and down up and down, into chilly shade
and warm sun. Views continued to the southeast. Rhododendron,
mountain laurel and hemlocks added a touch of green to the
otherwise barren woodlands. The vertical walls of Shillalah
Creek gorge reflected the sun in the distance. Finally, I
reached the spur trail to Indian Rock, one of several natural
stone shelters in the park that were once used by aboriginals
dating back thousands of years.
Hensley Settlement
I then headed to
the Hensley Settlement, a collection of pioneer homes dating
back to the early 1900s, when Sherman Hensley settled on this
mountaintop, ostensibly to get away from encroaching
civilization of phones and cars but he and his group were
getting away in order to make moonshine. To be fair, they also
grew crops and did metal forging, which they also took down
off the mountain to sell.
Home at Hensley Settlement
The
collection of over 40 buildings, from springhouses to barns to
homes, even a schoolhouse, was a sight to behold. Nearby, deer
grazed placidly in the meadows. The bright sun whipped up a wind
that blasted through the Hensley Settlement as I explored the
lonely buildings. The settlement was abandoned for good in 1951,
when Sherman Hensley, age 70, left. He was the last man on the
mountaintop colony that peaked at 100 residents. Jobs and
civilization proved to be too much of a lure.
Horse powered plow
It
was just a short distance beyond the settlement to our 2nd
night’s destination, Hensley Camp. The level grassy site is shaded
by pines and oaks. A nearby spring provided drinking water. We
passed the evening before a wind-whipped fire, occasionally
pushing smoke in our as we cooked brats and beans. The two of us
reflected on life at the Hensley Settlement and the isolation it
brought. Yet, the Hensley Settlement offered a simple way of
living, free of the rush-rush lifestyle we live today, complicated
by the electronic chains that bind us.
Ridge Trail not far from Sand Cave
Views near and distant continued the next day, as I hiked among
the summit’s boulder gardens. Two highlights lay ahead. Sand Cave
is simply one of the largest rock shelters in the Southeast. The
sand-floored rockhouse is complemented with a waterfall and is one
of those special places that make you glad it is a protected part
of a national park. It was a short distance from Sand Cave to the
White Rocks Campsite that completed our easy 5 mile day. The
campsite, located on a wooded slope, leaves much to be desired,
however its proximity to the White Rocks, made staying there
worthwhile.
Sand Cave waterfall
Walking up the sand at Sand Cave
That afternoon we headed up to the open stone slab overlooking the
lowlands below. From White Rocks fell the ridge and valley country
of Virginia and Tennessee. The Great Smoky Mountains and the
Southern Appalachian chain provided framed the vista to the south.
A punishing wind atop the stone viewpoint limited how long we
stayed before retiring to the campsite.
Looking up at White Rocks
View down from the White Rocks
A front was moving in, so we pitched our tarps and waited for
the precipitation. But it didn't come until the next morning,
just as I was starting a pre-dawn coffee fire. Luckily, the
shower quickly dissipated, leaving us time to descend the
Ewing Trail where Bryan’s car awaited. Thus ended our 3 night
trek at Cumberland Gap National Park.
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