reaching the heights

All in the dark we grope along,
And if we go amiss
We learn at least which path is wrong,
And there is gain in this.
We do not always win the race
By only running right;
We have to tread the mountain's base
Before we reach its height.
--Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919) American Author and Poet.

It's a long and difficult drive to get to Max Patch (an enormous 300 acre bald about 50 miles west of Asheville), but it's well worth the time and effort. I wish it was closer, I'd be there all the time. Click here for directions and full description. Once at the parking area, the masses head straight up the bald ignoring the 'trail closed' signed which is intended to preserve the bald by minimizing erosion. I recommend heeding the sign and turning to your right or left. This loop trail takes you around the bald and then meets up with the Appalachian Trail which will take you to the summit. Most people head straight up the bald, and in the past I've been guilty of that myself. But taking the trail less traveled will really help you to appreciate the scope of Max Patch and give you amazing views everybody else (except thru-hikers) misses.  The top photo is the view of the bald coming in on the AT from the north. The people at the top look like ants! The second photo shows the view once you climb the bald from the south on the AT.

Max Patch to Wolf Creek Falls

 

Here again is Wolf Creek Falls, a 30' waterfall just over the border into Tennessee near Hot Springs, NC. I wrote a couple weeks ago about the very difficult hike up Wolf Creek from the Hot Springs side (post here). Not exactly the ideal or recommended route. The more direct approach is to drive there after visiting Max Patch, since they are so close together.  With all the slow-traveling, gravel roads, it's easy to make a day of it visiting these two destinations. And after all, Max Patch shouldn't be hurried - it's a place to wander and wonder - to breathe the air and let the mountains extract the worries. 

After you have your Sound-of-Music-Moment at Max patch, it's a mere 9.5 miles up to Wolf Creek Falls. And while that's a short distance, it's not without its difficulties.  First, the road can be rough in places. Not terrible, but I'd still recommend a high clearance SUV or truck to be safe. I was surprised how long it took to get there from Max Patch -- about 40 minutes.  I took my time on this narrow, gravel road -- never knowing who might come flying around the corner in the other direction.  The second possible issue, depending on the time of year and amount of recent rainfall, you may encounter some difficulty with the creek crossing once you arrive at the falls. Neither issue is insurmountable by any means, but just wanted to let you know about them.

Directions from Max Patch parking area: Turn right onto Max Patch road and drive 4.7 miles. On your way, you'll pass by Max Patch pond (photo right) and further down a parking area for AT access, both on your right. At 4.7 miles, turn right after a sign pointing the way to Rattlesnake Gap, and continue up this road for 1.7 miles till you get to Rattlesnake Gap.  Once there, continue to the right again and drive an additional 3.1 miles to a wide area immediately before the road crosses a creek. Park here. The dirt road to the left will lead you to the falls (while it looks at first glance to be drivable, it isn't). It's probably a fourth of mile walk to the falls. There's a short path that leads to the top of the falls. It's a neat perspective, but you can't really see much from there (Be careful and don't attempt to step out on the rocks or stand on the edge of the falls!).  The better and much safer views are found by taking the short, narrow trail to the right that leads down to the base of the falls. Enjoy!

Max Patch

Max Patch has always been on my radar -- but it was just far enough out of the way, that I never visited until now.  This one's definitely worth the drive. It's not the tallest (only 4629'), but yet this gem offers some of the most spectacular views found in the southern Appalachians. These photos really don't do it justice - it's huge - over 300 acres - and the views (even on a hazy day) are magnificent, breathtaking in every direction. Here's a panorama looking west toward the Smokies....because of the haze, not all the ridges in the distance appear (click to enlarge). But just imagine this scene on a cool, crisp autumn morning!

While the origin of most of the balds in our region is subject to debate and speculation, the origin of Max Patch is known. In the 1800s, this knob was cleared and turned into farmland for cattle and sheep. For a time in the 1920s it was even used as a landing strip for small planes giving aerial tours of the area.  To maintain the views, the forest service mows the bald each year to prevent reforestation.

We came in following the road south of Hot Springs.  It offers many beautiful views and country scenes, but I had dubbed it 'The Corkscrew' (update...Just found out others call it The Rattler), both are appropriate! Eventually, you turn off the main road and follow a gravel road for many miles. So not only is it remote, but it's also slow going.  I thought it would be a bit more straight forward coming in from I-40, but the descriptions of that route seem to indicate the road turns to gravel and is slow going as well.  Anyone care to comment on that approach? Parking is limited, so I recommend going early or on a week day. And while plenty of cars were in the lot, I was glad to have a high clearance vehicle for the rough gravel road.

Ran into a couple of through hikers while there, always fun to talk to them about their experiences.  The one on the left is from Massachusetts, the one leading the way is from New Mexico.  The AT crosses over Max Patch, and both of these hikers commented on how the views and the cool breezes 'made their day' after hiking through the sweltering heat.  In that sense, it reminded me of the balds on Roan Mountain - where it's always 10-15 degrees cooler than down below.

Here's a photo of the map of the immediate area (sorry for the low quality, the plexiglass in front of the map was broken).  You can see there are various trails that loop around the bald. I recommend taking the loop trail to your right at the parking area -- take it until it meets up with the AT and then take the AT to the summit (see this post).

 After visiting Max Patch, we were determined to find Wolf Creek Falls again - this time by car.  I'll write about that next time...[Update: here's that post!]

Detailed directions from Hot Springs and Asheville here.  Map showing route from Johnson City to Hot Springs, NC to Max Patch.