Planning a Nolichucky Hike

I think I found a spot on the Nolichucky River that should tell me if there is any color is flowing in from North Carolina. This will be about a 4 mile hike to get to from Erwin, Tn. I do have a couple of concerns though.

 First one is, the guy who is an experienced hiker and wanted to come and learn prospecting and teach me his knowledge of hiking, has seemed to drop out of contact. I would have loved the paired up hike for conversation on the way as well as safety reasons. Oh well, looks like it will be a solo trip.

Second one is the route will be on a Railroad track. "Lost Cove" is known by hikers in the area and that is the direction I am headed. I have read many pages on the trek to Lost Cove. Most talk about keep watching your rear because the Trains can sneak up on you. It is also illegal to walk the rails but that seems to not give any problems to those who have made it to Lost Cove. The rails are the quickest route. Since this hike will be just the way I get to a place to prospect, not for hiking enjoyment, I will use this way.

The route also puts me at the bottom of at least 2 streams that flow into the Noli that I want to test also. That helps me mark off places off my map to test.

I am hoping to go in a few weeks. Time is iffy right now as I am also in the hunt for a job. Thats why I try to reserve these outings for the weekend since during the week I do my job hunting and wishing and playing Daddy. I am determined to do an overnighter in this spot though. Going to stop by Uncle Johnnys Hostel in Erwin to try to gather some more info next weekend.

So, there is the plan. Now, here is the photo of the spot. You can see why I think it would tell me if anything flows into Tennessee from it. It's a nice choke point for the Noli.