Bumpus/Rich Mtn - Sept 8th at 10:30 (& Trail Report)

[tjrockcrawler]

Will be on the TN side Saturday, anyone up for a ride? Anytime is good, open to suggestions.....

[Gordon]

I wouldn't mind hitting the top side of Bumpus. Not a full blown Bumpus, just ride the fire road up, then buzz up on top of the Rich Mtn, just to scope it out. I have found out that the trail will not go down to the road over in Erwin (Mill Creek).

Maybe a 10:30 to 2:30 or 3:00 type run.

No real agressive stuff, just don't like to wheel alone, for safety sake.

Here's a map. Road 190, down towards Bearwallow Gap

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g125/gme1951/Bumpus/Bumpus-RichMtnside-2A.jpg

[tjrockcrawler]

Sounds good, meet place/time?

[Gordon]

We could meet either at the fire road exit onto Bumpus Cove Rd. or at the BP at the crossroads (SR81 & 107) by the Nolichucky Bridge. 10:30 to 10:45

I probably won't check the forum again until tomorrow morning around 8:00 or so.

[tjrockcrawler]

Ok sounds good, not quite sure how to get there exactly, but I can mapquest it. My cell is 276-494-6045, I'll check back here before I leave around 9.

[Adurbin]

Go down 26 through erwin, take the Erwin-Jonesborough(spelling) exit(RT 81). Go right. Go all the way till you cross the bridge (over the nolichucky). Take a left on Bumpas Cove Road. Follow it till it forks, bear right. When you get to the end, go right, Fire road will be on your left.

[Gordon]

Since you're not familiar with Bumpus Cove Rd, when you come from Erwin, as soon as you cross over the Noli bridge, 500 feet past Bumpus Cove Rd is the Embreeville firehouse and a church, directly across from it. We can meet in the church parking lot. (The BP station would be another 2 miles, back towards Jonesborough.)

I'll have your cell #

10:30 to 10:45 - see ya there

No one else interested?????

[tjrockcrawler]

I'm there... see ya

[SamuraiGuyTN]

Sorry I can't, Work is getting in the way. and this month I have to focus primarily on aviation stuff. Im getting ready for Jet training on the 30th-6th. SO I am out. probably all month. :(

[Gordon]

Well, it was a great day for a ride. Ryan & I met up at 10:30 and headed right up the fire road. The fire road was as uneventful as usual, except we ran across a GMC that someone had torched. Looked like it was real recent, as the brake rotors had no surface rust yet. Fire musta been hot, as the trees above got it good. (After I got back, I reported it to the FS).

We went up the trail towards the trenches intersection, our big mudhole was nearly dry, then kept on going up over Rich Mtn. Hit 3850' elevation. It is beautiful up there. At the highest elevations, it is quite rocky. Easy trail all the way. As we came down the west side, we hit the big fields. Great place for camping. During the wet season, there would be a few mud holes, but virtually no water or mud around now.

The gate going down to Erwin/Mill Creek is closed. We ran into a couple other closed gates, too. The trail that heads towards Bearwallow Gap is open, and due to some time constraints on my part, we turned around at a clearing, not getting quite to Bearwallow. Lots of laurels in this area.

After we turned around, we came pretty much directly back to the fire road intersection. There wasn't enough time to go play in the trenches and head down to the cul-de-sac, so we took that trail that heads straight forward as you come down from the trenches. It does dead end about a mile out. It also drops in elevation several hundred feet. We found a little bit of mud down there at the end of that leg. There were some bear tracks in the mud, and from the size, he/she was a biggun.

We turned around there and headed on back, finishing up about 3:00.

GPS shows the trails we covered.

This trail is a nice run, but not real difficult. Because of time required, it can't readily be combined with our usual Bumpus run, unless a camp over was involved. It is a bit unfortunate that we have to deal with that 7 mile fire road. Anyone looking for something different, for variety, should consider this option.

GPS of Bumpus Rich Mtn
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g125/gme1951/Bumpus/MAP-RichMtn640.jpg


http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g125/gme1951/Bumpus%2009-08-07/z09-08-07Bumpus001.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g125/gme1951/Bumpus%2009-08-07/z09-08-07Bumpus002.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g125/gme1951/Bumpus%2009-08-07/z09-08-07Bumpus003.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g125/gme1951/Bumpus%2009-08-07/z09-08-07Bumpus004.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g125/gme1951/Bumpus%2009-08-07/z09-08-07Bumpus005.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g125/gme1951/Bumpus%2009-08-07/z09-08-07Bumpus010.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g125/gme1951/Bumpus%2009-08-07/z09-08-07Bumpus011.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g125/gme1951/Bumpus%2009-08-07/z09-08-07Bumpus013.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g125/gme1951/Bumpus%2009-08-07/z09-08-07Bumpus014.jpg

[tjrockcrawler]

Had a great time today, aside from busting the hinge on the liftgate to my hard top. :cry: Here is the pic of the bear track we saw...... you can "bear" ly make it out in the center.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x296/aaronsjeep/beartrack.jpg

[TiredIronGRB]

I'd say a big bear :shock:

[Want2Wheel]

I would want to make sure that I had a gun next time.

[Gordon]

Those tracks looked fresh, and big. Did not take the time to measure them, but I'd say 5" across the palm. We stayed close to the rigs, too. I was not ready for a bear-human ice cream social! They were at the end of that little trail that branches off from the parking area at the end of the fire road. The trail is maybe a mile long, at the most - elevation is 2800'. That trail appears to be not used much at all, and opens to a small clearing - lots of small vegetation, so I'm sure bear are quite at home there.

We had seen one as we drove in on Bumpus Cove Rd. Right before the road forks to the right, where the river is real close to the road. The bear came right out in the road, heading for the river, but turned around when we approached. As I drove by, he was just sitting in the woods, not 15' off the road, watching. Probably 150# or so.

All this dry spell is running them towards water, I am sure.

[Gubni]

Bumpus cove is a bear preserve area anyway.