September 20th, 2008 -  I headed south on the Appalachian Trail at the TN91 trailhead in search of the Uncle Nick Grindstaff Monument and gravesite.  After approximately 3.4 miles of moderate climbing I came upon this eerie site.  Let me first tell the history behind this...

Nick Grindstaff was born in 1851.  At the age of three he was orphaned.  Rumor has it that he later moved out west where he was robbed and severely beaten, along with suffering other financial difficulties.  He soon returned to Tennessee where he lived out the final 45 years of his life in total solitude (except for his dog "Panter") in a very small cabin on Iron Mountain.  Supposedly, in 1923 a man went to visit Nick and found him dead in his cabin.  Some stories say that Panter watched over Nick's dead body for days and had to be overpowered and tied to a tree so that his body could be buried.  Other stories say that Panter had to be killed and was buried alongside Nick in the chimney-shaped grave, which was once his cabin's brick fireplace.  To this day many hikers that camp near this area report the spine-chilling howls of a dog late at night. 

The Nick Grindstaff Monument

Now here's the really eerie part...

After my visit to the monument I started heading back down the mountain, and only after a quarter mile or so I was startled by a dog's aggressive bark coming from behind a large rock outcropping.  I kept walking on past the rock, and soon the dog emerged from behind me growling and showing it's teeth.  Needless to say, I kept walking really fast while looking over my shoulder... prepared to defend myself with my trekking poles.  I had never been that frightened by a dog on the A.T., but here I was, high up on the mountain at 4000 feet elevation with a stray dog growling at me only a few hundred yards from the Grindstaff site.  Quite strange huh?  With chills running up my spine, I kept thinking that the owner of this dog has to be somewhere near, but I never saw anyone.  The dog eventually receded, and I made it down the mountain in record time.      

One of Many Rock Cairns on the Trail  

Aster

Regardless... don't let this dog story keep you from this hike.  This is a really pleasant trek, and for the most part a very easy climb.  There is one short section of a hundred yards or so that ascends steeply, but other than that it's a gradual grade for the entire trip.  I would also think that after the leaves fall you would get very nice southerly views from the mountain ridgeline.

One reason I explored this area today was that I thought I might get to pass Karl Meltzer who is currently attempting to set the record for completing the A.T. in less than 47 days.  After passing some other hikers I learned that Karl went through Iron Mountain earlier in the morning, so I just missed him by a few hours.  It doesn't look like Karl is going to set the record this year, but it would have been nice to see him and cheer him on.  Check out his site here:  http://www.whereskarl.com/

Total Miles Hiked:  6.8 

Getting There:  

Driving - From Elizabethton, get on Highway 91 toward Stoney Creek.  Proceed 19 miles (into the Cherokee Nat. Forest) to the intersection of Cross Mountain Road.  There is a graveled parking area on the right with a national forest sign.   

Trails - To get to the Grindstaff Monument, head south on the A.T. following the white blazes (which is into the forest crossing Cross Mountain Road).  If you go in the direction of the open fields of Osborne Farm, you've gone the wrong way.  Stay on the A.T. for approximately 3.4 miles.  You'll see a short trail on your right leading to the monument.