Serendipity – Trip Report
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ser•en•dip•i•ty noun
: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.Every October I typically head to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park for a solo backpacking trip to fish the streams amid the splendor of the colorful Fall foilage. This year was no different with the exception of an unexpected discovery.
Friday morning I parked at the trailhead and started out on the five-mile hike to a campsite that I had never seen.
The trail ended at a beautiful little cove next to a tiny stream at an elevation of 3500 feet….clearly the beginning of brookie habitat. I quickly pitched the tent and rigged up the tiny 4-weight bamboo.
I fished around camp that evening before retiring for the evening.
After a decent night sleep….I filled the pack with snacks, camera and fishing gear and began my hike upstream. From this point on, there were no trails. Hiking consisted of boulder-hopping over slick, moss-covered rocks to reach the relatively unexplored and unfished water….not the smartest thing to do when you are by yourself. After about an hour of non-stop walking (or wading) I began to notice strange pieces of metal…..possibly aluminum….in the creek and on the banks. The first piece I located had rivets and gray paint. It appeared to be the type of aluminum you would see on the fuselage of an aircraft.
The next piece was located a few hundred yards upstream on the bank.
…and then another piece
I began fishing in earnest at this point and landed a few brook trout. You know…these Appalachian brook trout have to be some of the most colorful fish around…particularly when they are adorned in their spawning colors.
I actually started to do quite well at this point at which time I stumbled upon a strange looking object partially hidden beneath a tree. Upon closer examination….it appeared to be a piece of a jet engine. After a few photos, my interest turned back toward the brookies.
As I continued up the stream, I kept wondering about the pieces of aircraft I had located. I didn’t see any other pieces as I fished up the stream. I eventually turned and headed back downstream toward camp. Three hours later….I reached my campsite.
After a day of wet-wading….the hot fire and Mountain House hit the spot.
I have since learned that the wreckage that I had stumbled upon….was once an F-15 Eagle assigned to the 116th Tactical Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard based at Dobbin’s AFB in Marietta, Georgia. Apparently two F-15 Eagles were engaged in some sort of military exercise over the Park on January 15, 1992 when they collided in mid air. One of the aircraft made it to the airport in Knoxville while the other crashed near Peck’s Corner on the Appalachian Trail. Fortunately the pilot safely ejected and was rescued the next day. Once the Eagle collided with the trees atop the mountain, it splintered into hundreds of pieces that were scattered in all directions. The military attempted to recover most of the critical pieces however, debris of the wreckage can still be located today.
Source Info: “Mayday…Mayday” by Jeff Wadley and Mike McCarter
The underwater shots look great! Was it tough shooting with little available light?
My first thoughts were moonshine still until the jet engine picPersonally I would have immediately suspected aliens and/or a crashed jet while fighting aliens, but then again I do watch too much Fox. 🙂
Steve, did this happen?
Great trip report!
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