Fly-fishing in Boone Fork Creek for Monster Trout

So you thought the trout in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina were relatively small?  Well, think again!  There is at least one place in the waters of this region where that is absolutely not true--The Refuge near Blowing Rock, NC.  This strip of water that runs through private land is managed incredibly well for the benefit of Brown, Rainbow, Brook, and Golden Trout.  This, vicariously, benefits those of us who love to catch them on a fly rod.

I recently had the opportunity as a surprise birthday gift from my husband to fish this stretch of water.  The Refuge is located on Boone Fork Creek, one of the top-rated catch-and-release streams in the area.  Set amidst the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, this Orvis-endorsed fishing experience awaits those who wish to catch large, really large trout!  Since 1988, The Refuge has provided trout with a sanctuary, a refuge, in which they are provided with the habitat that they need to grow to monster size, protected by the owners, Terry and Renee Troy, and by the guides and fishermen (and fisherwomen) that frequent these waters.  No fish are ever taken from these waters unless they have been injured, for instance by the spear-like beaks of a blue heron. Although, to be honest, I bet it's quite a sight to see a blue heron try to take on one of these monster fish!  I wonder if the fish ever win!  I thought it interesting that, according to Terry Troy, these fish have full run of Boone Fork Creek, but most of them, except for the Brookies which travel upstream during the summer, choose to stay.  The extra aeration provided in this stretch of water probably plays a large part of that, especially when temperatures rise in the warmest parts of the year. 

When we got out of the truck at a beautiful, but unassuming, home and guest cottage near the river, I was excited by the possibilities of what might lay ahead.  I had envisioned a trophy-section of a creek in which our guide, Luke Edwards (lukesedwards@gmail.com) had promised my husband he could get us on some trophy-sized trout as my birthday present.  At that time, I was unaware of where, exactly, we had been headed as part of the birthday surprise.  After donning our equipment and placing my net in the back pocket of my fishing vest, Luke looked at me and said, "You know, I've got my guide net.  You won't need that net today if you don't want to fool with it."  He was too polite to say it at the time, but that trout net I carry would have been absolutely useless on this adventure, because none of the fish we caught would have fit in it!

This photo was borrowed from the website of The Refuge:  http://www.therefugefoscoenc.com/Welcome_.html

As we made our way toward the river, onto the deck area of the house and cottage, the creek itself was still out of sight, nestled in and behind shrubbery of rhododendron and other similar mountain underbrush which grows beneath the canopy of hardwoods and pines.  We met Terry Troy, an extremely hospitable and likable fellow, and talked with him a few minutes before making our way down the short path toward Boone Fork Creek.  I remember as I made that last little turn when the creek came into view, being absolutely stopped in my tracks by what I saw.  Below me in a stretch of creek maybe 30 feet wide were scores of dark silhouettes of fish in the water--really large fish!  Also found amongst those dark silhouettes were ghost-like outlines of a fish I've never seen before--the Golden Trout, which is native to the high country of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in California.  We saw probably 12-15 of those beauties on this day, although we never did get one to take our flies.  But we did get plenty of other trout; Rainbow, Brown, and Brook; to latch on and give us an amazing experience. 

Still a few brook trout left in this stretch

The weather cooperated beautifully for our time on the river.  The skies were overcast for most of the morning and about half way through our time there a light drizzle began to fall.  I seriously think this drizzle was the biggest blessing of the morning.  After the rain began, fish began hitting almost faster than we could comfortably bring them in.  There were many times when my husband and I both had fish on and Luke was trying to net fish in two different locations!  What an experience!  I fished flies I'd never used before on this trip.  Many of the tiny flies I usually fish on the South Holston or in the mountain streams in the Smoky Mountains would probably not have been noticed by these huge trout.  I love to fish using dry flies, so Luke kept me primarily with dry flies on my line.  The first fish I caught hit at a mayfly pattern that I had used before, but most of the flies we used on this day were unfamiliar.  One fly that was especially effective was a brown crane fly in probably a size 6 or so.  I caught and landed a couple fish on that fly before the biggest fish I've ever had on any line took the fly.  He was a huge brown, smart and apparently accustomed to getting off the line in this stretch of water.  I hooked this large brown and he immediately took line, running upstream, as brown trout are known to do.  I fought him for a long while and then he took out upstream one last time.  This time, he wrapped under a rock and a rope attached to the aeration system and continued to fight to escape.  At this point in time, Luke took out upstream after him, knowing that he was going to use that rock and rope to get off the line.  As soon as Luke got near him, that fish literally swam around our guide's feet three times, wrapping that line around him like an old pro.  Obviously, that was the end of that!  He broke the line (3X tippet) and took that crane fly with him.  Wow! What a cool thing to see!  Another exciting fly that we used was a wet fly called the New Trick, purchased at Foscoe Fishing Company.  This bright green wet fly caused quite a stir.  We tied this on late, but boy, I wish we'd have tried it earlier.  This New Trick was the only thing the Golden Trout looked at all day.  I don't know if it made them mad or what, but I'm sure, given another thirty minutes to an hour, one of us would have landed a Golden.  But we were at the end of our time on the river and had to leave the Goldens for another day.  

A huge brown trout caught on a copper-colored stonefly pattern

All this fishing excitement was complimented by a nice stay at Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock, NC.  This lovely 87-acre property overlooks the small private lake on which swans and wood ducks make their home and raise their young.  This lake is full of brim and other fish, but those were not our interest for this trip.  The grounds of Chetola Resort are nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains and are exquisitely maintained, offering a lovely spot for romantic walks around the lake.  Unfortunately, the Bob Timberlake Restaurant had experienced a fire last year and the renovations to this historically preserved structure were not yet complete, so we ventured into Blowing Rock for dinner and drinks, which was not necessarily a bad thing!  Our choice for the evening was The Best Cellar, set amid lush gardens, carefully tended to enhance your dining experience.  The food and the service were outstanding, and we enjoyed halibut that night, dusted with pistachios and accompanied by a blueberry sauce--excellent in all respects!  Blowing Rock is a nice quaint little town, and we walked the streets visiting a few shops along the way, making this a nice addition to an already awesome surprise birthday weekend. 

One thing to note though, you can also stay at the guest cottage at The Refuge.  It's a quiet little cabin right there at the creek, so unless you really want the resort experience, my suggestion would be to rent that beautiful little cabin at The Refuge.  That's what we will do when we return to fish these waters again!

Toadally Awesome Trip to Russell and Spence Fields

The view on the Appalachian Trail between Russell and Spence Fields

Starting out early proved to be a very good idea on this very hot Saturday morning in East Tennessee.  We hit the Anthony Creek trailhead at the Cades Cove Picnic Area at 8:00 a.m. because we knew the forecasted highs were in the 90s for that day even though at the time, we all wore light shirts or jackets we would shed fairly soon.  This trek up Thunderhead Mountain is a nice 13.4 mile loop through beautiful forest filled with hemlocks and flame azaleas and rhododendron.  In fact, the reason we chose this hike at this particular time was to see the rhododendron in bloom.  Although we did not traverse it during the blooming shrub's peak season, there were enough in bloom to make us realize just how gorgeous it would be to hike this during peak season. 

Camouflaged perfectly--we almost stepped on this guy!

Sunning Salamander in the bottom left

We debated which direction to ascend Thunderhead Mountain by:  up via Russell Field Trail and then down Bote Mountain Trail and Anthony Creek Trail or vice versa.  The Russell Field Trail is longer but not as steep, and the stretch of Bote Mountain Trail we had been on before was rocky and rough.  We decided to go up Russell Field Trail to avoid having to climb the steep ascent of Bote Mountain Trail while also watching our footing on those loose rocks.  This made for about a 5 mile hike to the summit, but I'm glad we went that way.  Along this part of the trail, especially the first couple of miles, we just kept seeing toads!  During the trip we counted 8 toads altogether.  In this moist, lower region of the slopes we also found salamanders in some of the creek crossings (small crossings today or made easy by footbridges).  One of our favorite salamanders was seen in a little puddle from a tiny waterfall.  He was perfectly content to lie there in his own private paradise and gaze up at his personal waterfall while basking in the dappled sunlight coming through the canopy.  He never budged the entire time we sat for a rest, took pictures, and rinsed our bandanas out in the cool water just below where he was sunbathing.

We reached Russell Field shortly before the intersection with the Appalachian Trail.  Just as a heads up, there is no sign or marked trail to the actual field where former inhabitants of these hills once grazed their cattle.  A "social path" takes off a short distance to the left.  Luckily, we took that social trail or we would have missed the field altogether.  It was a beautiful respite on the top of this mountain surrounded by encroaching forest and underbrush.  There was no view of the valley below as I had hoped, just wide open blue sky above, but this field and the trees that rimmed it were quite peaceful.  I stood and wondered what it would be like to have lived in the time when these mountain men (or more likely their children) herded their cattle to such a place so that they could graze on these wild grasses. 

One of the shady areas on the edge of Russell Field

I was able to imagine, during the hottest part of the day, these shady areas surrounding the field full of cattle grazing under the protection of these old trees, nibbling at the plants and grasses that grow here.  It was one of those magical places you wanted to linger in, transported out of the hustle and bustle of our world into the beauty and respite of this mountaintop world.  However, we lingered only briefly and soon made our way up to the Appalachian Trail shelter for rest and a quick snack.  While we were there, we met a thru-hiker, Matt Campbell, who is hiking the AT from Georgia to Maine to raise money for military families.  It was very apropos that we would meet him on Memorial Day Weekend.  His journey can be followed at www.activeheroes.org/trail.  I will be checking up on him occasionally and wishing him well. 

Some of the prettiest views of the day came as we hiked along the AT between Russell Field and Spence Field.  I love the AT anyway because much of it is just like what we experienced on this day.  This section of the AT runs predominately along the ridge line with drop offs on both sides.  I just love that feeling!  Some of it was draped, unexpectedly on my part at least, by gorgeous flame azaleas blooming to cheer us on.  These tall, lanky beauties spread their blossoms out wide in areas which were not as densely covered by the canopy as the other parts of the trail. 

As we came to Spence Field, there was no need for a side trail.  The expanse simply opened up before you.  Here there were lush green grasses bending slightly in the wind surrounded again by cool areas protected by large trees.  Blackberries were in bloom along one edge of the field and I thought to myself that I was sure glad they weren't ripe.  I'd hate to have a bear think I would hike all the way up there to steal his supply of berries.     

From here, we rested for a while, ate our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and then began our descent.  We were correct in assuming this part of the Bote Mountain Trail would be as rocky and steep and the previous section of it we had done on an earlier hike.  Once you begin the trek down Thunderhead Mountain, there's little you can do except watch carefully where to place your foot with every step. It's times like these I'm glad my Keen Targhee II hiking boots are high enough to keep my ankles from turning.  I sure needed them on this part of the hike.

The rocky path of Bote Mountain Trail passes through blooming rhododendron tunnels

There were a few times when we could stop and take in the rough beauty of this trail too though.  Some of it moves through dense rhododendron tunnels.  This is the part of the trail which would have been exquisitely beautiful if we had caught the rhododendron in full bloom as we had hoped; however, there was still plenty of beauty and serenity to make this hike worthwhile. Although it is a strenuous hike, I will make this one again.  I'd like to do it when I had more time at the top to enjoy the respite offered especially by Spence Field.  The hike took us a total of about 8.5 hours including the stops we made, but I could have spent all day at the top!  Next time...!

Even on a workday...

I took this picture after pulling into my driveway one afternoon this week after work.  It reminded me that I don't have to be hiking to see beautiful displays of nature.  I just need to remember not to get so bogged down in the everyday grind that I forget to look!

Mt. LeConte--Second Time Around--Up, Up in the Clouds!

Cloud cover began to clear as we were coming down Alum Cave Bluff Trail

Early on Saturday morning, my hiking group began our second trip up to Mt. LeConte.  This time we began at Newfound Gap, stepping out on the Appalachian Trail, walking literally along the Tennessee/North Carolina border under low cloud cover.  Some of my companions had never been on the AT before, so they learned first-hand the mystique of the white blazes.  They also learned that the AT is a little different than most of the trails we have been on in the Smoky Mountains--a little more challenging. The thing I love the most about the AT is that much of the part that I've covered tracks along the ridges.  I love to be walking along those ridges with nothing but "down" on either side!  Even though we were only on the AT for 2.7 miles, there was enough ridge-walking to give my hiking buddies a little bit of the feel that I cherish.


The views from those ridges on Saturday, though, were severely limited due to the low cloud cover.  In fact, once we reached the Boulevard Trail and quickly covered the next .3 miles, we found ourselves at the turning point to go to the Jump Off but decided to save that side trip for another day.  There just wasn't going to be anything to see.  It made me sad, but it was probably a good thing after all.

Loose rocks "pave" much of the Boulevard Trail

The Boulevard Trail was deceptively mild at the beginning, except for the loose rocks that lined much of the trail.  The trail began as primarily a descent, but soon began a fairly mild climb toward the back side of Mt. LeConte.  We were passed by a couple of older men who had apparently hiked LeConte numerous times.  One of them told us Boulevard was his favorite way to the top; we were appropriately encouraged.


We continued to make our way up and around the mountain and the clouds continued to restrict our view.  There were many places along the way where I would step over to what should have been exquisite views of the valleys below only to see nothing but clouds and fog.  I think that's part of what made the hike begin to be more difficult as we began to tire.  I remember on our previous trip, the views were so spectacular that they were energizing in and of themselves!  We got no such encouragement as we made our way higher and higher up on the slopes of LeConte on this day. 


I simply wasn't prepared for the difficulty of the last mile or mile and a half of this trail.  The guidebooks that I use gave no warning, so I'm thinking it must have been the combination of the loose rocky footing, the additional length of the trail compared to Alum Cave Bluffs trail we traveled last year, and my lack of serious conditioning.  I remember thinking we were probably getting very close to the top as we were seeing many skeletons of hemlock trees on the nearby slopes.  It just seemed like we were almost to the top.  Then, suddenly we rounded one bend in the trail, looked ahead and saw a tremendous incline above us--a slope we knew we still had to climb.  My spirits tumbled and from there as the footing deteriorated, so did my spirits.  I'm thankful that I knew it was a shorter distance to the bottom if I just kept going than it would have been if I had turned around.  I don't think I would have given up and turned around, but I might have been tempted.  From there on, it was an act of sheer will to keep going.  We were more than tired.  We joked about putting one foot in front of the other and don't look up!

Part of that last, grueling mile.  Doesn't seem very steep, but we were really tired!

This picture shows the area of the mountain where one face of the slope simply slid down into the valley after a deluge many years ago.  It left more loose rock and unsure footing for us with what should have been an excellent view opportunity had it not been for the clouds.  We pressed on.  Finally, we reached the turn off to Myrtle Point.  The mountain was still shrouded in dense clouds, and tired as we were, we decided not to even go the .2 miles it would have taken for us to experience Myrtle Point.  Had we not been socked in, we would have gone no matter how tired we were.  Somewhat discouraged, we continued on after a short rest.

We made it to High Top!

Our first point of rejuvenation occurred when we made it to High Top.  We knew that this little pile of rocks was the attempt by hikers to make Mt. LeConte higher than Clingman's Dome. It shows the love that hikers have for Mt. LeConte--the determination that this difficult to reach summit should outshine the slightly higher summit of Clingman's Dome with its paved path that presents no challenge for the typical hiking enthusiast.  We began to smile again in appreciation of that fact and because, honestly, the trail could ONLY go down from here--something we were ready for!  With renewed spirits and a burst of energy, we began the short trek to LeConte Lodge from High Top.

Soon, we encountered the trail intersection where the Rainbow Falls Trail, the Boulevard Trail, and Trillium Gap trail come together.  A solo hiker we had befriended at High Top told us that this is one of only 13 places in the park where three trails come together.  I'm not sure how accurate his information was, but it sounded pretty cool at the time.

Within just a few short minutes now, we finally saw the cabins that populate the area around Mt. LeConte Lodge, a welcome sight to say the least.  We had done it!  We had made what had proven to be a more difficult journey than had been expected and had beaten back discouragement and disappointment to press on until we had achieved our goal.  Exhausted, but encouraged, we made our way into the dining room where we had reservations for lunch.  Lunch consisted of vegetable soup and a chicken salad sandwich on homemade bread.  The best part, according to my hiking buddies who inhaled theirs, was the cow paddy cookie!  I don't know--I was really too tired to eat.  To me, though, I'd have paid the $9.00 for just the hot chocolate!  It was fabulous and helped beat back some of the cold that had chilled my hands on the way up.


Again, we decided not to hike out to Cliff Tops where I had taken such awe-inspiring pictures last year.  We rested for our hike down.  We had taken longer than expected to climb LeConte--a solid 5 hours, so we were feeling a little rushed to get off the mountain by dark.  However, we did take time to purchase our "I HIKED IT" shirts in the office before we left.  Thankfully, though, just as we were preparing to leave, the clouds began to part and I was able to get a few nice shots.

The beginning of clearing skies--better late than never!

Our descent was via Alum Cave Bluffs Trail.  Even with a companion who had hurt her knee near the top, we made the hike down in less than four hours and about an hour before dark.  We will hike Mt. LeConte again, but I'm going to really work on conditioning between now and then.  Even hiking 10-12 miles every other weekend had not prepared me for this hike.  We are tentatively planning on doing it again in the fall, hopefully on a day where the colors are vibrant and the skies are clear.  There's just something about that mountain!  As much as I felt it had beaten me on Saturday, I am drawn to ascend it once again.

Mt. LeConte, here we come!

Mount LeConte is the peak in the background on the left.

Well, the day is finally here!  It's 5:30 a.m. in the east and I'm sitting on ready, waiting for one of my hiking buddies to arrive.  I'm excited, and just a tad nervous.  This will be my longest hike ever, but it should be one with many rewards.  I must admit, the snake and bear encounters of the last hike I was on have me a little more cautious/concerned than usual, but I'm hoping for no close encounters today.  I'll be one tired puppy though by the time this hike is over, that I'm sure of.

Gear Review--HOT new flashlight for hiking and camping

SE Redline Flashlight

My wonderful husband just bought me an awesome new flashlight--the SE Redline! I love it! This flashlight, although not much bigger than the palm of my hand, literally turns night into day at the flick of one simple switch--all powered by 3 AAA batteries, not those extremely expensive batteries that some of the other powerful flashlights use. This light comes complete with a zoom adjustment that allows you to make it a long range, focused light or a wide range broad, light-up-the-whole-area kind of light. It will be with me this weekend when I hike Mount LeConte. I will carry it with me from now on--on any hike or camping trip I take. I will also carry it in my car when I'm not on the trails. Give it a try! I bet you will like it as much as I do!

Preparing for Mt. LeConte--3 Days and Counting!

Trying to actually work instead of thinking about Mt. LeConte has become a real challenge.  I would much rather be planning the hike instead of doing what I probably should be doing right now, which is grading papers.  So, I'm taking a few minutes break to make my paper grading more productive later, right?

It is time to call the Lodge at Mt. LeConte to order our lunches for the hike.  I know $9.00 sounds like a lot for lunch, but when you think about everything it takes to get the food up to the summit of LeConte, at over 6500 feet elevation, I'm not the least bit worried about it.  In fact, the idea that our lunch supplies will have been carried by llama up the mountain is a bit intriguing.  The weather is predicted to cooperate, so I will make that call in a few minutes.

Our group continues to grow.  We are up to approximately 10 people at the moment, and I won't be surprised if others decide to join us last minute.  We are pretty excited and folks are definitely talking about the trip, so that may entice others to come with us.  The more the merrier!

Chota GVX 2 Ultralight Pullover

I do look at this hike a little differently than some earlier hikes at lower, more predictable elevations.  Although the weather in Gatlinburg, TN is predicted to be clear with a high of 77 on Saturday, the high on LeConte typically runs about 10 degrees cooler than that of Gatlinburg.  That puts our predicted high at around 67.  Because of the extreme elevation changes and how early we must start, this hike will probably begin in temps that are quite cold and require either layers or a jacket.  I will be hiking in no cotton, as usual, just in case showers blow up and get us wet, which is always possible when you hike in the Smokies!  I've just bought a new lightweight windbreaker that is also waterproof, made by Chota primarily for the fly-fishing market, that I will definitely take with me on this hike.  It weighs only 6 ounces and will serve as a nice light jacket and also excellent protection in the event of rain.  I purchased it a few weeks ago at Little River Outfitters in Townsend, and it has already kept me totally dry in a downpour on one fishing outing.  If, however, we do get wet, as long as you are wearing the great new dri-fit fabrics, you dry out very quickly and rain shouldn't be a problem.  I'm just so very glad there are no storms forecast for Saturday. One thing that I'm not crazy about is hiking at high elevations in storms.  I don't mind it if you are above the storm clouds, but being caught in a thunderstorm with no shelter is probably my least favorite thing about hiking.  Hopefully the forecast will hold and the weather will stay clear.

Gear that I will use on this hike includes my trusty Keen Targhee II boots which provide enough ankle support for me that I don't worry about turning my ankle if the trail gets rocky.  I absolutely love these boots!  I also paid the extra money to buy Keen socks and find that the built in arch support works great for me.  This built in arch support requires the socks to be fitted for left and right feet which some hikers find annoying, but I love them! I will hike in zippered hiking pants and will probably start off with the legs on, but I bet I shed then before reaching the top.  I'm not sure which of my dri-fit shirts I will don on this day, perhaps the I Hiked LeConte in 2011 shirt I bought at the top last year.  I will carry a simple day pack that I purchased at Walmart a couple years ago.  It has served me well, and I saved a little money there.  It does have nicely padded straps which I think are very important and the waist belt has padding and supply pockets.

For food, I will take a couple of Clif Bars with me.  I really like the Blueberry Crisp and the Macadamia Nut flavors, personally.  I usually also carry some beef jerky with me on long hikes.  I don't know if it's the protein or the salt, but it does a good job reinvigorating me when I have a "sinking spell" as my grandmother would say.  My day pack has a water bladder, and I will also carry my MSR Miniworks water pump.  I doubt I will need it because there is fresh water at the top of the mountain with which I can refill my water container, but I've wished for it on the last two hikes and it doesn't weigh all that much, so it's going with me.  I will also make sure I take a flashlight with me on this hike because of the distance.  I think we will have plenty of time to hike up and back before dark, but just in case of an emergency or if someone needs more time coming down, I'll have one with me. Then, of course, we will take the normal supplies with us--first aid kit, snake bite kit, Benadryl, etc.  One of the most important things we will carry with us though is the Ibuprofen!  At our age, a hike of this length makes us SORE!  We will take a couple of these somewhere on the way down, so that after we have sat in the car an hour or so we will actually be able to get OUT of the car! Last spring, after our first LeConte hike, the hardest thing we did all day was pour ourselves out of the truck when we got home. So, as I look forward to the weekend, I'm so excited. I can hardly stand the wait until Saturday. But in the meantime, guess I'd better get back to grading those papers.  :)