Brushy Mountain Trail walk out of Greenbrier
Elevation profile for what should have been an 11.8 mile out-and-back. (outbound direction only shown - reverse for return leg) I estimate that I made it 10.4 miles before being turned back by a massive hemlock blowdown.
Newfound Gap Road - Clear morning views
Newfound Gap Road - Still an impressive amount of snow up here despite it being a week old.
Porters Creek trailhead - Starting out at the end of Greenbrier Road on the Porters Creek Trail
Porters Creek Trail - This first mile of Porters Creek Trail is a road walk
Porters Creek Trail - Porters Creek tumbles down into Greenbrier
Porters Creek Trail - Views of Porters Creek
Porters Creek Trail - Porters Creek
Porters Creek Trail - This section has one of the few remaining healthy hemlock forests due to the efforts of the Park Service.
Porters Creek Trail - Fern covered boulders beside the trail
Porters Creek Trail - A nice cascade on Porters Creek
Porters Creek Trail - This area was heavily settled prior to Park establishment, so rock walls were all around
Porters Creek Trail - Rock wall
Porters Creek Trail - Steps leading to the Ownby cemetery
Porters Creek Trail - Rock walls
Porters Creek Trail - A nice crossing over Long Branch
Porters Creek Trail - Another footlog crossing
Porters Creek Trail - A beautiful hemlock forest at the traffic circle
Porters Creek Trail - Looking downstream along Porters Creek
Porters Creek Trail - Rare healthy hemlocks
Spur trail to the Messer barn and the SMHC cabin
The Messer barn
Messer barn - build around 1875
Messer barn - built around 1875
The spring house for the SMHC
The Smoky Mountain Hiking Club cabin, built 1934-6
Self explanatory
Snow still here at the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club cabin
Looking back at the spring house
One side of the SMHC fireplace
Camping not permitted anymore
The outhouse
The SMHC cabin outhouse - a two-seater
View of the SMHC cabin from the outhouse
The other side of the SMHC cabin fireplace
Bunks
An old millstone at the SMHC cabin
Smoky Mountain Hiking Club cabin
Smoky Mountain Hiking Club cabin spring house
The spring running beneath the spring house
The John Messer barn - built 1875
Brushy Mountain trailhead - At the traffic circle Brushy Mountain Trail diverges from Porters Creek Trail
Brushy Mountain Trail - Heading up Brushy Mountain Trail
Brushy Mountain Trail - Another rock wall
Brushy Mountain Trail - Remnants of an old chimney
Brushy Mountain Trail - More artifacts of the former thriving civilization
Brushy Mountain Trail - Galax
Brushy Mountain Trail - More foundation remnants
Brushy Mountain Trail - More rock piles
Brushy Mountain Trail - Another remnant chimney
Brushy Mountain Trail - Views appearing as I climb. Looks like it could be Mount LeConte?
Brushy Mountain Trail - Mount LeConte views
Brushy Mountain Trail - Thanks to the trail crew this nice view of the Porters Creek drainage was opened up
Brushy Mountain Trail
Brushy Mountain Trail - Nice views
Brushy Mountain Trail - More views through the rhododendron
Brushy Mountain Trail - Ruts in the heavily traveled trail
Brushy Mountain Trail - Lots of nice views today
Brushy Mountain Trail - A blown down Table Mountain pine that I had to climb through. Lots and lots of debris on the trail today due to recent high winds, snow, and ice
Brushy Mountain Trail - More views
Brushy Mountain Trail - Love rock
Brushy Mountain Trail - Looking up at Mount LeConte
Brushy Mountain Trail - Big sandstone beside the trail
Brushy Mountain Trail - Trails of this fox or coyote followed the trail for quite a while
Brushy Mountain Trail - A nice crossing of Trillium Branch
Brushy Mountain Trail - Snow beginning to get thick
Brushy Mountain Trail - It doesn't look like much, but I sunk down above my ankles in the icy snow.
Brushy Mountain Trail - My tracks would be the only ones in the snow
Brushy Mountain Trail - Climbing higher
Brushy Mountain Trail - Ut oh...A big hemlock windfall that was positioned on a steep hill just so it would be very challenging to get around. I decided to turn back here.
Brushy Mountain Trail - I would not make my destination today, Brushy Mountain
Brushy Mountain Trail - Heading back downhill
Brushy Mountain Trail - Approaching the Trillium Branch crossing again
Brushy Mountain Trail - Icicles
Brushy Mountain Trail - A tree grows on top of an old stump
Brushy Mountain Trail - CCC-era rockwork
Brushy Mountain Trail - Long Branch and a rock wall
Porters Creek Trail - Remains of an old car
Porters Creek Trail - Wheel
Porters Creek Trail - Ownby Cemetery
Porters Creek Trail - Little Mary didn't survive her birth. :o(
Porters Creek Trail - So many were lost so early
Porters Creek Trail - Ownby Cemetery, just beside Porters Creek Trail
Porters Creek Trail - An offering
