Distance: ~9mi
The day started cold (~28), but the sun was shining and the forecast was calling for temperatures to reach the mid-40's. I had seen that the Meetup group (Greater Smokey hiking and Adventure) were going to hike in Frozen head today, so I went that way as well.
One of the trails which I had not hiked was the Panther Branch Trail, so I started with that one. I parked at the Panther Branch Trail-head and set out about 10:15. The 1st waterfall on the trail wasn't huge but it was quite nice with a 15-20' drop. It had a nice overlook area from above and steps down to the base of the falls for viewing from below.
The 2nd waterfall (Emory Gap) was larger and very scenic. It was set back from the trail with lots of boulders in the creek leading up to the falls. The Meetup group was at this falls (>30 people), so I mostly watched from a distance. The total distance to this falls was about 1.5 miles from the car. It would be a nice hike for the family. The elevation did change enough that I had to remove my 2 fleece jackets before I got there.
I circled back to the Panther Branch Trail which goes up to North Old Mac trail. It was a steady climb with more than a few small creek crossings. Since it rained earlier in the week, a few were a bit dangerous. One of them looked slippery enough that I went 20 or 30 ' below the trail to cross at a safer location. There was a bit of snow on the north side of the mountain, but the trail was clear.
I had lunch at the Tub Spring Camp area. Views were great and enough sun was shining in to keep it from feeling too cold. I did remove my hiking shirts which were a little damp and wore the 2 fleeces. By the time I finished lunch, one of the shirts had dried and I put it back on along with 1 fleece. I was cold for a while on the way down. I opted not to hike up to the firetower, as the Meetup group went by and I figured it was crowded at the tower.
I opted for the Spicewood trail on the way down to get a bit more distance. I had also remembered that the S. Mac trail was a little rocky at the top. However, I had forgotten about all of the stream crossings on the Spicewood trail. Several times it was a little slippery, but I managed to stay on my feet and only splashed myself once while flailing around with my hiking stick.
The walk back up to the car seemed longer than it looked on the map. I was hoping someone would come by and give me a ride up to the car, but alas no cars came by during the walk up the road.
Start: 10:15
Top of Mountain: 12:15
Start off of the Top: 12:45
Back to car: 2:15
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