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- Dec 23, 2013
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This trip was a 5.5 mile hike (round trip) along the Little Cataloochee Trail, located in the northeast portion of the Park. This is a good hike for those interested in some of the history of the Park, as some of the original cabins, a church, and two cemeteries are still intact and preserved from some of the original settlers of the area. This area of the Park also has a personal interest for me, due to the fact that some of my old Noland relatives had to move from Cataloochee when the national park was established back in 1934. We did and out and back on this trail, but if one wanted to, you could continue all the way into Cataloochee proper by hiking the entire length. This would require a shuttle though.
Overview map of our route
Entrance sign at Cove Creek Gap
As we made our way along the trail (actually a dirt road), we soon arrived at a road junction with the right hand fork heading uphill to the Hannah Cemetery. We decided we would head up to the cemetery on our return, so we continued on the left fork. At the one mile mark, just off the road was the Hannah Cabin. The cabin was not a very big structure, and I noticed the shortness of the door frame. I suppose the original occupants were quite a bit shorter than myself. The cabin consisted of a front porch, a chimney, both a first floor and second floor accessed by a small stairway, a front door and back door, but no windows.
Sign located at the trialhead
Swallowtail
Mountain Laurel
Junction sign for the Hannah Cemetery
Little Cataloochee Trail (road)
The Hannah Cabin
Front view of the Hannah Cabin
Resting up. :twothumbs:
After exploring the area around the cabin, we continued on to our next stop, which was the Little Cataloochee Baptist Church located another mile up the trail. When we arrived at the church, some of the folks whose ancestors had been forced to leave the Park, were just finishing up a reunion. They told us if we had hiked in a half hour earlier, they would have fed us.
Just our luck! It turns out the the top brass from the Park were also in attendance. Talking with some of the attendees, they were actually supposed to have the reunion the weekend before, but because of all the rain due to the tropical storm that hit the area, they decide to delay it a week.
After everyone had left, we checked out the church and cemetery before moving on.
Lots of ferns along the this trail
Little Cataloochee Baptist Church - located on top of a small hill. Reunion goers calling it a day.
View from the front of the church
Inside peak
Adjoining cemetery
Our next stop was .6 miles further down the road - the Cook Cabin. This cabin was more substantial than the Hannah Cabin being a bit larger with a wrap around porch and some windows. It also had two stories and the door frame was again shorter than what I would have expected. Across the trail from the cabin was an old foundation for what I presume was another cabin at one time, though I guess it could have been an apple house or something of that sort. It seemed too big for this though. Exploring the woods behind the foundation, I ran into an old trail that I'll need to go back and explore the next time I'm back there.
The Cook Cabin
Side view of the Cook Cabin
Snake at the Cook Cabin
Rocking the Backcountrypost T-shirt on the porch of the Cook Cabin
Some of the old foundation across the trail from the Cook Place
After eating a snack, we turned around and headed back the way we had hiked in, but this time stopping at the Hannah Cemetery
Little Cataloochee Creek
Sign for the Hannah Cemetery
The Hannah Cemetery
This man, John A Denton, was born in 1822. This was the oldest birth I could find on a headstone in the cemetery.
After finishing up at the cemetery, we returned to our vehicle. Along the way we could barely get a glimpse of Noland Mountain. Once back at the trailhead, we drove to Cataloochee proper to look at some of the other structures. While in Cataloochee, we saw wild turkeys and elk, one of which had just given birth to a newborn calf.
You can just make out Noland Mountain through the trees
The Palmer House
Noland ancestors who had to leave Cataloochee when the Park was established
Another Noland that lived in Cataloochee
The Palmer Chapel Methodist Church
Front view of Methodist Church
A peak inside
This elk had just given birth to her calf. We got to watch her lick off the afterbirth and then see the calf take its first wobbly steps. I had never seen this in the wild before.
More elk and a few wild turkeys
An elk in Cataloochee
The Caldwell House
Look back down into the Cataloochee Valley on our way out.
The end.
Overview map of our route
Entrance sign at Cove Creek Gap
As we made our way along the trail (actually a dirt road), we soon arrived at a road junction with the right hand fork heading uphill to the Hannah Cemetery. We decided we would head up to the cemetery on our return, so we continued on the left fork. At the one mile mark, just off the road was the Hannah Cabin. The cabin was not a very big structure, and I noticed the shortness of the door frame. I suppose the original occupants were quite a bit shorter than myself. The cabin consisted of a front porch, a chimney, both a first floor and second floor accessed by a small stairway, a front door and back door, but no windows.
Sign located at the trialhead
Swallowtail
Mountain Laurel
Junction sign for the Hannah Cemetery
Little Cataloochee Trail (road)
The Hannah Cabin
Front view of the Hannah Cabin
Resting up. :twothumbs:
After exploring the area around the cabin, we continued on to our next stop, which was the Little Cataloochee Baptist Church located another mile up the trail. When we arrived at the church, some of the folks whose ancestors had been forced to leave the Park, were just finishing up a reunion. They told us if we had hiked in a half hour earlier, they would have fed us.
Just our luck! It turns out the the top brass from the Park were also in attendance. Talking with some of the attendees, they were actually supposed to have the reunion the weekend before, but because of all the rain due to the tropical storm that hit the area, they decide to delay it a week. After everyone had left, we checked out the church and cemetery before moving on.
Lots of ferns along the this trail
Little Cataloochee Baptist Church - located on top of a small hill. Reunion goers calling it a day.
View from the front of the church
Inside peak
Adjoining cemetery
Our next stop was .6 miles further down the road - the Cook Cabin. This cabin was more substantial than the Hannah Cabin being a bit larger with a wrap around porch and some windows. It also had two stories and the door frame was again shorter than what I would have expected. Across the trail from the cabin was an old foundation for what I presume was another cabin at one time, though I guess it could have been an apple house or something of that sort. It seemed too big for this though. Exploring the woods behind the foundation, I ran into an old trail that I'll need to go back and explore the next time I'm back there.
The Cook Cabin
Side view of the Cook Cabin
Snake at the Cook Cabin
Rocking the Backcountrypost T-shirt on the porch of the Cook Cabin
Some of the old foundation across the trail from the Cook Place
After eating a snack, we turned around and headed back the way we had hiked in, but this time stopping at the Hannah Cemetery
Little Cataloochee Creek
Sign for the Hannah Cemetery
The Hannah Cemetery
This man, John A Denton, was born in 1822. This was the oldest birth I could find on a headstone in the cemetery.
After finishing up at the cemetery, we returned to our vehicle. Along the way we could barely get a glimpse of Noland Mountain. Once back at the trailhead, we drove to Cataloochee proper to look at some of the other structures. While in Cataloochee, we saw wild turkeys and elk, one of which had just given birth to a newborn calf.
You can just make out Noland Mountain through the trees
The Palmer House
Noland ancestors who had to leave Cataloochee when the Park was established
Another Noland that lived in Cataloochee
The Palmer Chapel Methodist Church
Front view of Methodist Church
A peak inside
This elk had just given birth to her calf. We got to watch her lick off the afterbirth and then see the calf take its first wobbly steps. I had never seen this in the wild before.
More elk and a few wild turkeys
An elk in Cataloochee
The Caldwell House
Look back down into the Cataloochee Valley on our way out.
The end.
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Most of the settlers of Western NC and Eastern Tennessee, including myself, are of Scotch-Irish ancestry, so I think I would have been alright if I had worn my kilt. They probably would have broken out into a hillbilly clog just for the occasion. 
