FRANKLIN CLIFFS

AT Day 056: Friday June 2,  2023

Mile 907 + 22 miles /35.4  km

Total Distance Hiked: 929 miles/1495 km

Hightop Mountain – Skyline Drive  – Swift Run Gap – South River Fire Road – Pocosin Fire Road – Lewis Mt Campground – Booters Gap – Hazeltop Mountain – Skyline Drive – Tanners Ridge Road – Tanners Ridge Cemetery – Big Meadow Campground – Franklin Cliffs 

A: 3999ft / 1220 m  D:4508  ft /1375 m

Our campsite on Hightop Mountain was perfectly still when I woke this morning. It was  a very restless night for me. I was awake at the slightest noise. Hammer was asleep within minutes of getting horizontal and slept soundly throughout the night.   As a result I was very late to wake.  Despite the late wake up we still broke camp and were on our way around 6.30. 

My toe was hurting and looked quite ugly. Oouch…. was my first step on trail this morning..  But it didn’t take long before the pain became just part of the background noise. 

We had a long descent off Hightop Mountain crossing Skyline Drive from where we continued to descend to another crossing of Skyline Drive and US Highway 33 interchange. The sound of fast moving traffic could be heard probably an hour before we approached the Highway. 

We hiked through quite healthy forest with  dense understory cover. It was a nice change from large sections of the woods yesterday. 

The morning started warm and continued to get warmer as the day progressed.  I really struggled with the climbs this morning, just no energy at all. Hammer on the other hand, found the climbs to be quite gentle and really had no trouble with them at all this morning. Even though he was still way behind me (his words not me). 

Our focus this morning was to make the Lewis Mountain Campground store by lunchtime. The thoughts of coffee and muffin kept me moving forward. We made it to the store around 11am. Very happy hikers. Hammer got his Pepsi and and ice cream and I got a cappuccino from the camp hosts, Anne and Ian.  Life is good. 

We also cooked lunch and were on our way around 12.45. A couple of other hikers we did not recognize and Firewalker, whom we met yesterday,  came in as we were getting ready to leave. 

About an hour in we were passed by Firewalker who was excited to be meeting his sister and nephew at Bootens Gap for a day off trail tomorrow. They were still there when we came past.  Firewalkers  little nephew raced out towards us to give us some trail magic,  a couple of cookies that his sister had made according to their mother’s recipe. It was so lovely, what a treat.  

As we hiked away from the Gap,  a cooling  afternoon breeze had sprung up which made hiking feel somewhat easier than it has been up until now. 

We decided to stop at another campground  on our way to camp tonight, the Big Meadow Campground, which has a lodge close to trail. 

On the way to the campground the trail passes Tanner Hill cemetery.  The cemetery is the only reminder left of the families who inhabited this area before the national park was created in the 1930s.  Their houses were purchased by the government and all traces of the homes and orchards was removed. The trees under which we walk now were planted when the park was created.  

Trail maintenance crews were out in force today. Such a hot day to be out slashing trailside grass. We thanked them for the great work they do.  We were surprised to see that even within the national park the trail was being maintained by volunteers from the local hiking clubs.

We made it to the Big Meadow campground around 4.30pm and stopped for a beer and salad at the Lodge. So disconcerting to see people relaxed and in clean clothes sitting around the bar enjoying their afternoon. It really made me want to be a car camper. It’s so much more comfortable. We got out of there before the pull of the easy life drew me in. 

We hiked for another hour before setting up camp on Franklin Cliffs.  The cliffs gave us 180 degree views over an enormous flat valley below with layers of blue ridges disappearing into the afternoon heat haze.

Hammer set about doing some repairs to the tent fly as it is predicted to rain tomorrow. We had contacted Big Agnes, the manufactures of the tent,  about possible solutions to the leaky seams. The response was that they do not guarantee that if repaired the tent won’t leak again and therefore they do not undertake repairs for this issue. Suggestion was to trade the tent in for salvagable parts.  Such a shame as it is still a great tent in dry weather.