August 22nd, 2009 - I started at the blue-blaze trail cutting brush with the swing blade, spending a lot of time on the railroad grade section of the trail.  I then climbed Pond Mountain almost all the way to the top (cutting weeds and trimming brush along the way) where I soon ran into my fellow maintainer Jake Mitchell, who came up from the Shook Branch side of the mountain.  Jake and I then returned back down the south-side of the maintain to my car, where I shutted him back to Shook Branch.  We also cleared one blowdown and picked up a lot of trash as we came down the mountain.  Miles hiked:  7.0

August 29th, 2009 - I returned with a brush blade on a string trimmer to cut the brush underneath the power lines of the blue-blaze trail.  Following that I hiked to the junction of the blue-blaze and the A.T. where I picked up trash along the way.  Miles hiked:  2.0  

View of the Laurel Fork Stream 

on the Hampton Blue-blaze Trail

Total Miles Hiked:  9.0   

Getting There:  

Driving - From Elizabethton, take 19E toward Hampton, TN.  Turn onto Highway 321, which is the main road through Hampton that goes toward Watauga Lake and Mountain City.  Drive 1.5 miles to the trailhead/parking area on the right.  You'll see a brown sign that marks the parking area.    

Trails - The trailhead will be through the gate from the parking area.  You will follow the blue-blazes for one mile until you reach a junction marking the Appalachian Trail.  At this point, take a left (north) on the A.T. and climb Pond Mountain.  In 6 miles you'll reach the highway 321 at the Shook Branch Recreation area.