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A Lodge Called Folkestone
The Dream, The Challenge, The People
by Bob Kranich
(Excerpt 21)
You may wonder why the first half of the book is about my many adventures throughout the USA. Well, this first part explains just why my interests changed from hot rodding cars to backpacking. How the idea of a lodge came about, and just how the lodge came to be in North Carolina and next to the Smoky Mountain National Park, Deep Campground to be exact.
A Long Visit To The Smokies
“Hello, Al Watson here.”
“Hi, Al. This is Bob Kranich, remember, the guy you met on Monte Sano. I was in the Army at the time.”
“Oh, hi Bob, how you doing? How was your hike in the Smokies? Did you ever go?”
“Oh, yes I did go, and parked on the side of your house next to Deep Creek. I had a great hike and visit to the Smokies. Al, what I was wondering is, would you rent me your house there on Deep Creek for four to five months?”
“Sure, Bob, that sounds ok to me. However, if Evelyn and I come up there to hike, we’ll need to have the front bedroom. You and your wife can use the spare bedroom in the back.”
“Al, that sounds great. We’re going to try to learn all about the Smokies by living there. How much money will it cost me?”
“Tell you what, Bob, it won’t be too much. I’ll talk to Evelyn, and let you know. If you are ok with it, I’ll send you the key. I’ll get back to you this evening.”
Al did get back to me that evening. I accepted his price, and the key came three days later. We packed up the things we thought we would need to set up housekeeping for five months, as well as our hiking gear, and headed for the Smoky Mountains.
We pulled into Bryson City. We went through town across the railroad tracks, over Deep Creek, and up the east side until we came to East Deep Creek Circle.
The story of Al, his aunt, and the house: Al’s house is the southernmost one of three houses that stand in a row along Deep Creek. They were built back in 1947, and it was called Taylor Road then. There is a rumor that these three houses were built from the old torn down Cooper boarding house that was located on Main Street, downtown Bryson City, near the post office. They supposedly used the old timbers, doors, claw foot bathtubs, and windows with the old wavy glass. It is said that the famous author, Horace Kephart, of Our Southern Highlanders, had lived in the Cooper boarding house in his later life.
Al’s aunt, Beula Taylor, was a nurse in the U. S. Army in France in World War I. Later, she was an Ensign in the U. S. Navy before World War II, from which she retired. Al’s aunt was living in Tampa, Florida, in 1943, and she became interested in living in the mountains. She wrote off for brochures about areas with mountains, and picked the Smokies and Bryson City.
In 1943, she and Al traveled to the Smokies and stayed at a place called Hyatt’s Farm. They returned again in 1944. In 1947, she bought the house on Deep Creek. Al lived with his aunt in this house on Deep Creek from 1947 until he joined the U. S. Army’s 82 Airborne in December 8, 1949. He got out of the U. S. Army in 1953.
Al made these mountains his home. He would hike and ride his bike all over the place. For his first hike, his aunt paid a boy named Junior three dollars to take him up to Sharp Top. According to Al, “We went a roundabout way up to Sharp Top. We went up Noland Divide, and then down and over to Sharp Top. We then came down the spine of Sharp Top and back to the park entrance.” Sharp Top can be seen from all over Bryson City.
Al would ride his bike all the way into the park, up the roads of Deep Creek and the turn-around on Indian Creek, and back. That’s about five miles one away from his house on Deep Creek. Talk about riding a bike. One day he rode his bike all the away from Bryson City up to the National Park Smokemont Campground. He wanted to go fishing up on Bradley Fork above the campground. Now, for Al to get to the Smokemont Campground, he had to ride from Bryson City, up old highway 19, through Ela and Birdtown. He then had to bike through Cherokee, and up into the park. That’s at least sixteen miles one way! Many were uphill on a one-speed bike.
Al would take bus trips on the Trailways bus from Bryson City up to Newfound Gap. He then would hike around in the high elevations, and on the Appalachian Trail. He would get back in time to catch the evening bus to return to Bryson City. One time he even hitchhiked up to Clingmans Dome from Newfound Gap. That’s when there was just an old wooden tower up there. He then hiked down the Appalachian Trail to Newfound Gap in time to catch the bus back home.
One day, Al was exploring around the top of Toms Branch Falls which drops into Deep Creek, and Al fell off. It was a fifteen or twenty foot fall. He was very fortunate. He landed in a brush pile, and sprained his leg. However, it hurt for three years, so he had to hide the hurt when joined the U. S. Army, Airborne.
After he got out of the U. S. Army, at some point he inherited his aunt’s house on Deep Creek. Al continued to return to the house on Deep Creek, and hike in the Smokies. He has hiked more than 3,500 miles in the Smoky Mountain National Park, and many of these were off trail miles. He has become a real pathfinder in the Smokies. Al is also interested in the historic aspects. He has accompanied his hiking friend, Mr. William A. Hart, Jr., on many hikes in the Smokies.
Al may not have been born in the Great Smokies, but I feel that he has earned the right to be called a Smoky mountain man.
We pulled up onto the grass drive, and parked next to Al’s small Deep Creek house. We unloaded our few belongings, and set up housekeeping. We really didn’t need much because the house was fully furnished. Al and his wife, Evelyn, would come up to the Smokies from their home in Alabama, and just take up from where they had left the last time. Usually, they had a hiking trip planned or an R & R stay. All we needed to do was go down to the A & P or IGA grocery stores, and buy some food.
From The Author
This is a new book. It is about the Lodge I built in the Smoky Mountains, near Bryson City, and Deep Creek campground, North Carolina. Having been from Florida, I know that a lot of Floridians love to visit the Smoky Mountains National Park. Therefore hopefully you will enjoy my story of the building of “A Lodge Called Folkestone”.
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