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Rolling in North Carolina Story and Photos by Chuck Haney

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Rolling in North Carolina Story and Photos by Chuck Haney Garage Tales: Rolling in North Carolina Story and photos by Chuck Haney Tsali. The name had become ingrained in the recesses of my mountain- biking intellect. I had heard many times about its legendary figure-eight loops and the lightning speed at which a mountain biker could rip on the Appalachian roller coaster of a trail. This lucid vision was hatched in a Montana garage where bikes dangled from hooks in the ceiling and company was a cold beer, a bunch of dog- eared maps, and adventurous tales from my riding buddy Joe, whose story-spinning had a life of its own after repeated sessions over many riding seasons. Joe, a transplant- ed Easterner, had been filling my fertile imagination by telling me accounts of his weekend jaunts to the Nanatahala National Forest. There he would rack up impres- sive mileage on Tsali’s smooth network of singletrack trails when mountain biking was still in its infancy in the 1980s. Joe’s exploits captivated me because it sounded like my kind of riding: short staccato- like climbs followed by smooth descents along wavy routes leading to scenic cliff- tops that overlook a scenic reservoir called Fontana Lake. When I finally arrived deep in the Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina, eager to experience the scintillat- ing singletrack of fabled Tsali lore, it felt like I had already been there before, a sort of déjà vu on two wheels. I stopped in the nearby town of Slyva where I visited with Kent Cranford, owner of Motion Makers Bicycle Shop, and picked up my rental bike and trail map. Kent men- tioned that, with over 40 miles of buffed trails, Tsali had become one of the pre- mier mountain-biking destinations in the country. I could see the evidence of this popularity by the array of colorful license plates from eastern and southern states at the trailhead parking lot. Next I set my sights on another western After studying my map, I was off, and North Carolina gem. I hooked up with Scott soon I was zooming on the Thompson and Georgia Krueger of Charlotte to explore Loop through an overhanging tunnel of some of the 80 miles of trails in the DuPont waxy green Catawba rhododendron, which State Forest near the town of Brevard. The accented the speed at which I was cruising featured highlight was the unique granite through the sun-dappled forest of pine and outcroppings of slickrock. I had previ- various hardwood trees. After a short burst ously thought the only slickrock mountain up a hillside, I was peering across the shin- biking available was at the famous slabs in ing blue waters of Fontana Lake Reservoir Moab, Utah, and a few other western riding and gazing onto the opposite shore where spots. Little did I know that, to Easterners, the hills of the Great Smoky Mountains this Appalachian brand of slickrock had National Park in bordering Tennessee rose become nearly as well known as the moun- impressively from the water‘s surface and tain-biking mecca in Utah. were adorned with the reds and gold of late Boasting over 10,000 acres, the DuPont October. State Forest is named for the mega interna- Tsali (pronounced Sah-lee) is named tional chemical corporation that owned the after a Cherokee Indian who once lived property until the late 1990s. That’s when Golds, reds, and greens. Colors adorn the beautiful folds of the Blue Ridge Mountains. in the area. When the U.S. Army forcibly the state of North Carolina and several con- removed the natives, eventually forcing servation groups stepped up, bought the Hooker, Triple, High, and Bridal Veil falls open from the forest and onto the first of them to march on The Trail of Tears in 1838, property, and saved it from high-end devel- all rate very high on the scenic meter. the famed slickrock sections of DuPont. Tsali and others escaped near what is now opment. Thankfully the land was spared, My riding partners and I departed We had only climbed 500 feet when a Fontana Lake. Bloodshed ensued and several and now it has become an extremely popu- from the Corn Mill Shoals Trailhead. We light rain began to fall. The combination soldiers were killed. Tsali and others became lar recreational spot not only to mountain were soon cranking up the Big Rock Trail of mist and clouds shrouded the distant fugitives hiding out in the remote areas of bikers but also to road bikers, hikers, horse- through a forest filled with lush pine trees Blue Ridge Mountains, which appeared as the Great Smokies. Army General Winfield back riders, and paddlers who now enjoy accented by the vibrant reds of maple trees layered folds of colorful recessing mounds. Scott gave the fugitives an ultimatum: they several of the remote lakes. The hills of peaking in sync with the October chill. Scott and Georgia mentioned that on a could turn themselves in and in exchange western North Carolina are well known for Soon smooth slate-gray slabs of granite clear day you could see all the way into the soldiers would quit hunting down other their abundance of waterfalls, and DuPont began appearing under our wheels, and neighboring South Carolina. Much like the Cherokees who had also escaped and fled. has several that run along the Little River. we would occasionally break out into the slickrock I had ridden in the Utah deserts, Tsali bravely turned himself in, and soon after he and three family members were executed. Tsali became a martyr and a sym- bol against the unjust Cherokee removal. To add to his inglorious demise, his gravesite has been submerged under hundreds of feet of water since Lake Fontana was formed in 1944. Today the Eastern Band of Cherokees reside in their ancestral lands about 12 miles east of the trail system. There are four distinct loops in the rec- reation area. The Right Loop, Left Loop, Mouse Branch, and Thompson Loop range from roughly 7 to 14 miles in length. Tsali is a multiple-use trail system with mountain bikers and equestrians the main users. The loops are shared by using an alternating system. Cyclists are allowed on certain loops on certain days of the week and equestrians are allowed onthe other loops. The situation is then reversed the following day. Riding all of the loops is not a problem for moun- tain bikers who have more than a day to explore because there is a nice campground, complete with showers, at the trailhead. My friend Joe was right. Tsali had lived up to its lofty advance billing with a fast- paced singletrack that brought a wide grin to my face on every banked tight turn and every rhododendron-laced tunnel descent. Banked turns. Western North Carolina singletrack at its finest. 26 adventure cyclist july 2010 adventurecycling.org adventure cyclist july 2010 adventurecycling.org 27 our route along the granite was marked deemed it highly appropriate terminology surface and it would have been a wild slide with the occasional rock cairn, and the becasue we were in the very heart of the into the Little River with no return. rest of the trail was easy to follow and well Southern portion of the Bible Belt. I came Soon we were back to exhilarating signed. As we descended down to the Little out of my sudden religious fervor as we ascents and descents through the skinny BROOKS River, granite sections were interspersed were now on a casual doubletrack road trails etched in the vast woods. After a STYLE ON THE MOVE with wooded sections filled with mud that led us past the brink of High Falls and slightly dicey high-water crossing of the puddles from the previous day‘s rain. One then the cascading Bridal Veil Falls that Little River, we pedaled back to the comfort really nice aspect about riding in DuPont is looked verly familiar to me. Scott pointed of our waiting vehicles and the satisfac- that it was completely rideable even when out that one of my favorite movies, Last of tion of a well-earned ride. A stop at a local DEVON PANNIERS North Carolina barbecue capped a perfect & CORNWALL day in the southern Appalachians. The next day back at the trailhead, I HANDLEBAR BAG dug out my hiking boots because I had waterfalls to explore and photograph, but the smooth paved road going by the trail- head made me wish I had more time and a road bike to explore many of the rural MORE THAN roads in the area. If you come to western North Carolina, I suggest bringing both your mountain and road bikes, as the rid- ing possibilities are endless. From a base 5,000 MILES in the charming little town of Brevard, you’ll encounter a series of numbered road- bike routes that roll along the valley floor ALONG THE past numerous churches, old farmsteads, waterfalls, and tumbling creeks and riv- ers. If you really want a workout, head BRITISH up Highway 276 or 215 to the fabled Blue Wonderful waterfalls. Western North Carolina is sprinkled with these water wonders. Ridge Parkway. It‘s approximately 15 miles and several thousand feet of climbing, but it was wet. The sandy trail surface drained the Mohicans had been filmed here. He also the payoff is a spectacular road high in the COAST well and the slickrock still had a sticky feel had a grandiose plan in which we would Blue Ridge Mountains. With many vistas under our tires. hike underneath the falls, just like in the looking down onto the granite domes and Nick, Cornwall, England We emerged back near the Corn Mill movie.
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