Standing Indian Loop - Lower Ridge, AT, Kimsey Creek

Type: Day, Overnight

Total Mileage: 12.26

The alarm goes off at 4:30 am - quickly, I asked for it to snooze for another 10 minutes.  I knew it would be a rough morning to start - a late night at a local winery meant that I was in for a maximum of five hours of sleep (I got four).  The weather was going to be perfect though to get a hike in so I was just going to have to deal.  Stopping in Clayton for some much needed Waffle House to fuel up as well as have some carbs soak up some of the remaining wine that was still in the system.  I got to the Backcountry Information Board trailhead at 8:20am and was ready to hit the trail by 8:30.  

The Lower Ridge Trail departs the same way as Kimsey Creek Trail until you get pass the bridge into the campground where the Lower Ridge Trail goes left while the Kimsey Creek Trail that I would be returning on goes right.  Lower Ridge skirts the campground for a little bit and then gradually fades into the woods. For the first half of the trail, it is well blazed and pretty clear.  Last water is right after you leave the campground.  I was worried about the trail getting pretty overgrown; as long as there was good tree canopy, the undergrowth was low and beaten back off the trail.  When the canopy would break, the undergrowth would balloon up to soak in the sun, especially on side slopes.  This was most notable during the climb up Frog Mountain and the final push to the AT to the intersection with the Standing Indian summit side trail.  Elevation was manageable with several switchbacks and a few good pushes.  The trail flips back and forth across the ridge line and the cool breeze would hit on the windy side of the trail making me almost want to put a jacket on.

Junction with the AT

At the junction with the AT, Lower Ridge, and the summit trail, there is a spring just to the south.  Checking Guthook, I knew it would probably be pretty low flow and that it was a steep side trail down and I wanted to check to know how it would be if I was to do an overnighter to the camp at the summit.  As I descended to the spring, I could hear a group of hikers coming NOBO and soon a black hunting dog joined me on my trip to the spring.  I almost busted my butt on a greasy rock half way down the trail. The Guthook report was right - very low flow that made the side trip not worth it.  If I had needed it badly, I could have broken out my scoop to make it work but I had enough water to hang at the summit and make it down to the shelter to refill.  After making my way up to the AT, my new trail companion and I summited Standing Indian where I met three female hikers I had heard when I went down to the spring.  They had come in from Deep Gap  and had run into the dog as well and had called the owner and were going to take it to town.  

Standing Indian summit

One of the main small cascades on the Kimsey Creek Trail

The cloud layer was slightly above the summit so the views were nice as always.  I didn’t hang too long at the summit because of the bugs as well as the dog (I wanted a snack but he was very hungry and had already shown he wouldn’t leave you alone if he knew you had food).  As with the Lower Ridge Trail, the ridge line walk SOBO from Standing Indian was overgrown and had the buzz of bees - the remains of the fire that had happened several years ago still has impact.  The switchbacks were wonderful and I soon got to the shelter and the stream water source.  I ducked into the shelter to visit the privy, grab that much needed snack, and see if the dark clouds in the distance were going to continue my way and do anything.  Luckily it cleared up with no rain so I continued on my way to Deep Gap to make my turn onto the Kimsey Creek Trail.  This was my third time on this trail and I knew what to expect.  It would be an easy trail in regards to elevation but would be wet, muddy, and buggy (creek is in the name).   I should have put on some insect repellent but I didn’t and spent about an hour swatting at no-seeums.  The creek has wonderful views - it is just hard to stop with the constant attack of insects.  As I drew closer to the end of the trail, I passed through an open section with overgrowth taller than me that had been soaked by recent rain - it was probably those dark clouds I had seen from the ridge.  So much for keeping my feet dry - the sound of kids screaming from the creek meant I was close to the campground so I didn’t mind.  I was already planning my post trail burger in Franklin.