We started along the trail Saturday morning, hiking the peaceful mile between the ranger station and the Stone Door. From here, the Alum Gap Camp-bound traveler can descend through the Stone Door and onto the Big Creek Gulf Trail or remain up top along Big Creek Rim Trail. Last November we took the gulf trail and really enjoyed the experience. But with this being Opening Day, we decided to take it easy and hike in along the 3.2 mile rim trail.
The weather was exceptional and there were surprisingly few people on the trail. A bus full of noisy kids had arrived on the scene while Tara and I were fiddle-farting around the ranger station. When I heard their boisterous calls echoing out of the gulf below, I knew we'd picked the right trail. We stopped once to rest, at my request, and took in a gorgeous view of the Savage Gulf Natural Area. Fifteen minutes or so later, we arrived at our campsite and promptly pitched our tent before having lunch.
After our tuna salad and crackers, we left our backpacks behind and marched out for a day hike, which included Boardtree Falls and the Upper and Lower Greeter Falls. When we visited Boardtreee Falls (1 mile from Alum Gap Camp) last year, the water was just a trickle. Such a small trickle it was, I remember at that time thinking back to how Yosemite Sam had dammed up that river above the waterfall Bugs Bunny was using to shower. This day, however, the fall was much more impressive - not raging, not Niagara Falls Jr., but still really nice.
From there we hiked another 0.4 miles to Greeter Falls. There are two falls here, upper and lower. To get to the lower falls, you must take a spiral staircase and walk down another set of stairs. This was by far the most popular spot along the trail. Many people were sitting on the rocks and taking it all in, while others waded or swam in and around the falls. At this point we decided to walk the trail to the Greeter Falls parking area, just so we could say we completed the trail. This is where we came across a side trail that we didn't know existed. This 0.5 mile trail led to the Blue Hole, which would make one awesome swimming hole on a hot day. With the temperature in the 70s, I passed on the swimming, though our dog took full advantage of the opportunity.
We made it back to camp and had all of our chores done by sunset. I had strayed a little ways from camp after dark and heard something that sounded as if it were coming straight towards me. I never did see anything and figured it must've been an oppossum or a raccoon. The camp's message board warned us about racoons, and so we had hung a bear bag as a precaution. And though the ranger didn't think we'd have any trouble with them because of all the dogs in the camp that night, Tara spotted one on the outskirts of our site early Sunday morning.
We had breakfast Sunday and took a morning stroll down and back up what a group of Murfreesboro firemen/hikers have dubbed Mt. Mother. We had backpacked up this slope last fall and agreed that this nomenclature was perfectly appropriate. Even with no pack, this climb is no joke.
Catching our breath back at the HQ, we had a snack before breaking camp and heading to the parking lot via an easy 2.9 mile wooded trail. All in all, it was a fantastic hike! Total two-day mileage ~ 13.0.
This was a fantastic hike, indeed. I am looking forward to many more treks in the woods with you this autumn. I find it most challenging, yet exhilarating.
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