I have managed to get a week off in late Sept and want to hike north from I40. If I get an early start the first day, is it possible to make it to Erwin in 7 days? I can't find my guidebook. I have been known to hike 20 miles in a day and will be in pretty good shape at the start.

Day one to Max Patch or a bit north. Day two, Hot Springs.

Day 3, slack pack from Allen Gap back to Hot Springs

Day 4, Allen Gap to Jerry Cabin or a bit north. Day 5, with a huge effort, get to Sam's Gap, especially if you got north of Jerry Cabin on Day 4. Day 6 and 7 gets you to Erwin. Consider a slackpack for those two days out of Miss Janet's.

It sounds like a lot of humping for a vacation.

I thought it might be. I need a good place the wife can drop me off without her getting to far out of the way to Charlotte. I guess, I will have to go back and do Ga for the 5th time!

I'd consider a more leisurely trip focused on Hot Springs for slackpacking and such. Keep the original plan, make a 2 1/2 day trip from I-40, go tubing and such in Hot Springs, slackpack down from Allen Gap - or take 2 days for that 14 miles, or even a more challenging couple of days south from Devil's Fork Road/Gap.

September in NC should see the beginnings of Fall, while GA will only offer the remnants of August.

Just let Erwin become the focus of your next walk, using Erwin and Bob Peoples as your bases.

That might work, that way I wouldn't be too far off the beaten path. There doesn't seem to be any good jump off points that are easily accessed between HS and Erwin.

Thanks.

I found my databook and have tentatively decided to hike from I40 to Sam's Gap. That seems doable espcially if I get an early start the first day.

Sam's Gap is doable, certainly. I did Allen Gap to Sam's Gap last Labor Day weekend, with a new Speer Hammock and a weak leg. Day two was tougher than I expected, barely making it halfway up the hills beyond Devil Fork Road and the beautiful barn left of the trail. I was quite behind on my schedule for a pick up with Miss Janet on Monday. 10AM planned turned into 2PM reality.

Cell phone coverage is non-existent in the area. Access to I-26 is very difficult, if you are planning a pick-up from your wife. However, there is a lot of traffic in the area of Sam's Gap, and I'd expect you could hitch if you don't arrange a pickup.

This is an excellent section. Max Patch is beyond compare, although Big Bald and Beauty Spot and the Humps are something to enjoy. The new ridgeline Relo south of Jerry's Cabin is terrific, but keep water on you for that area. Ignore the blue blaze to the attennaes, but make sure you visit the black rock and white rock cliffs. Watch for bears, as this was the first area I ever met one. Scared us both to death.

I was quite behind on my schedule for a pick up with Miss Janet on Monday. 10AM planned turned into 2PM reality.

Cell phone coverage is non-existent in the area.
This is something I've often wondered about, how people arrange pickups when slackpacking. I never end up when I think I will. Usually I greatly overestimate how much ground I can cover. No cell phone coverage makes in-hike corrections impossible.

So just out of curiousity, what happens when Miss Janet shows up at 10:00 and you aren't there? Does she wait? Leave and come back? Leave and wait until you call? Do you have a pre-arranged "If this happens here is what we'll do" set up?

Hiking and working with shuttling means that plans are plastic. Shuttlers know it and good hikers know it also. Miss Janet has the biggest problem with folks who section hike and over estimate their ability. She will try to talk you into 8 mile days as opposed to your "certain" 23 mile day over Beauty Spot. She is skilled at this and rarely p!sses you off with her advice, although I was righteously p!ssed off when I realized just how right she was.

In my case, I just did the best I could. She was about to leave at 2PM, after wisely avoiding Sam's Gap until after 11AM. She got to visit with other hikers and friends. She knew that she would return about supper time to retrieve me if nothing else panned out. I knew that would happen also.

I'll be doing Fontana Dam to Standing Indian Hostel (just north of Davenport Gap) from Sept. 23 -- 27. That'll be about 70 miles in 5 days. If you're interested in joining in, let me know. I'll be calling for shelter reservations on Aug. 25.

Standing Bear Farm? Were you going to leave a vehicle there and hike back to it or leave one at the dam and get a ride back? I have done the stretch between the dam and the Dome.

I wouldn't mind doing that entire stretch if we could have a vehicle at each end. That would save on shuttle costs. When I hiked it with my son a couple of years ago, we left his truck at SBF and then drove my van around to the dam, spent the night there and started hiking that next morning.

What have you worked out as far as shelter stops?

Also, you can start calling for reservations 30 days in advance of the first night which would be on the 24th of August. This is close to prime time for the Smokies so you would need to get in early to get your choices.

Papa John,

This is the ad that I put in Trailplace. The shuttle from Standing Bear to Fontana is a flat rate of $100. The owner of Standing Bear said that it's a 2.5 hour drive, so the price, while high, seems reasonable nonetheless.

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I'm preparing to do another section of the AT -- Fontana Dam to Standing Bear Hostel, which is a bit north of Davenport Gap, departing Fontana on Sept. 23 and finishing on Sept. 27.

The entire section is approx. 74 miles. Because shelter reservations are required in the Smokies, I am thinking of the following schedule:

9-23: Fontana to Mollies Ridge Sh (11.3)
9-24: to Silers Bald Sh (17.2)
9-25: to Icewater Sh (15.5)
9-26: to Tricorner Sh (12.6)
9-27: to Standing Bear Hostel (approx. 18 to)

While I don't particularly relish the thought of doing 17 miles on the second day out, shelter spacing made that all but necessary. During my last section hike, I did back-to-back 20-mile days and lived to tell about it, although I never want to do that again in the TN/NC area. Anyway, the last day will be a bit over 18 miles, but that will be with much lighter packs -- crusing on empty with only a power bar in my food bag.

If you're interested, please let me know as soon as possible. I'll be driving from Lexington, KY to Standing Bear Hostel and will use their shuttle service to Fontana.

Thanks.

I forgot to say that I'm a happily married 44 yr. old male. I'm not looking for trail romance, I don't do drugs, and I don't spend the evenings in an alcohol haze.
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I forgot to say that I'm a happily married 44 yr. old male. I'm not looking for trail romance, I don't do drugs, and I don't spend the evenings in an alcohol haze.
LOL. I am 53, married since Hector was a pup and am interested in hiking the trail. Drinking to excess and doing drugs are not in my list of things I do either. I sent you a response to your PM.