Spring weather has come and settled in around us. We still get some cold nights, but for the most part it is long-sleeves and light jackets. Some nights we still have a small fire to take off the chill, plus it tends to be cool in the early morning. We are opening doors and windows more and more to let the breeze and fresh air in, even sleeping with the bedroom windows open a little. We are spending more time outdoors as hiking is easier due to the warmer weather and the time change. More light at the end of the day allows for more hiking time after Saskia finishes work.

Last week we decided to hike to the Cascade at Chasteen Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I looked up cascade and found it is a small waterfall that will generally have a large volume of water. To get to the Cascade we had to go to the Smokemont Campgrounds to pick up the trailhead. We started at the Bradley Fork Trail located at the very end of the campground. Bradley Fork is one of the streams that feeds into the Oconaluftee River.

I do not mind acknowledging my ignorance about the mountains and hiking in them. One of my biggest concerns is getting lost and having to spend the night on the side of a mountain with no provisions. Last summer we heard of several incidents like this or where someone had to be carried out in a rescue. There are a number of things I need to do to eliminate my ignorance and one of the first involved getting a GPS system that is accurate. I have had it pointed out to me several times the importance of having a map of the area being hiked. I have tried several of the park type of maps and have found them to be of little use. They tend to be cumbersome and the detail I have not found to be adequate. After doing some reading on hiking sites I determined the app best suited for backcountry travel is Gaia. It is a bit pricy for an app at almost $20 for the bundle. I was hesitant as I like trying an app before purchase, but decided to bite the bullet and go for it. I decide to have my first try with it on this hike. I have now used it twice and so far it has been worth the money.

The trail runs along the Bradley Fork and the scene is beautiful. Green is starting to come out on some of the trees and the water is running fast and clear. We have hiked this part of the trail before as it leads to the Smokemont Loop Trail, but we’re headed for the Chasten Creek Trail to see the Cascade this time. A ranger told us the Cascade was hard to find as there was a small path that veers off to it, but if we looked for a couple of hitching post they would mark where the path starts. This part of the trail is also one for horses with their rider and they hitch there to walk to the Cascade.

The Chasten Creek trailhead is 1.2 miles after the campground start and about another .8 of a mile from that trailhead to the Cascade. There was an elevation gain of about 330 feet total, which was not bad for me. At the Cascade we rested and had our lunch while listening to the water. I love the sound of water in motion. It is raining as I write this and the rain on the metal roof is very peaceful. I am reading “Still, Flowing Water,” by Ajahn Chah, a Buddhist Monk from Thailand whose message is about being mindful in the present. I believe the reason I like the sound of moving water is it makes it so simple to stay in the here-and-now.

We stay at the Cascade for a while just being. We don’t talk a lot when we are hiking as it doesn’t seem like there is much that can be said that will really add to the moment. Saskia is in her element when she is on the trail and I get a sense of joy from her peacefulness. Before we left I took some pictures of her and the spot.

We decided to hike back to the Bradly Fork Trail and up to the trailhead for the Smokemont Loop which was about another .5 miles. It was an easy, basically downhill walk. I shot a few pictures and we headed back down the trail.

About five miles into the hike there was a branch off to the left that was marked on the map as the Carver Cemetery Access. We decided to try this path. It started by crossing a small log bridge and then following a small footpath. The path would seem to disappear at times but we stayed with it. While the distance to the cemetery was not great, the incline was steep, one of the steepest I have done that did not involve climbing over rocks.

The spot was much like the two I saw a week ago, a somewhat flat spot on the mountain side. The markers were larger than the ones I had seen earlier and many more of them were engraved. They had names and some had small symbols also. They appeared to have been done with a hammer and chisel. The spot seemed to be maintained and I liked that fact. I tried to imagine bring someone there to bury and truthfully could not picture it, yet I saw it had been done.

The walk to the campground and car was uneventful and we were mostly quiet, lost in our own reflections. The path along the Bradly Fork was peaceful and with the spring colors surrounding us, we finished the walk the way we started it.

The flowing water
rushing down the stream so fast,
music fills the air.