With heavy forestation, many peaks In the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP) provide only limited views of surrounding ranges. Fortunately, while the modern age has diminished their utility and numbers, a handful of fire towers remain standing and accessible to the public. Perched above tree line these towers offer splendid 360 sight lines.

At the far eastern end of the GSMNP stands Mt. Sterling at 5,840’. The mountain hosts the highest elevation fire tower east of the Mississippi. It was built in 1935 and has a height of 60’. Also, atop the mountain is back country camp #38. Which is the highest elevation campsite in the park. So, the plan was for an overnight hike to #38 for sunrise from the fire tower.

There are several routes including a loop to the Mt, Sterling summit. I chose the Baxter Creek Trail which is a section of the 300-mile Benton MacKaye. The Baxter Creek trailhead is at the Big Creek campground and picnic area. The trail is only 6.2 miles but has an elevation gain of over 4,100’.

The first part of the trail is non-technical. That abruptly changes about a mile in at the first creek crossing. From there, it is pretty much a constant battle with roots...

Rocks...

And general trail challenges.

All the while the grade higher is unrelenting. It is an arduous hike with only a couple spots with partial views.

There are a number of rhododendron tunnels. While out of season for my hike, I understand that during spring to early summer these tunnels are in full flowery bloom.

Of course, it is nearly impossible to talk about the GSMNP without the issue of bears coming up. There are a lot of black bears in the park. And a group of hikers coming down from camp #38 reported that a mom and her cubs were “getting rowdy” the night before and tore up some gear. They warned I better have my “game on” that night. I'm not sure if they were playing me or not. However, this conversation had me a bit on edge the rest of the day and into the night. I never saw a bear. But in my mind, I'm sure they were having a parade outside my tent that night.

Finally, I made it to camp #38 and the old fire tower.

For scenic views the tower was everything promised.

What was unexpected is that I was the only camper on the peak that night. The GSMNP is the most visited National Park in the nation. I fully expected to find people everywhere. But looking up as dusk approached, there was only one backpack hanging from the park’s bear cables.

While this was a bit unsettling from the bear perspective, it was rewarding to know that the entire mountain peak was mine for the night. That I would be the sole camper at the highest elevation camp in the entire park.

About 4 A. M. I got up and stepped out of the tent. The fog was so thick I could barely see 10 yards away. This caused my confidence in catching a sunrise to slump. But when I got up shortly before sunrise, I was pleasantly surprised to find, that at my elevation, the fog had retreated. So, I climbed the fire tower and caught a stunning and beautiful sunrise - just as planned.

After packing up I considered a return to the trailhead via the loop route. While this direction offered a water fall it was also an extra 4 miles. Which is a long way on these trails. So, I chose to find some waterfalls later in the trip. Heading down the Baxter Creek Trail was no easier, and probably more dangerous, than coming up. But I made it safely which put a happy ending on a successful Appalachian adventure.