BMT Day 2: Ridges then Rivers

Thursday, May 2nd, 2024, 0710-1930
Wallalah Mt. to Fall Branch Falls, mm 42
21.5 miles, Gain: 4600′, Loss: 5500′, elevation 2190′

It was such a wonderful night on top my little mountain. There were some distant farm sounds like dogs barking, but I felt so far above everything else. In the middle of the night, I heard something crashing through the forest below, snorting as it went … probably a deer. But I felt like I was at the top of a castle and that nothing could get me. I woke to watch a beautiful sunrise while packing, then started down the trail. It followed a series of ridges to another mountaintop: Lick Log. Then more ridges which seemed to go on forever. This stretch was very dry with only one spring on a steep side trail, 4 miles into the day. I stopped at the next spring at around 6 miles. There I saw hiker, who I thought must just be getting water. But she told me she had also camped there and was just setting out for the day. I think it was almost 10 am, so I wasn’t surprised when she told me it had taken her 3 days to get to this point, plus a zero. I hated to tell her my timeline but she asked, then cautioned me about going too hard at first. It was probably sound advice but 20 mile days were my answer to going slower. I was only slightly ahead of my schedule.

I took an early lunch break at the spring. By the time I got back on trail, it felt really hot. I wished I’d wetted my shirt. There were 3 sizable climbs in store, up and down, repeat, repeat, repeat well into the afternoon. None of the tops had views but I caught glimpses of Wallalah mountain periodically, musing at how it was right across the valley but it had taken me most of the day to get where I was. The trail did a big horseshoe deviation in this section, going north then west, then south again to follow the ridge.

I felt really tired going up Tipton mountain but thankfully there was a nice piped spring on the way, where I could wet my clothes and cool down by the water. The last big up to Brawley mountain rewarded me with a fire tower but unfortunately the lowest stairs were removed so I couldn’t climb it. Notes mentioned that people were able to scale the frame to get up but that even at the top there was no view. I had no energy and it was too hot for such shenanigans.

On the way down to the river and final road walk to end the day, I ran into 2 SOBO thru-hikers, Neon and KJ. We chatted for a bit and they told me that they hadn’t seen any other nobos in days so I guess I was unlikely to catch up to anyone else. After talking to them, I glanced at my watch and was troubled by how late it had gotten, past 4:00 pm. I made it down to the Toccoa river finally and went straight in to cool off. There were tubers going by and several fishermen. There was a half mile walk road down to the bridge and store, which I figured was just enough time to dry off. On the way, I passed a box of Trail magic for BMT hikers and a register. I signed it of course, but took only a few snacks from the box. Then I crossed the river (for the second time) and went inside the cafe.

I was worried the Iron Bridge cafe might be closed, but fortunately it was open for another hour. I ordered a chicken sandwich and chugged a coke. It was perfect timing for an early dinner. I got cleaned up a little in the bathroom and pushed on. There was a 3.5 mile road walk to finish before I could find a legal tent site. It was pretty easy, with not too much traffic, but my feet were hurting by the end. I enjoyed passing all the cabins and farms but I sure saw a lot of ‘no trespassing’ signs. I made it to the trailhead just in time to find a tent site just above the falls. There was a glamping resort right across the creek, with many lights set along the water to illuminate the falls at night. I felt like I was camping in their backyard, but I was on public land. Being in such close proximity made me nervous about habituated bears, but I had no problems overnight.