After a day of on and off sleet and snow flurries, the curtain of clouds peeled back far enough to see the ridge tops near Brasstown Bald. The higher elevations definitely had snow and the trees were coated with rime. A good hike before the Superbowl was exactly what I needed before settling into three plus hours of football and commercials.
One of the main trails in this area that I haven't trekked on was the Benton MacKaye Trail. The trail begins atop Springer Mountain and follows the Appalachian Trail before peeling off to the north and west going into Tennessee and North Carolina. A fellow hiker recommended a nearby section so I decided today was as good a day as any to check it out.
My trip began as I parked on the side of Skeenah Gap Road at the border of Union and Fannin County. The trail is easily missed as there are no signs other than the small trail markers to let you know it's there. The parking area consists of a hard shoulder on the south side of the road. From here I headed south on my way to the summit of Rhodes Mountain.
I don't know what the elevation is at this point, but it didn't take long before I found myself surrounded by rime. This direction is mainly an ascent, not terribly hard, but a good workout nonetheless. Not until you get near the intersection with the Duncan Ridge Trail (1.5 miles) do you find some downhill relief. Taking a left at this intersection, it is a short climb up to the Rhodes summit via the Duncan Ridge Trail.
The ice was thick on the vegetation with about an inch of snow on the ground. And, of course, there was a considerable amount of fog and the vistas for the most part remained shrouded. At the summit, there is a nice open area where I caught a glimpse of the opposing ridge (see top photo).
Wildlife spotted: Several Carolina Chickadees; a Raven harassing an unidentified hawk; and, not exactly spotted, but a Bobcat and a rabbit had evidently used the trail that morning. For the rabbit's sake, not at the same time. It was pretty quiet as most creatures were probably bedded down in a warm spot.
I'm definitely gonna do this stretch again. Next time, on a blue sky day.
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