My Quest to Hike the Trails of the GSMNP: Trials and Tribulations of the Hiking Kind

On Sunday, February 5, Chad and I took one more step towards our goal by hiking the Ramsey Cascades trail. Side note: Most trail maps spell Ramsey as Ramsay, but the park sign was spelled Ramsey so that is what I will use. I must say it was a very interesting, and at times trying, day. We left around 10 that morning and headed towards Greenbrier, which is just outside of Gatlinburg. It was overcast, but the forecast predicted sun and a high around 50. Needless to say, we never saw the sun, and at times it felt as though my upper thighs and buns would fall off (if I remember correctly, fat freezes before muscle, so this is totally understandable).

The drive to the trailhead was so relaxing! Turning onto Greenbrier Road, you follow the Little Pigeon River for about 5 miles crossing over 2 very narrow bridges until the road dead ends at the trailhead parking area. The dirt road narrows in a few spots with a steep drop off on the left. I admit I was a little frightened, but Chad’s masterful driving skills got us through! The Little Pigeon River is more or less a large mountain stream and is absolutely gorgeous. Rhododendron and other evergreen line the banks and fill the surrounding forests. I can’t wait to return in the summer when the leaves are on the trees and the fern have reached their full growth. We saw many fly fishermen doing their thing, and I shiver at the thought of wading into that frigid water. We reached the starting point around 11:20, loaded up our packs and away we went!

The trail itself proved to be quite a challenge for my novice legs and lungs! Many websites have the trail listed as a moderate hike, but on our way there I read in my “Hiking Guide to the Smokies” (a must have for any serious hikers in our area) that the hike was considered strenuous and rated a 12.75, of which I still don’t know exactly what that means except that it was very difficult! The trail climbs steadily along the Ramsey Prong through virgin forests for 4 miles, eventually emerging at the base of the 90-foot Ramsey Cascades. It begins at 2,100 feet elevation and ends at 4,200 feet elevation.

Chad and I started off strong, following the graveled footpath that was once an old logging road for about a quarter of a mile before I started to feel the burn. That didn’t take long, did it?! Anyway, the trail was a steady uphill climb and I stopped OFTEN. After the first mile, while resting on a log, I had my first mini breakdown of the day (yes, there were a few more). But, being the stubborn fool that I am, we continued. I realized while pouting on my log, that this was not a race and I was not a trail runner, so we slowed the pace considerably.

The next few miles were steady and the scenery was beautiful. We crossed 2 single-log-bridges and 4 stream crossings before we reached one of the largest tulip trees I have ever seen! It was amazing! I can only imagine what it looks like when in bloom. After the large tulip tree the trail steers away from the stream and traverses through beautiful virgin forest. We had reached much higher elevation at this point and were in the cloud cover. Everything was misty and I began to feel like I was in one of the Twilight movies. This is where the trail really became difficult. It began to get steeper and more stops were needed. Chad even asked for a break, and for him to show any weakness takes an act of God! The trail met back up with the stream and that is when it changed from hiking to mini rock climbing. That’s right folks; I said “mini rock climbing”. I’m not kidding... It was a constant struggle for me to navigate my every step along the narrow boulder passages. The last mile seemed like 10, and with each turn in the trail Chad was constantly encouraging me with, “It has to be just around the next corner” or “This is it, I can feel it”. Yeah right! Instead it was a constant disappointment. He would get my hopes up just for them to be crushed with the onset of more trail around the next bend. Naturally, this is where more pouting, whining, and sudden fits ensued. Tears almost came at one point, but then when all hope was lost we emerged at the foot of one of the prettiest waterfalls I have ever seen. It was totally worth it!

Ramsey Cascades is the tallest waterfall in the park that is accessible by trail. The spray off of the water combined with the sweat I had produced caused for a VERY chilly rest. I piled on additional clothing and still shivered, but was thrilled I had conquered the mountain, literally. We ate a small lunch I had packed, and then Chad stupidly decided to climb to the top of the fall while I worried and froze. He made it to the top and took an amazing video before climbing back down and receiving a heartfelt tongue lashing from moi.

The descent was much quicker than the ascent. We only had 1 slight catastrophe when I slipped on a tree root and fell back on my bottom. Luckily I was cold, so I did not bruise very much. I think it scared Chad more than anything (serves him right!). We reached our car around 5:30, a little weary but overjoyed that we had accomplished what proved to be a most eventful adventure. It was a beautiful hike and I would love to do it again once I have more experience and endurance. Hopefully that will not be long from now!