Not too long ago, I was able to see a side of the Great Smoky Mountains I thought was only in my dreams. Some of you may or may not have already been down this way, but if anyone has ever been on the Tail of The Dragon, they have surely seen this. It's Parson's Branch Road and runs from Cades Cove all the way to 129.
The story begins with my mother, who is not a big hiker, saying she wants to hike up to Gregory's Bald. I finally had some time off and the weather was great, so at 10:30, we made our trek to Cades Cove and the trail head. Due to me stopping for some green tea and the idiotic traffic at Cades Cove, we got to the begining of the road at about 1:15. The short jaunt on a two lane gravel road to Parson's was awesome fun, something I thought couldn't be matched. Boy, was I wrong.
The signs at the beginning of Parson's made me even more excited. One way, do not travel at night, TRAVEL AT YOUR OWN RISK! I had to do this. It wasn't the only way to get to the bald, but it was my way. As I began my trek, I quickly began to realize why I love these mountains so much. The short two miles to the trail head were a freaking blast! I've never had so much fun going 20-25 mph. It was loose gravel and slick mud all the way and really made me appreciate my Outback and how I have it built. This is where I made my decision to never buy anything else but Yokohama Geolanders for the Battlewagon.
When we made it to the trail head, I packed up my gear (nothing heavy: just food, water and rain gear) and we hiked up. Sadly, with the moms behind me, it took us three hours to make the 4.5 miles to the top. If I was alone or with my pop, it would have been done in 2.5. On the way down though, I hiked behind my mom, and got her down the trail in an hour and a half. Much better.
We got back to the big guy waiting quietly at six. This is when I came to the deduction that I was screwed. Parson's is a one way road, and 129 was still closed on the TN side due to the spring rock slide, so the only way out was to either go the wrong way down a dangerous one way road, or go the right way and drive into NC to get back to Knox. Needless to say, I did something very illegal.
Karma must not have been on my side because as I approached the end of Parson's and Cades Cove, I was greeted with a locked gate on a bridge with no way around. The Park Service had closed the gate at 5. Things looked pretty bad but managed to get even worse as I read a lonely traffic sign. This sign informed me that there was a gate at Deals gap and that at 8 p.m., it would be closed. It was 6:30. The sign said the entire 8 mile Parson's would take one hour. I had no idea where on 129 it spat out of, so I was forced to get out of dodge and get out quick.
After stopping for a couple of kids locked out of their truck on Parson's, I jumped on to 129 at about 7:05. What preceded was the most hair raising fun I've had in a long, long time. Not only was the road windy and loose, but there are about a dozen stream crossings to bound through. If my car could smile, it would be doing so from ear to ear.
Parson's intersects 129 right at one of the early hairpins. I'm sure if you are a regular visitor to Deal's Gap, you've seen it and wondered, "what's down there." When I got on 129, I knew I was home free. The condition of the road was fantastic! Nice and smooth as butter. No traffic and when I got to the store, I got a special treat from local photographer Killboy himself. Take it from me, his Honda S2000 sounds MEAN.
At 7:30, I ate a PB&J and an apple, sighed and began my long journey back to Knoxville via 28, 74, 441, and finally I-40. When I got home, I was tired. Tired, but satisfied with my life decision to be a car guy.
