Now that I've "discovered" the Citico Creek area, I'm rewatching a few of your videos to plan out my next trip up to the area. Thanks for all the helpful information.

@BryanDeLay

2 жыл бұрын

It's a great area John. Just let me know if you have any questions.

Very explanatory.. good the info of all areas.. I believe I could find my way thru just by paying attention .. Thank you. For sharing... Can't wait until next hike some where

@BryanDeLay

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks William! Glad you enjoyed the video. A friend, who is a very experienced backpacker and has summited 6 of the world's tallest peaks, attempted to hike the Brushy Mountain Trail last spring and got way off trail and ended up having to bushwhack out.

Such a pretty place and a great trip report. Reminds me of Helen and some of the trails in the Chattahoochee NF. Thank you for sharing.

@BryanDeLay

5 жыл бұрын

You're welcome Mark! Glad you enjoyed the video.

We just returned from a Jeffrey Hell, S. Fork Citico, Brush Mtn, Grassy Branch epic. It doesn't look like anyone has been on Brush Mtn since you were there. No survey tape, cairns or trail really. We ended up taking the wrong branch going up, circling around Ike's Peak and reconnecting to Brush mtn. Homan's old guidebook says it is the least traveled path in the combined wilderness and I wholeheartedly agree. It was nice to look at your video and see if anything was recognizable. I'll have to say none of it was, there have been a lot of storms since then. Good job.

@BryanDeLay

4 жыл бұрын

John, sorry to be so long in getting back with, but I've been traveling and now in Utah where I'll be backpacking until the end of May. It certainly is a seldom used trail. I know Tipi Walter has done the trail a few times since me. He normally puts flags up and there were some there when I did the trail. Also about a month ago my son, Nathan, and one of his friends went up Brush Mtn trail and said it really hard with all the blowdowns. By the way my son, whose nickname is Pedro, said he camped with you and some others about 5 or 6 years on a backpacking trip in the GSMNP. Small world! Glad you enjoyed the video.

@karakoramclimber

4 жыл бұрын

@@BryanDeLay That's great. I will ask Tipi about it. I hope you have a wonderful trip out West. Look forward to running into you again in the backcountry.

I enjoyed this video. I done this loop as a day hike a few years ago during the winter, and underestimated the difficulty of it. I came off brush mountain in the dark, without a flashlight. Crossing south fork after dark is something that I hope to never do again. I would like to do this trip again sometime though.

@BryanDeLay

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Allen! Really glad you enjoyed the video. Doing Brush Mountain Trail in the dark would be a major challenge. It's hard enough to follow in the day light. I've crossed a few creek in the dark and it can be sketchy. You just have to feel your way across.

Another great video.

@BryanDeLay

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Scott, glad you liked it. We need to go backpacking some time.

Okay, I watched the thing and it's great. I've done all your North Fork detours at one time or another---and especially like the detour at crossing 3-4. What you call North Fork Flats I call Stump Camp as there used to be a big stump in camp. 8:54 I call Death Falls---heard about some long ago backpacker falling off here. The Rock Ledge at 9:00 is dangerous when coming down in ice with an 80 lb pack! One time it was so covered in ice I had to lower my pack down with a rope. BRUSH MT!! 13:05---Looking down Satan's Tit!! The steepest part of the whole trail---and the faintest. 13:16 and you reach Testicle Creek! (Gotta name these features something . . . uh . . . interesting). Thanks for the vid. I just pulled my 24th backpack of the Brush and left fresh red ribbon on the thing so it's good to go.

@BryanDeLay

5 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the video Tipi! The detours around the 3rd & 4th and 5th & 6th crossings are easy, but the 1st & 2nd one is rough, especially if you're carrying an 80 lb pack like you do. Lowering "your" pack down that rock ledge would be a real challenge. Your red ribbons on the Brush Mtn. trail really helps. Thanks for watching and commenting.

@TipiWalter

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Yes I've done the Crossing 1-2 detour about 4 times and it's tough with my big pack. But it's good to have when North Fork Creek goes wild.@@BryanDeLay

@BryanDeLay

5 жыл бұрын

Just got back from a one nighter up North Fork and used the 1-2 detour. I need to get up there with my saw and clean up a few blow downs. I camped at the small site right along the creek about 1/2 mile past the second crossing. I call it Hobo Camp since there was a plastic shelter rigged up there a few years ago. For a different kind of experience you should check out some of my Wind River Range videos. For the last five years I've spent the entire month of August backpacking in the Winds. Here are two that you might especially enjoy: kzread.info/dash/bejne/eWGsq5KtZq_WhJc.html kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZJWspcarZNXRkbA.html

@TipiWalter

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the links. I think I know that Hobo Site you mention on North Fork. It's on the left when going up and super nice---and scenic---and level.@@BryanDeLay

Thanks for punching this vid into the KZread vault. Glad to see you're still out and about and still backpacking in the Citico. I'm most interested in your Brush Mt experience and will watch this video to its conclusion. Good luck!

@BryanDeLay

5 жыл бұрын

You're welcome Tipi! Oh yes still backpacking and getting down to Citico a lot. Last year was not a record, but not a bad year with 84 nights. Maybe our paths will cross in Citico in the near future.

@TipiWalter

5 жыл бұрын

84 bag nights sounds dang impressive---you like backpacking and hiking as much as me! @@BryanDeLay

@BryanDeLay

5 жыл бұрын

My record was in 2015 with 105 nights.

Very nice. Really beautiful area. Reminds me of a rain forest in areas with the moss and ferns. I like that you are very descriptive about the trail. You are obviously a lot more experienced than I in knowing what to look for to stay on course. I would have most likely gotten lost.

@BryanDeLay

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you Catherine! This area is just south of The Great Smoky Mountains NP and the higher elevations (5,000-6,000 feet) very much resemble a rain forest with average annual rainfall of 150 inches. In one of the views from Brush Mountain, the mountains in the distance are in the GSMNP.

Beautiful wilderness...hope to make it out there some day. Thanks for sharing!

@BryanDeLay

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you WayOffTheTrail! It is beautiful and rarely used compared to the adjoining Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness.

I tried to hike down Brush Mtn trail the same way you did but the lack of trail markings made me give up as I didn't want to get lost. There no creek to follow down and I didn't want to waste the day wandering around lost so I gave up and hiked the longer south fork trail.

@BryanDeLay

4 жыл бұрын

Brush Mountain Trail is hard to follow Rob. Tipi Walter has added ribbons occasionally to some trees that really helps.

Nice scenery but rough trail conditions. I really like this format for your videos: it's like you're the guide leading us on a hiking adventure.

@BryanDeLay

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks David! Glad you liked the video. This is the first time I've used that format with so much talking about the trail. May have to use that format again.

I was thinking of either going from indian creek to old goat falls on North Fork and back, or, entering from the Cherohala using bob connector to north fork and exit by indian boundary. Would need to do it in a single day.

@BryanDeLay

4 жыл бұрын

Hey Bridgett! I'm not sure what you mean by Indian Creek. Do you mean bushwacking down Indian Valley Branch from Harrison Gap on the Fodderstack Trail or starting at the South Fork Citico Creek Trailhead on the road from Indian Boundary Lake? If you are talking about starting at the SF Citico Creek TH (#105) it would be about 9 miles up and back to Old Goat Falls. If you start at Beech Gap on Cherohala Skyway and take Fodderstack Trail (#95) to Cold Spring Gap Trail (#149) to North Fork Citico Creek Trail and then the SF Citico Creek Trail out if would be about 10.5 miles. Hope this helps. If you have any more questions just let me know.

Nice trip, seems like a lonely place

@BryanDeLay

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Zachary! Yes lots of solitude, I didn't see anyone else the entire trip.

Bryan, love the videos, but I was wondering if you think taking Jeffrey hell trail 196 to south fork trail 105 downstream to the brush mountain trail 97 eventually meeting back up with 105 and heading back to the 196 trailhead is a good idea. I’ve backpacked the south fork once before for a one night out and back but I’m nervous of the brush mountain loop and what it will bring, maybe take the north fork instead? Thanks for the informative videos

@BryanDeLay

5 жыл бұрын

If your an experienced hiker I would say go for it, it not I'd suggest North Fork Citico Trail, which is also difficult to follow in a few places with 7 creek crossings. If you decide to take Brush Mountain Trail it's about 1 mile after the first crossing of SF Citico going down stream from Jeffery Hell Trail, with a red surveyor ribbon tied to a tree. If you pass the confluence of Ike Camp Branch you've gone to far. Also when you get to the 2nd crossing of the SF Citico look to the left and you'll see a bypass trail around the 2nd and 3rd crossing. This bypass trail appears to be the maintained trail now, with the trail between the 2nd and 3rd crossing not being maintained. When you get to Brush Mountain Trail you will immediately cross the SF Citico and then starting climbing up the mountain following Ike Camp Branch. Just be sure to pay attention to the natural blazes and the surveyor ribbons tied to trees. Tipi Walter from Tellico Plains has placed the surveyor ribbons in many places. If you have any questions just let me know.

7:58 Rockface and 8:01 Otter Falls

Hi, Bryan. Going to use 98 to CherryLog. Wondering if you have any advice at a particular location. We missed the trail at the point north river comes down and turns in with the stream that continues up. We came to a large bolder. Couldn’t see anything across, or over top, so we bushwhacked up to the right from the creek and eventually crossed the small north fork creek, and a few hundred yards later found the trail again. Wondering if we should have crossed the creek instead of crawling up the ridge? Thanks for these videos, helps us new comers make better choices!

@BryanDeLay

10 ай бұрын

Thanks Dean, If I'm understanding where you are talking about, yes you should have crossed the creek.

@deanmcginnis2786

10 ай бұрын

@@BryanDeLay Yes, its difficult to explain so I'm sure it its harder to understand the location. It's near the 3400 feet line near the creek. All my maps show staying to the right of the creek, but man it was terrible going. maybe swimming upstream would work! LOL

@BryanDeLay

10 ай бұрын

Looking at the map the place I was thinking about is 2,800 feet. At 3,400 feet the trail is on the right side of the creek and then at 3,600 feet the trail is in creek. At 2,800 feet the trail makes a steep climb up to 3,200 feet and shortly after that the trail crosses to the right side, which you can easily miss. So maybe somewhere in that area is where you got off trail.

@deanmcginnis2786

10 ай бұрын

Yes, that is what I remember. We missed that crossing. Did a bushwhack up about 50 ft and along a ridge. I do not suggest it!!! Thanks for the info, Gaia has worked well, but occasionally you wind up following someone mistake. I just felt we must have missed something. Will take more time in that location in a couple weeks. As always, thanks !

I have been up there a few times the last few weeks would love to take a trip with you

@BryanDeLay

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching this video Dustin. I live in Knoxville and go to Citico Creek Wilderness very often, so maybe we can put together a trip to Citico sometime.