Backcountry Forum
Backpacking & Hiking Gear

Backcountry Forum
Our long-time Sponsor - the leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear
 
 
 

Amazon.com
Backpacking Forums
---- Our Gear Store ----
The Lightweight Gear Store
 
 WINTER CAMPING 

Shelters
Bivy Bags
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Pads
Snow Sports
Winter Kitchen

 SNOWSPORTS 

Snowshoes
Avalanche Gear
Skins
Hats, Gloves, & Gaiters
Accessories

 ULTRA-LIGHT 

Ultralight Backpacks
Ultralight Bivy Sacks
Ultralight Shelters
Ultralight Tarps
Ultralight Tents
Ultralight Raingear
Ultralight Stoves & Cookware
Ultralight Down Sleeping Bags
Ultralight Synthetic Sleep Bags
Ultralight Apparel


the Titanium Page
WM Extremelite Sleeping Bags

 CAMPING & HIKING 

Backpacks
Tents
Sleeping Bags
Hydration
Kitchen
Accessories

 CLIMBING 

Ropes & Cordage
Protection & Hardware
Carabiners & Quickdraws
Climbing Packs & Bags
Big Wall
Rescue & Industrial

 MEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 WOMEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 FOOTWEAR 

Men's Footwear
Women's Footwear

 CLEARANCE 

Backpacks
Mens Apparel
Womens Apparel
Climbing
Footwear
Accessories

 BRANDS 

Black Diamond
Granite Gear
La Sportiva
Osprey
Smartwool

 WAYS TO SHOP 

Sale
Clearance
Top Brands
All Brands

 Backpacking Equipment 

Shelters
BackPacks
Sleeping Bags
Water Treatment
Kitchen
Hydration
Climbing


 Backcountry Gear Clearance

Topic Options
Rate This Topic
#100160 - 07/21/08 10:25 AM Savage Gulf (Tennessee), July 18-19, 2008
Bearpaw Offline
Moderator

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 1732
Loc: Tennessee
Sleeps With Skunks and I headed out Friday morning for three days at Savage Gulf State Natural Area. We intended to hike a 22 mile loop out to Hobbs Cabin, then down into the Gulf, with a second night at Stage Road Campsite, and out past Savage Falls. But after conferring with rangers who were “almost sure” the springs at both areas were dry, we decided to change our plans.

We instead chose a loop with spurs on the northwestern edge of the area, staying at Alum Gap Camp first night, then Sawmill Camp (with fairly reliable water from the streams in the area) for the second.

We stowed a water cache 3/10’s of a mile in from the Greeter Falls parking area, then parked at Stone Door Ranger station and headed up the delightfully mellow 2.9-mile Laurel Trail to Alum Gap CS. We stopped just long enough to snap a picture at the old moonshine still site.


From there, we set up camp, hung our bear bag, and prepared to head (with nearly empty packs) the 1.4 miles to Greeter Falls and our water cache.

The walk down to Lower Greeter Falls is rather enchanting with multiple stairways, including an actual spiral staircase.


SWS enjoyed a break and a view of Greeter Falls at the same time.


The plunge pool was truly remarkable, deep and startlingly cold for a day in the mid-80’s. The falls on the far side were warm as they fell from shallow pools up top.


After a luxurious swim, Skunks and I grabbed our water cache and headed back to camp. We enjoyed a dinner of freeze-dried lasagna with diced bits of fresh sausage links. Then I turned in to the comfort of my hammock.


I awoke about 2 AM and placed my thermarest pad into the hammock. Its wonderfully cool fabric (of 8 PM) had grown a bit chilly in the 65 degree air. With pad in place, I quickly returned to sleep.

The next morning SWS was happy to rise to a skillet breakfast of hash browns, with the last of the sausage and fresh scrambled eggs. Once we were packed and moving, we headed down the rocky trail into the Savage Gulf.

Two miles into the walk, we dropped packs for the half-mile side hike to Ranger Falls. Along the way, we encountered a bashful little rattlesnake who was polite enough to give Sleeps With Skunks a warning before it tried to hide itself under a boulder.


We carefully continued on, eventually arriving at the lightly flowing Ranger Falls.


By this point Skunks was debating options for walking out today. She suggested we drop packs at the next intersection and dayhike the 6.4-mile round trip to Sawmill Camp and back, then walk the remaining 1.8 miles up and out. I suggested we base the decision on how we felt once we arrived at the intersection.

The trail had been fairly rocky for much of the morning and it was becoming moreso with each step it seemed.


By the time we reached the intersection, SWS was quite tired, and I wasn’t my usual spry self either. We were approaching noon, and temperatures were in the upper 80’s. While this was a full 10 degrees cooler than Nashville, it was still warm. Skunk’s blood sugars were very low (around 70), a condition she often experiences despite good nutrition while hiking at altitudes or in substantial heat. We stopped, ate, and rested a bit. Skunks only felt a little better.

At this point, we decided to cut the trip short here and simply hike up the steep .9 mile trail to Stone Door and out.

We took our time, and SWS took a couple of Gu’s. After 55 minutes, we finished the .9 miles and arrived at Savage Gulf’s famed Stone Door.


The area is popular for climbing and rappelling and today a group of about 30 was busy on multiple pitches.


We grunted up the last 100 feet and enjoyed the view from the top.


From there, we walked the relatively benign and level mile walk to the ranger station and our car. We cleaned up and headed for home.
_________________________
http://www.trailjournals.com/BearpawAT99/

Top
#100161 - 07/22/08 12:05 PM Re: Savage Gulf (Tennessee), July 18-19, 2008 [Re: Bearpaw]
wandering_daisy Offline
member

Registered: 01/11/06
Posts: 2865
Loc: California
Nice trip. There seems to be a lot of man-made features and constructed trail sections on this hike. Is that typical of this area?

Top
#100162 - 07/22/08 02:13 PM Re: Savage Gulf (Tennessee), July 18-19, 2008 [Re: wandering_daisy]
Bearpaw Offline
Moderator

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 1732
Loc: Tennessee
Quote:
Nice trip. There seems to be a lot of man-made features and constructed trail sections on this hike. Is that typical of this area?


The area is a mix of truly wild with civilized safety. The spiral stairs are one of a kind to my knowledge, but there are wooden stairs down to Savage Falls also. Any place where there is a steep descent in an area that is often wet, there is likely to be a stairwell. And in the roughly cloven gorges, there are many suspension bridges. Lastly, there are privies at all the established campsites, most of which offer a loop trail to the 10-12 tentsites.

As for "constructed" trail sections, the most common construction in the gorges is from rock. Literally 1000's of hours of clearing boulder fields and leveling them into a footpath have occurred.

So yes, the area is developed and blazed, but when you're out in it, especially down in the gulfs/gorges, you can't help but feel remote. Just ask folks who've had to run a SAR in the area. It's pretty isolated.

Still, if the springs are flowing, Savage Gulf offers the best views for virtually effortless hiking (all level along the rims) that I have walked.
_________________________
http://www.trailjournals.com/BearpawAT99/

Top
#100163 - 08/11/08 01:46 PM Re: Savage Gulf (Tennessee), July 18-19, 2008 [Re: Bearpaw]
chaz Offline
member

Registered: 10/22/07
Posts: 1149
Loc: Tennessee
What, No escalator? Really though, that area looks beautiful and I'm thinking of going there. What are the cordinances to that area? Where exactly is it located?
_________________________
Enjoy your next trip...

Top
#100164 - 08/11/08 04:09 PM Re: Savage Gulf (Tennessee), July 18-19, 2008 [Re: chaz]
Bearpaw Offline
Moderator

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 1732
Loc: Tennessee
Quote:
What, No escalator? Really though, that area looks beautiful and I'm thinking of going there. What are the cordinances to that area? Where exactly is it located?


I don't have coordinates, but for the two major ranger stations, you can find the Stone Door RS about 2 miles east of Beersheba Springs, TN and the Savage Gulf RS about 4 miles NE of Gruetli-Laager, TN.

You can check some of my other trip reports from Savage Gulf as well, one in January and one last Thanksgiving
_________________________
http://www.trailjournals.com/BearpawAT99/

Top

Shout Box

Highest Quality Lightweight Down Sleeping Bags
 
Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bags
 
Lite Gear Talk - Featured Topics
Backcountry Discussion - Featured Topics
Make Your Own Gear - Featured Topics
Featured Photos
Spiderco Chaparral Pocketknife
David & Goliath
Also Testing
Trip Report with Photos
Seven Devils, Idaho
Oat Hill Mine Trail 2012
Dark Canyon - Utah
Who's Online
0 registered (), 170 Guests and 0 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Noodles, McCrary, DanyBacky, Rashy Willia, WanderBison
13240 Registered Users
Forum Links
Disclaimer
Policies
Site Links
Backpacking.net
Lightweight Gear Store
Backpacking Book Store
Lightweight Zone
Hiking Essentials

Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:

Backcountry Forum
 

Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!
 
 

Since 1996 - the Original Backcountry Forum
Copyright © The Lightweight Backpacker & BackcountryForum