Bartram Trail - Sawmill Gap to Wallace Branch 4K

Our seventh hike of the year ... March 10, 2024
It was time for Mom to finish the Bartram Trail. She only needed the section from Sawmill Gap to Wallace Branch. After leaving one car at the end point - Wallace Branch - we drove 30 minutes up the mountain to park at our starting point - Sawmill Gap. We got out of the car and immediately noticed snow on the ground, ice on the trees, and bitterly cold wind. Checking the weather …. it was roughly 28 degrees and with windchill it was in the single digits!
We get our packs on and hit the trail. The wind was particularly brutal from the north side of the mountains. But we enjoyed seeing the snow and ice as we made our way up to Wayah Bald. We had nice ridgeline views for most of the time. A little over 2 miles in, we hit the Appalachian Trail - where it and the Bartram overlap for about 2.5 miles. This is also where Wine Spring campsite is ... it seemed like it'd be friendly for both hammocks and tents- there's also a registry book there as well. We continued making our way north and came out on the paved path just below Wayah Bald and the tower that is atop it. But before going to the summit … we utilized the bathrooms in the parking area (I'lI note that the forestry road leading up to Wayah was closed when we were there) - the bathrooms didn't have any toilet paper and could've used a cleaning (but at least it gave a respite from the wind). Afterwards, we made our way up to the tower ... about 4.1 miles from Sawmill Gap. It was bitterly cold and windy ... so we took in the beautiful views quickly before retreating to a more sheltered area where a nice thru hiker offered to take our picture (Sally was too curious about food to look at the camera!). All done ... we continued our way east along the trails. At 4.68 miles, the trail once again splits and the Bartram continues it's eastward/southward heading while the Appalachian Trail goes north. A short ways past the split - there was a tree across the trail but it wasn't too big of a deal. Then there was the stream crossing that was a little tricky to keep my feet mostly dry.
We continued on until we found a sheltered/sunny spot for a break to enjoy the views and som food! At this point, you really start to see the evidence of a forest fire from a few years ago with bare trees and lots of views. After a really steep descent ... you keep following the ridgeline going up and down ... up and down again! There were also a few signs noting thet this was a bear sanctuary - not sure where the boundary is or if there even is one - but thankfully no bears were seen! At about 9.3 miles - Harrison Gap - we took our final snack break - before continuing up and over ridges and also temps getting cooler since it was getting early evening and the sun was getting lower. We reach Williams Pulpit at 12.8 miles and enjoyed the beautiful view before making the final descent towards Wallace Branch - mercifully the uphills were behind us. As the sun set - casting an orange glow on the ridgetops above ..we started paralleling the creek and seeing a couple of campsites in this area. We also got to see Ray Cove Falls before finally spotting the car at the end of this hike at 14.9 miles! And with that ... my mom finished the Bartram Trail!!!
Things to note ... this is not an easy hike - it's not even an easy backpack either. This hike - w amassed 4577' of elevation gain with over 7005' elevation loss!! In typical Bartram fashion ….. the ascents and descents are either straight up or straight down. And I've done it both directions and both ways are awful as far as toughness. There's very limited camping - most of the campsites are close to the end points - so you'll have at least one big mileage day if you decide to backpack this. The views from Wayah Bald/Tower are really. nice, and I like it when the road is closed because you have more solitude up there. Honestly, I'd recommend getting a shuttle for this hike ... mainly because after hiking all day - the last thing you want to do is drive 30+ minutes back up the mountain to get your second car (because that also adds 30 minutes to your drive home - which in our case turned our return home into a 3 hour drivel). I honestly wish I'd done this ... but you live and learn. But thankful to have gotten to share the experience with my mom and that she was able to finish the Bartram!