cat stairs - gsmnp

“anyone interested in doing the cat stairs?.. been wanting to do this route for a long time. thinking approximately "labor day weekend" plus or minus a weekend.

http://gosmokies.knoxnews.com/profiles/blogs/greenbrier-flats”

“A slightly different route from what I'm proposing, but a really nice blog of the area.

http://streamsandforests.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/the-cat-stairs/”

“maybe..maybe..maybe:)”

“That sounds like fun.”

“I'm interested!

Michelle and Logan may even hold fort at one of the Front Country sites or hotel if any other families want to stay behind.”

“Good deal. I'll be doing some additional research and making sure I completely understand the route. Would be nice to have all of you along.”

“Well you know me, guys.. I've been talking to a few of the local GSMNP "experts" .. and now have lots of good information to pass along regarding waypoints and routes.

Hey Opie -- I sent an email to the posted (opie1979) email -- that one still yours?”

“Looks interesting, you still putting together a little something?”

“naked ape - yes. I was provided a several routes to the cat stairs along with GPS waypoints -- so I am in the process of defining the exact route we will take.

The timeline is still the same. Hope to meet everyone early Saturday morning (03-Sep-11) and do a 8-9 mile loop as a dayhike.

Should be a lot of fun!”

“offtrail hiking in the smokys - win
offtrail hiking in the smokys with towndog - hell yea!!!”

“FYI - I updated the "trips" part of the page to give anyone interested some better information.”

“OH! Sorry...I thought you said cat STARES...my bad”

“LOLz. You are so twisted.”

“Durnit TD, I'm going to try to make that one, we ain't met yet. But I'm picking up my 3 babies just a few days before that, and they're away all summer.

I'll go ahead and start mentioning it to the queen bee. By then somehow it will have been in her lovely head awhile, and then they's a good chance she might green light it !”

“LOLz.. you sound like me. Told the wife a few days ago so she would so the same.. "oh that's right.. you are going hiking this weekend." "yes dear."”

“Found a nice picture on griztrax - http://www.griztrax.net/wildcountry/viewtopic.php?t=908&highlight=greenbrier+catstairs+pinnacle.



You can clearly see Cat Stairs (the notch at the end of the peak) with the cliffs looking like the road cut for the Blue Ridge Parkway as they circle the peak. I think that the Devils Den is in the deeply shadowed chute near the right (south) end of the cliff band. The overlook on the Pinnacle trail is above that and little further to the left. The old Barnes homeplace should be below the ridgeline to the left of Cat Stairs, down in the hardwood forest that covers the lower slopes.”

“ape, we may carcamp at cosby campground, or see about getting a cabin in Cosby. I'll be bringing the Mrs's and the lil one.”

“I'm thinking about this one...sounds like fun and a challenge.”

“...to the following weekend (September 10th) and I'm there. Can't change my plans for Labor Day Weekend.”

“Michael -- as badly as i want you to go hiking with me -- I am just not able to change it sir. We will pick us out another one to go do, k?

Randy - Started checking on chalets for the weekend. Having a nice place to hang out when I'm not hiking sounds pretty good.

treebait -- you only? or is HPM coming also? Or was that HPM logged onto treebaits account again.. lolz.”

“If any of you need the gpx file let me know.”

“As much as I would like to make this trip, it is on our anniversary. That is unless I can talk the better half into staying in the mtns.??
But I would like the gpx file you found. This trip sounds like something I would like to do.”

“Some assumptions:
Most (or all of us) will decide to do the Copeland Route, because we are all first timers. Which means we bear right on path (after spurring up to tower site if you want) and then merge with old GbPinn Trail near overlook. This should be our “all-clear meet up” before we carry on downward via “the jeep route.” Last stop for water is there (on left, 0.2 down trail from overlook) also, as I recall.

Assuming we will practice “hike your own hike” one member should have gps, or must maintain eye contact?

With that said, another possibility is that a few members of this group will choose to do a more direct (assuming the Cable Route because I’m not expecting either of the two others.)

If this occurs, we will split at Barnes Cemetery of course. Soo… IF WE CHOOSE to make that decision, let’s agree on a few things maybe? For our collective safety.”

“Kerry -- I hope to rent a chalet for me and the wife.. so if you happen to talk yours into making the ride to GSMNP, I plan on staying EAST of the area near Greenbrier or even Cosby.

Randy -- Never heard back from you on the link (near Cosby) that Michelle liked.”

“Showing you the relationships of important waypoints, and how it relates to the topography. The marked route connects the dots (using the Copeland route) up to the fire tower, and the "jeep trail" can been seen as a dotted line going back down.



That should take care of everything anyone might want to know at this time. If you look close, you can see the path the "cable route" would take if we decide we are feeling brave. (TownDawg is leaning toward "how about we do the easy route" since we are all first-timers.)”

“Can you send me that map in PDF?”

“chili36?.. Email still the same?”

“You got mail.”

“http://www.thebackpacker.com/trips/trip/1942.php

Friday is my birthday.. so I am going to be at Ramsey Cascades TH at first light. Will hike “jeep trail”.. up to pinnacle and look about.”

“Trip is still on. Trying to come up with where I'm going to "camp" for the weekend.

Will go dayhike Barnes Cemetery, and do some more scouting this week.”

“Cosby?”

“Well since the family is going to be up in the area, we are leaning toward renting something (as in chalet or cabin), rather than car camping.”

“Would like to find a place where the dogs can run, and we can enjoy something a step up from car camping.”

“I thought this was about the steps on the AT at NFG and the east end of the AT in the Park. Steps are difficult for me, while the sloping terraine was much easier.”

“No no Paul.. the catstairs are a ledge in the greenbrier area of the park.”

“I'm a definite, just booked the cabin we will be staying in across from the Cosby Campground area.

Who needs info on where to stay?”

“me goofus. You promised to send me that info... never mind that I was gonna rent out the whole place.. but hey.. do what you had to do I guess.

:)”

“i sent you the info yesterday”

“Opie -- Reserved cabin #3. We are just going to board our dog(s) for that weekend, and I know you said you are doing the same.

FYI to chili/treebait/karo/etc.. --> Cabin #1 and #2 are still available as of this posting.”

“I need at least 1-2 more tt'ers to show up




to help TD haul my ass off the mtn”

“Took my headlamp and did some exploring yesterday.. I got most of the way out to Barnes Cemetery, and I understand where to park and all that now.

”

“I'm talking to me lovely bride BuffaloBabe about this trip. We're seriously considering it.”

“be awesome to finally meet ya!”

“Same here Opie. Man that map looks like a real ball buster. I'll have to start doing some serious P90X, lol”

“There was a link posted way up higher.. but anyway.. back when I first posted it, it really didn't make a lot of sense -- but now that I've nearly hiked up to the cemetery; turned around somewhere after the "can nailed to the tree" if you recall reading that in the link. Anyway, what I was going to say, at least now I've seen some of the places in the pictures, and the overall descriptions [when I go back and read over them again] all start making a lot more sense. :) Sorry for the epiphany.”

“I did some scouting this past Friday.

http://gosmokies.knoxnews.com/profiles/blogs/catstairs-trip-report”