Smokies Trip Report

“Well, just returned from my 10 day romp through the Smokies. It was my first. Here's a little breakdown for anyone who is interested.

Day 1: We climbed the Chimney Tops with packs. I was a little out of shape for this. The plan was to climb the tops and then take a non-maintained trail from the Chimney Tops trail over to the Sugarland Mountains trail. It was on our topo maps, but not on the trail map. The distance was short, but the grade was very steep and the hill was quite muddy. Due to loss of the trail and hazardous walking conditions, we were forced to turn back...and by turn back I mean roll down a muddy hill. Has anyone else ever attempted this trail, with or without success? We were forced to re-evaluate our plans for the night. We ended up parking at Elkmont and hiking up the Little River Trail to campsite 24. (@ 8 miles)

Day 2: Left 24 and headed up Goshen Prong Trail and on the AT to Siler's Bald Shelter. Goshen Prong Trail kicked our flatlander butts. Sheesh... I was sucking wind at 5000ft. due to the fact that I live 30 ft. above sea level. A bear swatted at the pack cables a bit during the night, but it was too dark to see in detail (only saw a black blob in the night.) (8.6 miles)

Day 3: Hiked up Clingman's dome via the AT and turned south down Fourney Ridge. Andrew's Bald was absolutely beautiful and the Fourney Ridge Trail was very neat. Though all the views were blocked by trees, it was obvious that due to trail conditions and wildlife that the trail is not often used. We camped at 63 on Noland Creek. This was a nice campsite in a beautiful lush valley. The campsites to the north and south were closed due to bear activity, but unluckily we saw none except fresh scat. (13 miles)

Day 4: We walked up Noland Creek Trail over Noland Divide, and on Pole Road Creek Trail. We stayed at 56 on Deep Creek. Here, we met a local man named David. He gave us some interesting insight into the park, its history, and the stuff that the trails won't show you. ;) I love meeting interesting people, and David was no exception. This was a comfortable campsite. The fireflies were amazing! (7.8 miles)

Day 5: Rest day at 56. This day off was greatly appreciated. We spent the day pretending we were ordinary campers. ;) (0 miles!!!)

Day 6: We took Sunkota Ridge Trail up to Newton's Bald. We saw a couple of large red birds on the ridge. (Wingspan approx. 5 feet). Has anyone else seen these or know what they are? We got some rain and were forced to set up camp as quickly as possible. The rain cleared later on that afternoon. (6.5 miles)

Day 7: We hiked down Thomas Ridge to Newfound Gap Road. At this point, my 2 hiking buddies ran with their tails between their legs. They hitchhiked back to Elkmont, and later on to a hotel in Pigeon Forge, leaving me to finish up alone. I wasn't all that unhappy, due to the fact that they whined a great deal throughout the trip (they were first time backpackers). I took the Kephart Prong trail up to the Kephart shelter. This hike was very neat. This trail cuts through an old CCC camp, providing great views of park history and relics. It was very neat to see how mother nature had reclaimed her land in the last 50 years. Old foundations were scattered along the trail, with a neat old rock chimney still standing, as well as old rail beds. It was a very neat site to see. Kephart shelter was infested with rats and mice. I could barely sleep due to the rodents crawling over me throughout the night. (8 miles)

Day 8: I hiked the dry sluice trail up to the AT and over to the Boulevard. Took the boulevard up to the Leconte Shelter. The Boulevard was a beautiful trail, providing great ridge views across the park. This day was probably my favorite. The LeConte Shelter has just been redone, and without the bear fences. The shelter is very nice. The deer came right up to me while I was sitting around the shelter. The tourists at the lodge were very irritating, however. I felt like an exhibit when they walked by yelling, "do people actually sleep in there...out in the open??" They kept scaring away the wildlife. It was too clowdy for good views at Myrtle Point and the Clifftops...too bad! Got a little rain that day. I met Steve from Dayton, Ohio and his family. They were very nice people, and Steve gave me more insight into great spots in the park. Thanks, Steve, if you read this. (10 miles)

Day 9: Hiked down the Alum Cave Trail, with a brief stop at the bluffs. Beautiful rock formations and panoramic views! Met my quitter friends at the trailhead. (5.3 miles)

It was a great trip, mishaps aside. I was amazed at the dense vegitation and diverse wildlife of the Smokies. Wanted to get a good view of a bear, but no luck there. Oh well, there's always next time. Gatlinberg and Pigeon Forge were nothing but one giant, traffic filled tourist trap. Clingman's Dome and Mt. LeConte were a bit touristy as well, but they were worth it for the views. If you've never been to the Smokies, I highly recommend it. It's a nice change of pace from backpacking the Rockies. No showers in the park, so you have to go to a private campsite. $3.00 for a shower was a little steep, but it was the best shower ever.

Happy trails,

Flowbee”

“I meant "9 day romp"...but who keeps track of days in the backcountry anyway?”

“NIce going. Nice hiking and a good report. I'm envious. Most of your days would take me close to a week. You covered a lot of territory.”

“Thanks. I like to keep light. Even with 9 days of food, my initial pack weight (not counting water) was 41 lbs. That helps quite a bit.”

“Very nice trip report. Sounds like fun. Lots of miles traveled. How many were you?”

“Sounds like a nice trip! Too bad you didn't get to see bears. That area is foreign to me, got pics?”

“Sounds like you had a great time. Day 5 is my kind of day!

Do you have any pictures?”

“Haha Mike you're right about that! It was a much needed break. There were three of us in the beginning and I finished the last 2.5 days solo. Actually, we got pics on the first day, but the digital camera was damaged while walking/sliding/falling down a muddy hillside. My friends bought a disposable camera in Gatlinburg for $15 (YIKES!!!) and we went back and took some touristy pics on the way out. I'll post some of the pics when they are developed and scanned. It was my first time in the Smokies (I'm used to the Southwest) and it was beautiful and new. Very lush terrain! If you're interested in seeing some great pics of the park, they can be found at http://www.smokyphotos.com. This is a very well assembled site with some absolutely beautiful pics (something like 900 I think). I recommend this site to anyone thinking of hiking there.”

“Flowbee,
Keep your report to yourself. You don't want any more people to know the beauty and splender of this area than is necessary. This area has been one of my favorite for about 30 years now. I love that whole section. And usually you don't see too many people, if you stay off the AT.”

“I have hiked many of the trails that you visited on your trip. It is great that you planned such a diverse trip. This Fri., Sat., and Sun., I am leading a trip from Newfound Gap to Icewater Spring shelter-Mt. LeConte via Blvd.-Alum Cave Trail. Am excited to see the changes in the LeConte shelter. I stayed there in May and saw all the lumber for the remodeling. You are right about the lodge folks being a nuisance. I really dislike being treated as I am a second class hiker by those type of people. Never have been able to figure out why those type of folks are so arrogant. I think we backpackers have a better appreciation for the wilderness and practice leave not trace ethics much more effeciently than they. Anyway, hope you can get back to the Smokies again soon.”

“"Goshen Prong Trail kicked our flatlander butts"

heh.. how well i remember THAT trail.

LUVED your trip report.. and Soooo jealous.. how did you get so many days off work?..”

“was that big red bird a raptor (red tailed hawk or turkey buzzard?) or a tree clinger(pileated woodpecker?)
and that manway from chimney tops trail to sugarland crest used to be hard to spot-never had a sign there and probably is discouraged from time to time by maintainence folks with brush piles (can't have tourons taking wrong turns and getting lost...)
tombone”