Wilderness Retreat 2011

We’re back at Panther Branch after 3 wonderful days in the Smokies, with fresh energy, stronger Sangha connections, and some great memories! We also have photos to share. So if you’re interested, read on . . .

This is our third year of camping in the Big Creek area of the Smokies, just on the other side of the Tennessee boundary.  It’s only about an hour’s drive from us (less from downtown Asheville) on I-40 and is one of the most beloved – and least populated -- places in the park. Big Creek is the only place in the Smokies that has a tent-only campsite, so no RV’s to deal with.

Three years ago we switched from backpacking to car camping, hoping to make this experience more inclusive and less exhausting. This year we had a crew of 10 campers, with some people coming from out of town to participate. Two more drove out from Asheville on Saturday to join us for the hike on the Boogerman Trail.

The retreat officially began on Thursday, September 15th, but some residents left Windhorse early in order to reserve tent sites and were then blessed with some extra time for personal hiking. Sitting in the dark by the creek – what a way to start the Wilderness Retreat!

Our first hiking day was Friday. As the sun only got up around 7AM, so did we. We have to admit – getting ready to sit, sitting, preparing breakfast, eating and then packing lunch for the trail (very important!) took as a lot of time...

Getting ready to leave the campsite

The hike we planned for Friday was Ramsay Cascades – 8 miles long and pretty steep, with beautiful stone steps in its last part to help us along the way.

On our way, we saw a young bear (those were very active in the region – Andy met a very large one on the campground late at night!) and made an acquaintance with some Ents (as in the ancient ‘trees’ in Lord of the Rings) . . .

And then we actually got to the Cascades, where we rested and ate some lunch. To get and idea of the scale of the Ramsay Cascades look closely at the photo below and you will see Lawson Sensei.

Zazen by the Cascades

We got “home” when it was already pretty dark – tired, hungry and happy.

Our Saturday hike was the Boogerman trail – a loop (or, rather, a lollypop) trail in the Cataloochee Valley. Bears did not pose a danger this time, but we had to cross a broken log bridge – fortunately a jump was sufficient, no need to walk through the chilly Cataloochee Creek...

Although this trail was easier, our march was seriously slowed down by the number of interesting things along the way – the remains of an old settlement, a curious burl (what does it remind you of? Elephant? Troll-demon?)

And then, of course, all the mushrooms!

These ‘Jack O’Lanterns,’ that looked and smelled so delicious, are as poisonous as they are pretty. The amount you can see on the photo above could kill 2-3 people.

Fortunately for the rest of us, some felt too sore to go hiking that day, and went instead on a mushroom hunt. Chicken of the Wood, honey mushrooms, chanterelles, oyster mushrooms – you name it! A laborious task to wash all those (thank you Ginger!). And the gourmet meal that Andy and Ginger prepared out of them -- so delicious!

Having finished the Boogerman loop, some of us had a little time to drive just a bit further to a spot known for its elk activity.

And there they were –young elk cows, grazing in the field, and big majestic bucks with impressive antlers, pawing and ‘bugling’ (for those of you who never heard an elk shout – think of the sounds you can hear in horror movies...).

There was a good crowd of viewers there, too, and among them some rangers who explained to us that the real “action” begins in a week or two. Some of us are certainly planning on going back to see that!

In the evening we all gathered at the campsite and listened to some fine poetry written and recited for us by Luc, a friend-wanderer, who celebrated his birthday in the wild just the day before. We finished the day doing zazen under the starry sky, by an altar glowing with the flames of at least a dozen candles...

Our retreat was coming to an end. We had our last outdoor sitting on the Sunday morning, followed by our final breakfast and a sharing circle. Although short – way too short for most of us – the wonders of the Wilderness Retreat are still with us. We’re talking about trying to pull one together for next spring. Anyone interested?