Day 10, Poke Patch Campsite to Newton Bald Campsite

There was no need to hurry this morning because our next campsite was just 11 miles away. During our planning for this hike, we had difficulty deciding which sites to reserve. Poke Patch Campsite, where we stayed last night, was the first on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail after Clingman's Dome. Though it would be possible to hike from that campsite to Cherokee, a distance of under 20 miles, it was farther than Polecat's comfortable distance, so we settled on Newton Bald Campsite.

That will leave a short distance to reach Cherokee tomorrow, where we'll stay in a motel and pick up resupply boxes. We dropped off a couple of boxes there the day before we started this hike.

After leaving the campsite at 8 a.m., we followed the trail along Deep Creek. At the start, the trail was flat and smooth. It was damp but not too muddy. We had heard this area had been battered by storms earlier this spring, but there were no problems at the start.

We soon had to cross two creeks that flowed into Deep Creek. The first was easy to rock-hop across, though some care was needed to avoid slipping on wet moss.

Within the first hour, the trail became a little more tricky. It was narrow and rocky where it passed close to the creek. Again, some care was needed to avoid slipping on the wet rocks. Compared to what was ahead, however, this wasn't much of a challenge.

Beetree Creek was the next feeder stream we had to cross, and it created a problem. The rain that fell last night and for a couple of days last week had swelled all of the streams. Water washed over the trail where the smaller creek flowed into Deep Creek. Downed tree limbs added an extra obstacle.

The only solution for this that didn't risk slipping and falling was to walk through the water.

Past the tricky stream crossing, the trail continued directly next to Deep Creek. The trail was filled with moss-covered rocks, so I walked slowly and carefully. If there had been any rocks to hop across on the next stream crossing, they were completely submerged.

Two young women passed me going in the opposite direction. They were the only hikers I saw this morning.

I found Polecat laying out his tent to dry at Nettle Creek Campsite. I did the same thing, though my tent didn't dry fast. Because of the tree cover and the clouds, there wasn't much sunshine. A few patches of blue appeared in the sky from time to time, and that was better than no sun at all.

When we repacked our gear and set off again, we didn't get far past the campsite before running into the storm damage we learned about from warnings posted by the National Park Service. The trail was partially washed out, and downed trees were piled up on the opposite bank. It was difficult to tell where the trail continued on the other side.

I think there may have been two stream crossings here, where the trail crossed the creek and then crossed back a short distance later. The trail was in such bad condition, though, it was hard to tell for sure.

Polecat chose to bypass this mess by climbing a slope, then bushwhacking his way back down to the trail. His route turned out to be much more difficult than he anticipated. First, the slope was steep and muddy, and he struggled to get up it. The rest of the way wasn't much easier because it was thickly covered in rhododendrons.

He always appreciates a challenge. Here, he was trying to avoid getting his feet wet. I waited and watched with amusement as he struggled to reach the other side. After about five minutes, he appeared there, proud to accomplish his goal.

By going this way, Polecat confirmed the trail made two crossings of the creek in a short span. Now I knew there was no need to follow his route. There was a much easier way.

I put on my water shoes, then forded the stream around the logjam to reach where Polecat stood on the other side.

Just before noon, we passed Pole Creek Campsite. I stayed there overnight in the fall of 2020 when I thru-hiked the Benton MacKaye Trail.

The Benton MacKaye connected with the Mountains-to-See Trail a short distance farther. They followed the same footpath for the next 8.1 miles.

Two more campsites were near Pole Creek Campsite. All were empty. The first footbridge we'd crossed since leaving Clingman's Dome yesterday went over a stream between them. We stopped at one of the campsites for lunch.

I was shocked when I realized it had taken us more than four hours to walk barely more than four miles. Stopping to dry our gear, trying to avoid slipping on mossy rocks, fording streams, and scrambling over blowdowns had taken more time than I realized.

Fortunately, we were about to leave Deep Gap and didn't expect to find any more storm-damaged sections of trail.