Someplace to go!

“Actually it's two girls, Ewker. Laura is bringing some friend of hers too.”

“YAY!!

Come wiff us, Paul.”

“We can look at these two routes too.. but I'm trying to figure out how to get there.. and DITCH the crowds.

"The native azalea hybrids on the top of Gregory Bald in the Great Smokey Mountains put on a magnificent display in late June. This natural garden was at one time crossed by the Appalacian Trail, but quite a few years ago the trail was rerouted in that area, so now it is a side trip. Entering from Cade's Cove, there are two trails to Gregory: the recently reopened Parson's Branch access via Hannah Trail which is a moderate hike, and the longer approach via Forge Creek which is more beautiful, but a bit more difficult."”

“sounds good”

“Count me in, I will look at the route and decide if I want to drive all the way around, or come over from the Cove.”

“Wow.. won't be long.. we will hit the NPS limit.

Hope I have good luck calling in the reservations..

I will call it in ASAP on the 10th.”

“Reservations were made this morning for a party size of eight.

CS #93 on Friday the 10th
CS #13 on Saturday the 11th

Yay. :)”

“TD, is hikerchick and her friend going or do you know get”

“I wanna gooooooo!! But I don't get off work til 7:30 pm on Friday :(

I did this hike a couple of years ago and it is a beautiful one for sure.”

“yes.. I have confirmation on them..”

“That's Ewker, keeping tabs on the important details! LOL.
last edited: 5/10/05 11:11:26 AM”

“lol, its a dirty job but someone has to do it”

“Hiking Trails of the Great Smoky Mountains: A Comprehensive Guide
by Kenneth Wise



http://nwf.homeearth.com/bookstore/product.aspx?c=13_bks_outdoors_hiking_greatsmokymountains(base)&p=105024(base)”

“So the brown book is now blue.”

“That's not the same as the little brown book.. I got it too.

What I like about the wise book is that he gives MUCH more detail and background.. lists all the unmaintained manways.. old settlements, fishing places.. etc.. etc..
last edited: 5/10/05 4:48:19 PM”

“http://www.smokiesstore.org/browse.cfm/4,5.html

”

“Two totally different books.

Brown Book:
HIKING TRAILS OF THE SMOKIES Revised and Updated! The Third Edition of Hiking Trails of the Smokies includes new trail profile charts, expanded and updated trail narratives, and revised, more-accurate trail mileages. Covers all 150 official trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with in-depth narratives and invaluable profile charts that show mileage, elevation change, and major stream crossings at a glance. Includes information on all backcountry campsites, shelters, regulations and permit/reservation information. New edition includes Mountains-to-Sea Trail and handy pocket in the back cover to hold park map. Printed on special lightweight paper. Pocket-sized. 584 pages. Weighs only 11 ounces.

Blue Book
With this book—as compellingly readable as it is useful—Kenneth Wise offers the most complete guide available to the hiking trails of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Featuring an abundance of maps and illustrations, this definitive resource describes all of the official trails in the park as well as many off-trail excursions to notable landmarks and destinations.

The trail descriptions in this book, unlike those in competing guides, are arranged according to the park’s geographic sections, which are shown in detailed maps. For each trail, Wise offers vital factual data—directions to the point of departure, elevation gain, maximum elevation, alist of key points along the way—as well as a lively narrative description of what the hiker will encounter, whether of natural or human origin. Wise spices his descriptions with countless historical anecdotes and vignettes that evoke the enduring charm and mystery of these mountains, the highest east of the Rockies.

Further enhancing this guide is a richly informative introduction filled with details about geology, climate, vegetation, wildlife, human history, and environmental concerns of the Smokies. Wise also includes a substantive bibliography that directs the reader to more than one hundred books and articles on the Smokies. Finally, a complete index offers ready access to the descriptions of individual trails.
last edited: 5/10/05 4:54:00 PM”

“
Which totally sucks.”

“FYI: CS#93 may not have many level spaces. You may want to camp right on the trail. I have stayed there a couple of times. I had trouble sleeping as I kept sliding to the end of my tent.

CS#92 was great and I experienced(alone) no problems at CS#95. CS#13 is large and beautiful. Some of the fallen trees reminded me of pre-historic dinosaurs.”

“There's a really good CS just up from 93.

NPS marked it wrong.”

“Good.”

“I'll get you the specifics and post you a better update tomorrow Paul.. but I do remember reading that..”

“I am borrowing this book from a friend. It has a map made in 1973. It has the unmaintained trails on it but doesn't show the newer trails like Old Settlers Trail.

”

“Hey TD, Kinko's can't make a color copy of a map that size. I want it in color so all the trails will show up. I am going to try another place tomorrow”

“Here's the information I promised you Paul -- but I'm starting to believe we are doing the loop in the wrong direction. I'm considering if we should do it clockwise instead of counter-clockwise.

CS#92: Upon crossing the second stream, Greer Branch, the trail leaves the old railroad trace and enters CS#92. The campsite is a loose grouping of four or five level plats fitted in the angle between Greer Branch and Twentymile Creek. The CS is in excellent condition, having suffered very little abuse from overuse.

CS#93: Two miles above the ranger station, at the fourth bridge crossing is CS#93, an unattractive spot in an attractive surrounding. The campsite is more akin to a jeep road than it is to the mountains. The site is too artificial, resembling a graded plat, the work of earth-moving machinery.

CS#95: A post at the switchback indicates CS#95, but this is not the campsite proper. A few feet beyond the switchback, crossing a feeder stream, and yet another 100 yards, is the real campsite. On this slope is a clean attractive campsite secluded in a thicket of hardwoods. Should you continue on this spur trail, it is a manway to the stateline divide, and intersects with the OLD routing of the AT thru this area at Deals Gap.”

“FYI, there is a big bicycle race on HWY 129 June 11th. Not sure if the road will be closed for it or not. Nice pictures of the road and views included

http://www.smwbike.org/cherohala/ccIndex.html”

“wow.. that is one heck of a bike ride..

but since we are driving in Friday... we should be ok..”

“Let's try to do a sidetrip while we are there..

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=105245&posted=1#post105245

Interested??”

“sure, lets do it

BTW, Chili wants to see the permit number just to make sure you really did get one..lmao”

“Yeah, what is the reservation number so I can double check it next time I am over at Sugarland.

Your history with these permits isn't very impressive.”

“lmbo..

You know that is not true, chili.. but how do i know that if i give you the permit number, you won't call and cancel it, pretending to be me?

;)”

“So if I read this all correctly.. I should find Moore Springs about where I have placed the RED STAR --





--- because it is obviously the headwaters..



1) "...follow along the crest of Long Hungry Ridge. AT 4.4 mi the trail ends at Rich Gap on the Smokies Crest at a trail junction. ... One hundred yds. to the left (W) on the Gregory Bald Trail is a trail intersection: at that point a side trail leads left (S) .4 mi. to the Moore Spring and Shelter...." (Thanks Rifleman!)



2) "From the GB backcountry campsite you have to climb GB ( ~ 1/2 mile ) . Continue across bald on trail ( old AT ) and the shelter site should be on your R before you reach the Long Hungry Ridge Trail intersection." (Thanks Stoker53!)

Should be a piece of cake..”

“Man, yall suck. I wish I could go. Have a blast.”

“;).. hehe.. well hey.. You have taken several trips that I wish I could have went on too..”

“


last edited: 5/20/05 6:17:56 PM”

“I signed up as tentative but can't commit right now. If the remaining slots fill up, I'll catch the next one.”

“yep, that's it.
If I remember correctly that path to the spring is after the twentymile/gregory junction and in a low spot right before an obvious climb. I seem to remember that there was a "no horses" sign right at the path last I was there.”

“At the junction, someone has carved "H2O" on the sign, pointing the direction to the spring. Look for that. I saw it when I did the Long Hungry Ridge last month.

The Moore Spring Shelter doesn't exist anymore, does it?”

“No.. the shelter does not exist any more.. but I am told the spring is clear and cold.. and a MUCH better water source than Gregory.”

“The water source at campsite #13 isn't that bad. It's just a little way down the trail. Going to the Moore Spring water source would be quite a ways from Gregory Bald, and there is a steep hill to climb on the way back. Unless, of course, there is another way to get to it from #13 that I don't know about.”

“hehe.. (I was considering if Moore was pretty enough.. I might just overnight there instead.)”

“I am hiking up to #12 on Friday and meeting you at #13 on Saturday.

I drove around the park through the Foothills parkway and down 129 Saturday. I am still dizzy from all the curves in the road.”

“okie dokie.. ya, I was looking for some way to get to twentymile without driving the tail of the dragon..”

“sorry, TD you gonna have to drive it

when are you coming through Nashville that Friday?”

“As soon as I can leave out of here.. but I'm picking up my friend Bryan also.. you might want to leave earlier than me.. (I would not blame you -- I seem to have a reputation for dragging into camp about midnight.)”

“I am only working a half day that Friday so I can leave here by 12:00. Guess I will see you in camp then.

BTW email me the permit number just in case =)

Also is Bryan the new guy you are gonna torture on the butt kicker trail...lol
last edited: 5/23/05 12:47:29 PM”

“Yeah.. Bryan is a complete newbie.. never been hiking.. never been backpacking.. etc.. etc..

Sending permit number.”

“holy crap, how much stuff are you gonna put in his pack to carry...lol poor guy”

“You're taking a newbie up the Twentymile/Long Hungry Ridge Trails? Man, he'll kill you! That trail kicked my butt a few weeks ago.”

“hehe.. he's one of my best friends actually.

I've warned him... but he said if my fat azz can do it, surely he can.

heh... this is going to be fun.”