About to head down the Pees Hollow Trail

Another weekend, another quick backpacking trip. I couldn’t get away Friday night because I had a meeting Saturday morning. So here I am One O’clock Saturday afternoon, and I’m just about to set off down the trail you can see behind me. What appeared to be a church youth group had just come up the Pilot (Tower) Trail, talking loudly about their inability to find the falls having hiked three miles out and back. I pointed out the Long Creek Trail trailhead across the parking lot, which leads directly to the falls. Someone else in their party said they should have started at the Coy Bald trailhead. I told them it is currently inaccessible. The lake is so high the ford is under 10-20 feet of water. I know this because Katie was there earlier in the week, and sent us a picture. The good news was that they were the only people I saw during my two-day stay, and they were quickly on their way.

It’s surprising, though it really shouldn’t be, how much everything has ‘grown in’ since my last visit a few weeks ago. It’s all very green. My plan for this hike was simple. Go around the Pees Hollow Trail counter-clockwise, exploring off-trail, and stopping near the wilderness’s northern Brushy Creek border. Then back to the trailhead Sunday, by completing the loop. According to the forecast I could expect rain at around five and eleven p.m. today and again in the morning Sunday. That’s okay. I’ve got a new hat to try out in the rain.

Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.