Back in the Big South Fork once again! This time we were there to explore the new John Muir Trail that links Leatherwood Ford to the Honey Creek Loop. We ended up with outstanding weather the entire weekend – daytime temps ranged around 70F and nighttime temps around 42F. Not a bit of rain in sight. And even a quick dip on the BSF of the Cumberland!
This was my first time to the Honey Creek area and it totally lived up to everything I’ve heard about it. The Honey Creek Loop is outstanding and best done without a backpack so you’re better off base camping somewhere in the area. Depending on the time a base camp by the river can make for a nice camp with plenty of firewood and a great place to cool off – just be prepared for the bugs. Either way it’s always nice to be lulled to sleep by the BSF river. We had a whippoorwill calling both nights from a distance which in my opinion is much better than having it right on top of you which can get just downright annoying in the middle of the night.
It’s only a short drive to Oneida, Tn. for a good meal after finishing a hike in this area and one place I usually like to go is Prestons Steakhouse. I’ve never had a bad meal at Preston’s so I gladly keep going back. The service is great and the restaurant has some cool scenery inside. If you have less time there are plenty of fast food restaurants to hit instead, especially Sonic!
4/15 We parked our vehicle at Leatherwood Ford and hiked the 7.2 miles to our campsite at the junction of Honey Creek and the BSF of the Cumberland River. There are 3 or 4 campsites there and we picked the first one we came to as we came down from Honey Creek. It’s pretty nice and fairly clean. At this time of year there were a few bugs harassing us but it was not extreme so we stuck it out. It got down in the low 40F’s with a nice breeze blowing upriver which made sleeping nice. There was a ton of driftwood which made the firewood search easy and plentiful.
4/16 We left our tents in tact at basecamp and took daypacks on the Honey Creek loop. We went in a clockwise direction. I’d say it took us about 3-4 hours to get back to camp for an afternoon nap. A few of us even took a dip on the river which was very refreshing if not very cold.
4/17 We broke camp and hit the trail around 9:00 am for the 7+ mile journey back to Leatherwood. The first part of that hike was up Honey Creek about 1/2-3/4 mile which made for a slow and steady hike because that section is a bit tricky with all of the rocks. Once out of the Honey Creek section the hike was fairly easy with a lot of flat hiking.
On this hike you’re generally never far from a good water source so that was never a concern. I’d say the longest stretch would have been between Devils Den and the Honey Creek which was only a few miles tops.
There were numerous highlights for me on this trip such as the O&W Bridge, BSF river viewing platform, Devils Den, numerous rock formations, rock houses, waterfalls, Honey Creek itself and lots of others.
This hike has some danger to it with all of the rock scrambling; boulder hopping on slick rocks; steep ladders and steps and walking next to cliffs so pets or children should be supervised closely.
As far as navigation goes it’s very well marked and there is plenty of good signage but I don’t believe the new section has made it to maps yet. I have a few Big South Fork maps but it isn’t on there and I’ve scoured the internet but haven’t found anything there either. The BSF map that I have is very clear on everything else though.
Here is the map I use: Trails Illustrated Big South Fork Map
Below is a list of the gear I took on this trip….
| FOOTWEAR/BACKPACKS/CONTENTS | WEIGHT OUNCES |
| SHOES/BOOTS NOT INCLUDED IN PACK WEIGHT | |
| OBOZ SAWTOOTH HIKING SHOES | 32.00 |
| TREKKING POLES NOT INCLUDED IN PACK WEIGHT | |
| BLACK DIAMOND FL ULTRA DISTANCE TREKKING POLES | 16.00 |
| BACKPACKS | |
| MOUNTAINSMITH LOOKOUT 45 BACKPACK | 66.00 |
| PACK COVER | |
| BEARPAW WILDERNESS DESIGNS PACK COVER XL | 5.00 |
| TENTS | |
| SEA TO SUMMIT NANO MOSQUITO NET | 2.90 |
| QUILTS | |
| ENLIGHTENED EQUIPMENT REVELATION 40 DEGREE QUILT IN STUFF SACK | 17.78 |
| HOODLUM 0-20DEG | 4.00 |
| SLEEPING PADS | |
| THERMAREST RIDGEREST SOLITE REGULAR CUT DOWN TO 20X60 | 12.00 |
| THERMAREST NEOAIR TREKKER LARGE | 26.00 |
| TARPS | |
| KELTY RANGE TARP/BEARPAW WILDERNESS DESIGNS SILNYLON GROUND TARP IN OR DRY SACK | 51.00 |
| FOOD | |
| 2 NIGHT FOOD/TOOTHPASTE/MEDICINE – LOKSAK ODORPROOF BAG/ZPACKS BLAST FOOD BAG | 60.00 |
| BASICS | |
| BEAR BAG KIT-CORDAGE/BLACK DIAMOND NEUTRINO CARABINER | 4.50 |
| STAKE AND CORDAGE KIT | 14.40 |
| MINI COMPASS AND TEMP GAUGE | 0.70 |
| SAFETY LANYARD – BG COMPACT SCOUT KNIFE/ADVENTURE MEDICAL RESCUE HOWLER/PEPPER SPRAY/P38/MIRROR/LEATHERMAN SQUIRT PS4/SAFETY PIN/STREAMLIGHT NANO | 5.20 |
| POTTY KIT – COGHLAN TROWEL/TOILET PAPER/HAND CLEANER/BUG REPELLENT/NYLON SACK | 8.50 |
| FIRE KIT: DRYER LINT/LIGHTER/LIGHT MY FIRE FIRESTEEL | 2.80 |
| CLOTHING | |
| EDDIE BAUER IGNITELITE PULLOVER JACKET | 12.10 |
| FALL-SPRING CLOTHING BAG 2 NIGHT QUILT: WOOL SOCKS/MIDWEIGHT WOOL THERMAL BOTTOMS/TSHIRT/BOXERS/IN REI PILLOW SACK | 12.00 |
| VIVOBAREFOOT ULTRA SHOES | 6.00 |
| ZPACKS CUBEN FIBER KILT | 1.20 |
| COOKING | |
| SEA TO SUMMIT X-PAN/MSR SPATULA | 11.00 |
| ALCOHOL FOR STOVE | 5.20 |
| TOAKS 550ML TITANIUM POT/ZELPHS STARLYTE BURNER W/STAND/OPTIMUS TITANIUM LONG FOLDING SPOON/POWERAID CUP/ALUMINUM WINDSCREEN | 5.90 |
| WATER BOTTLES – BLADDERS | |
| SAWYER FILTER MINI/TWO SQUEEZE POUCHES/SCOOP CUP/BPWD WATER SACK IN MESH BAG | 9.00 |
| SOBE BOTTLE EMPTY | 3.00 |
| LIGHTING | |
| BLACK DIAMOND STORM HEADLAMP IN HMG NANO CF8 CUBEN STUFF SACK W/EXTRA BATTERIES | 5.30 |
| TOOLS | |
| BAHCO SAW | 6.70 |
| EXTRAS | |
| POWER CHARGER | 6.30 |
| MISCELLANEOUS | |
| MISCELLANEOUS | 29.00 |
| TOTAL SUM OF WEIGHT OUNCES | 393.48 |
| TOTAL SUM OF WEIGHT POUNDS | 24.59 |
Gear testing….
This was only my second time out with my Kelty Range Tarp and it served me quite well. I still haven’t had any rain to see just how waterproof the material is but I can say this thing is durable and capable of setting up in multiple ways.
On this trip I hung it on a ridgeline between two trees and used the poles to set up an awning on one side. It did well in this setup and with it partially open allowed a nice breeze all night to prevent condensation. I really like this tarp.
A first time usage for this trip was my Sea To Summit Nano Mosquito Net which served its’ purpose quite well. I almost didn’t take it but glad I did because there were lots of bugs swarming in the heat of the day right next to the river. Now, the version I have isn’t treated with anything but I intend to treat with Permethrin as soon as possible for an added security of keeping the bugs away. It definitely keeps the bugs out when it stays in place. I used it in conjunction with a piece of sil-nylon so I didn’t stake it down or anything and fumbled with it a few times during the night. It’s a little tough to keep it in place unless you stake it down. As far as the size of it well I’m fairly big at 6’2″ and 230 and I felt that it needed to be a little longer and wider. I will most likely opt to purchase the double because I think I’ll be more comfortable in that version.
I also got a chance to hike in my Oboz Sawtooth Hiking Shoes for the first time and I must say I was impressed. My Merrell Moab Ventilator Shoes might have some competition for my big JMT hike in the Sierra Nevada’s in August. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Oboz Sawtooth shoe and now I can understand why. I was a little concerned about the sole material because I wasn’t sure how well the proprietary sole material would stand up to a Vibram sole as far as traction and durability. Well now I can say that it did very well in a very tough arena. I hiked down the Honey Creek twice and once up on this hike and slippage was minimal. And, once I got home I looked them over thoroughly and found no chunks missing from the soles. This is a great sign that the soles are good to go.
This was also my first time using my Zelph’s Starlyte Stove and it performed just as well as I thought it would. I own the Zelph’s Starlyte Stove with lid also so I already knew it would not let me down. This is the Starlyte model with an integrated pot stand. It’s outstanding! I love this stove!
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