Cades Cove Campout Reminder

“Thought I'd post a reminder about the Cades Cove Full Moon Campout and hike, since I am the one who intiated it :-)

Starting Friday, August 19. Check-in time at campground is anytime after 11:00 A.M.

Group Campsite with the pavilion. To get there, drive to the Cades Cove Campground, turn into Loop C. Follow it around until you see the sign for Group Camping, then look for the pavilion. That's the area that is reserved. I think it is called G3.

Friday night - do whatever you want I was thinking about taking a drive up to Clingman's Dome to look at the full moon.

Saturday - some folks are bringing their bicycles to do the ride around the loop road. Some folks will be hiking. And some folks will be doing whatever.

Saturday night - hike around in the loop under the full moon.

Sunday - we have to vacate the campsite by 11:00 A.M.

Full moon campout - yeehaw!!”

“Sorry, I won't be able to make it.”

“Adventurist, why not? If you leave now you can be here by Friday. :-)”

“I will be there b4 10:00 pm, looking forward to it.”

“I'll be there sometime Friday afternoon. I am watching the weather to determine if I am going to camp or commute.

It was raining so hard in Townsend this morning that you couldn't see more than 100 yards. Rained most of the night with an impressive lightening show on Rich Mountain.”

“It's so hot, just the car ride over sounds miserable.”

“Hey Woodsie see you tomorrow by noon. What's the best way to cades cove from Knoxville/I75?
HH”

“Saturdays heat index for Lovisville KY is 96.
Looks like rain for the weekend. Not good full moon weather, not the best hiking weather, but damn good for shooting photographs of scenes which others generally don't get because... They ain't got the balls to get a little damp!

HH... the best way to get to Cades Cove from Knoxville would be 129 south to Maryville, 321 east to the park, right to Cades Cove.”

“Thanks Goat I just printed that route off of map-quest aint modern technology wonderful?
HH”

“rain? in the smokies? get out!”

“I am on my way to see everyone!!!!! For the others that will get there later, I will see you sometime tonight or in the morning!!”

“I am on my way to see everyone!!!!! For the others that will get there later, I will see you sometime tonight or in the morning!!”

“Hey CS! How ya doing?

Have fun!!”

“cs, your not camping???”

“Seeing as how it is August and hot, CS and I are staying at home. We went over this evening to check in on the gang. Appears they all arrived (some after wrong turn detours).

We are going back in the morning to take donuts and chocolate milk. Then it appears we are going to hit the swimming hole before the tourists out of towners have to go home.”

“Wheres that hole?

Do I need a swim suit?
last edited: 8/20/05 9:32:38 PM”

“Hey Nonconformist!! I am good, ty! How are you and your son? I still havent sent you that stove have I? I guess I will put in the mail in the morning since I have to go to the USPO. Let me know when you get it.

Cades Cove was nice and it was really good to meet all the new peeps and see old friends.

Hope everyone made it home okay!

I had a great time at the HOLE today!”

“I had a great time at the hole too. But I was there yesterday.”

“I'm definitly going to come south to the Smokies more often. Dayhiker was telling me what Cades Cove is like and it sounds wonderful. did you see any bear?”

“No, but I think Crashbang and the goat may have.”

“Well hell yes! Ya go hiking with a goat and you're sure to see some action in the bear department! That's like hiking with a pork chop around your neck!”

“I saw 2 bears Sat. One was in a tree in the cove and the other was on Anthony Creek Trail.

Sat was a fun day. We started off with an 11 mile bike ride around Cades Cove. Then Crash Band asked if we wanted to go on a dayhike. Deanna spoke up and said yes. So we went back to the campsite changed from biking to hiking clothes and took off to Rocky Top. The trail started just across the creek from where we camped. Crash made it across the creek without getting wet. I had one foot slide off the rocks into the water and poor Deanna fell into the water. Luckily nothing was hurt. At least she started the hike cool.
Off we went, I knew this would be Deanna's longest hike ever. We took our time because all we did was go uphill the whole way. Approx 6.7 miles to the top in 4-1/2 hrs. Coming down I told Crash to go on and not wait for us. We took our time. Deanna was a trooper and kept on going even though she was hurting. We finally got into camp but not before she sat right in the middle of the creek she had fallen in that morning.
It was typical Smokies weather, hot and humid.

It was nice meeting some new TT'ers and seeing the old ones also.

Deanna and I joined Chili and cottonsocks at the hole or as the locals say the "Y" for some swimming. What a blast to sit and people watch there. Lots of things going on that made you laugh.

Many thanks to Woodzie for putting this together.”

“In true form, the "hole" can be found at the "Y".”

“dang chili - that's right down there as jokes go - on a par with eating a box lunch at the Y”

“Who all showed up?”

“Joke? What Joke? I was stating a fact!”

“I had a feeling that this was going to be an interesting trip. And it began that way. Crash Bang was kind enough to offer to carpool. He picked me up, kinda. I feel from the yard into the street as I was carring my backpack, cameras, and food to his car. Rarely do I loose my footing, but there it happened even before we began our trip.
Crash and I shared many stories while traveling south to the Smoky's. Rarely a lull in conversation. I wasn't paying attention to his driving, and he wasn't paying attention to the road signs. I didn't notice that we had missed our turn in Lovisville until we were south of the Airport. No worries, we could take the Gene Snyder on the south side and loop around to 64 on the east side. We continued talking, and I wasn't paying attention to his driving, while he wasn't paying attention to the road signs. I noticed the full moon was no longer shining on the right side of the car. Then I noticed a sign for 71 north to Cincinatti. Damn, Missed 64 again. U turn and a few miles later we found the proper ramp.
Crash was tired after working all day and driving all evening, so I started driving just north of Tennessee. I continued talking while Crash Bang wanted to sleep. NO rest for him, eh. We found a sobriety checkpoint at Alcoa. Thought about speeding the rest of the way because all the area law enforcement seemed to be in that one spot. We took the wrong direction on to 321. Didn't drive long before we noticed the mistake. Pulled into the Campsite at about 3am.
Sometimes the trip is more eventful than the destination.
I did wake at 9 am. Ate a bit then set off for a hike around Cades Cove. Needed to scout out areas to shoot during the full moon hike. Shortly after I began my hike, the gate was opened to allow cars to drive the loop. I noted some turkeys in the pasture. Only 40 yards away, the male seemed to be courting the lady. She would turn to walk away from him, but he would quickly catch up to her to cut into her path. She'd turn to walk away from him, but he would again quickly catch up to her to cut into her path... on and on it went. I got bored of watching this scene, and wandered on. Sharing my hiking path with cars is not my cup o tea, so I turned left at the first gravel road to get away from them. A few cars drove the gravel road, and I spoke with a couple of the drivers. The guy from Mississippi said that bears often hang out in the area that I just walked through because they enjoy munching on the cherries this time of year. I was hiking alone, and glad I didn't see any bears feeding.
I did, however, come to the area where Ewker said he saw a bear in a tree while riding his bike around the cove. This time, the bear was being watched by a ranger. "Betty" I shall call the bear.... had been in the tree for a long while. If allowed to stay within a 50 yard distace of the road, Betty would not only be a traffic stopper, but she would probably not come out of the tree with everyone stopping to watch her. The ranger.. shall we call him Rick(?)... was in the process of loading his flare gun when I hiked into the scene. One shot over the tree, the flare dropped behind Betty Bear and blew up. Betty thought it would be best to get down, and did go the the next limb below before stopping. Seems like Betty Bear needed a little more encouragement. Ranger Rick put his flare gun away, and pulled out his riffle! Cool, I get to watch a murder today!! Alas, a rubber bullet was loaded and Ranger Rick walked to the base of the tree which was just 30 yards from the road. He encountered 3 cubs at the base of the tree. Betty had children. (Bam-ba-Lam) Rick took aim and fired a rubber projectile into the arse end of Betty Black Bear. (Whoa, Black Betty, Bam-ba-Lam) Betty decided to go higher. Ranger Rick walked closer the the road which would give him a better vantage point and allow Betty to escape after climbing out of the tree. One shot in the chest and Betty finally got the message. She quickly slid down the tree and ran deeper into the woods. I didn't see the cubs, but I did see Betty once more as she jumped onto the side of a large tree. She looked like a bear rug hanging there. Stayed for only a few seconds before jumping off. That was the last I saw of her.
Back to the camp site to catch a ride with woodzie to Clingmans Dome.
I'll let other tell their stories and about our full moon hike.

And yes, the "hole" is at the "Y". I didn't stop there this trip, but have in the past. After a long hike, I enjoy cleaning off at "The Sinks", and have done it at the "Y" also.”

“yeah lets hear about the full moon hike since I missed it”

“Folks saw bears and beers. It was hot and humid. End of story :-)

Nah, here it is...

I got to the campground 11:30 AM Friday morning and checked in. It was hot and humid. I found our group site, which was very nice. Lots of room for us and was quiet until we all got there ;-) Plus it was hot and humid.

My friend Debi, who does not post here or there, showed up an hour or so later. Next was Hikinghairy, his daughter, and their pal Brandon. Cottonsocks showed up in the early evening to say "hi" then left to go to cooler places. The late-comers were Ewker and his ladyfriend, Katiebug, Crash Bang, and The Goat. Hikinghairy and his crew get the award for taking the longest wrong turn, and Crash Bang and The Goat get the award for being the latest to arrive. It was hot and humid.

Saturday morning everyone got up and did their own thing. It was hot and humid. Katiebug left early to hike/backpack to Mt. LeConte for the night; Ewker and Deanna took off on a bike ride around the Cades Cove Loop road and then did a 13 mile hike; The Goat did a bit of hiking around the loop; HikingHairy et al went to Gatlinburg for a pancake breakfast then went to the Balsam Mountain area; I don't know what Crash Bang did; and my friend Debi, her little grandson Joseph, The Goat and I headed to Clingman's Dome where it was much cooler. We did the tourist thing there - went up to the tower, then tried to hike down the bypass trail to the parking lot but couldn't find it. The Crimson Bee Balm were blooming and added a nice splash or red color to the landscape. There were lots of Pale Jewelweed (Touch-Me-Nots), too.

Later on in the day, when it was hot and humid, we all started gathering back at the campsite to cook our dinners. There was a ranger-led full moon hike starting at 9:30 PM, so all of us except Ewker and Deanna left for that. I tell ya, some people are just plain lazy. Ewker and Deanna biked the 11-mile Loop, then hiked 13 miles, but they couldn't get off their lazy butts to go on a measely 3-mile hike. Sheesh. They said they were tired. It wasn't like it was hot and humid or anything.

The hike was nice. There were probably 30 people along. The ranger gave us a history lesson and identified some night sounds for us. The screech owls were quite vocal. We hiked 1.5 miles down the loop road, and then the ranger announced that was the end of the hike. Folks could stay in the Cove under the full moon or hile back with him. Some of us opted to stay, even though it was hot and humid. By the way, there were quite a few folks riding bicycles in the Cove that night. The full moon was beautiful, and the evening fog starting rolling in. Crash Bang, The Goat, Hikinghairy, his daughter, Brandon, and I took Sparks Lane across the Cove and headed back to camp. Somewhere along the way I started not feeling so good. By the time we got back to camp, I felt pretty bad - dizzy, nauseated, weak. I think I had a bad case of heat exhaustion, and it only got worse. Sometime late, my friend Debi and I decided to go to her house so I could take a cool shower and cool off (she lives about 20 miles from the park). Before we left, Brandon gave me some Gatorade and it really helped. It stayed down; plain water wouldn't. Anyway, at Debi's I showered and stayed in the cool air-conditioned house. Sunday morning we got up and headed back to camp. It was hot and humid.

Not long after, Chili and Cottonsocks showed up with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and a gallon of chocolate milk. They sure do know how to win friends! We all sat around and visited for a while, then the campers had to gather up gear and be out of the campsite by 11:00 AM. Some folks left and went to the Y to swim, and Crash Bang and The Goat took a drive around Cade's Cove before heading back to Indiana. Debi, Hikinghairy & crew, and I went to the Back Porch to eat lunch before parting ways.

It was a great weekend, even though it was HOT AND HUMID.

Crash Bang and The Goat - I am sorry I didn't look at you guys when you pulled up next to me on the highway. I figured it was some weird guys trying to hassle me so I didn't look. Oh wait. It was some weird guys trying to hassle me! LOL! After you passed by, I realized it was you two.

I hope everyone had a safe drive home. We will do it again when it isn't so hot and humid. It was great meeting some new folks, and seeing familiar faces.

By the way, did I mention the weather? It was hot and humid...
last edited: 8/22/05 2:27:39 PM”

“I would have love to have seen you all again, but another part of the park was calling me. I adhered dutifully.”

“Woodsie, thanks for hosting this get together.We all had a great time and it's good to know your felling better (you had us worried woman!)As you stated it was hot and humid but was absolutely georgeus at altitude and we were able to check out our trail heads for Sept. We also took the Bypass trail to the top of Clingmans Dome but it was so socked in with clouds that you couldn't see the top of the tower from the bottom of the tower, but the trip up was great through the wild flowers with so many bees it sounded like a Harley Rally (this analolgy is for Debi)LOL.We got to meet some new folks and Cottonsocks wins the Humanitarian Award for donuts and ice cold chocolate milk.I hope everyone's ankles and blisters are all better.My daughter is even going to try trail life again after swearing to never set foot on trail again after all the miles she logged with me as a kid!And always remember Map Quest is only good to a point and then common sense must prevail LOL.All in all had a great time and hope to meet up with you all at other outtings in the future.So thanks again Woodsie for an excuse to return to one of my favorite places for one of my favorite reasons.Enjoy the wine and rest up for Sept.Oh yeah before I forget I was amazed at the total lack of crowds in the park an August weekend.
HH”

“Your Honor, let the record show that my client never once mentioned any "hole" or "Y" any other place to eat and/or clean up, and was only interested in the well being of the defendant.

Sincerely,
Nonconformists lawyer


Glad to hear you're up and about Cottonsocks. Don't worry about the stove but you can send the recipe for that mushroom dip!”

“It was great being able to spend some time with the crew Friday night. Hated to miss the festivities on Saturday. I met two Nashville friends on Sat. morning and we backpacked Alum Cave Trail spending the night in the trail shelter on LeConte. The hike up was hot/humid. The clouds rolled in near sunset and the mountain was socked in till mid morning on Sunday. The seasonal ranger at LeConte offered me and my friends bunks in the crew cabin but we opted to stay in the shelter. It was good to see Woodsie and Ewker again and look forward to seeing ya'll again soon. :)”

“Nonconformist you have mail!! Please do not pass this recipe along until November. I will be using it in the TC cookoff in October.”

“I'm not going to pass it to anyone!

Thanks much. Hope to see you all again soon!”

“If you can't win friends with KK and Chocolate Milk, you are in real trouble.”