Great Trip

[PapaGarrettP]

Last week My Friend (trail name) and I hiked from Fontana dam up to Smokemont Campground, a distance of around 64 miles. We left out of Fontana on a cloudy Saturday, spending the first night at the popular Lost Cove campsite (90), where there were probably 12-14 other folks. This was the most people we encountered over the following five days; the BMT was virtually empty of hikers. Our first couple of days and nights were rainy (welcome to the Smokeys), but after that the weather cleared and was truly spectacular. Highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s at 2000', where we mostly camped. Blue skies!

We saw more wildlife on this part of the trail than we ever see on the AT: two separate groups of deer; two separate groups of turkey (big ones, crossed in front of us), a coyote (!), many birds, a couple of salamanders, rabbits and chipmunks and a brown snake. We saw plenty of bear poop and three bear plugs, but no bear.

The trail conditions were excellent. Someone has been maintaining the trail after the winter and we only had a couple of pesky trees to go up and around. On the Noland Creek portion of the trail we elected to not take the bypass and wound up making two creek crossings. One, in our underwear, thru thigh high water and another by crossing a tree (with no rail). A little adventure.

The amount of litter was minimal, but I did find myself picking up about 3-4 candy wrappers a day. Water was abundant.

We parked at the church just east of Smokemont on 441. No issues with the car, although a mouse did manage to squeeze in and eat some of the dry food we left behind and made a nest in one of my stuff sacks. Hopefully she got out in time not to make the trip back to Florida!

All in all it was a great 5 nights on the the trail!

PapaG

[SGT Rock]

Great trip report. Good to know the trail is pretty clear, imagine if you had been in the thru-hiker crowd during the same period.

[PapaGarrettP]

Great trip report. Good to know the trail is pretty clear, imagine if you had been in the thru-hiker crowd during the same period.

Just the nightmare we were trying to avoid! I have learned to do my Spring hiking on the BMT and -- once you get used to it -- don't even miss the blazes.

[illabelle]

And now I know what a "bear plug" is, even though I'd never heard of such a thing before now. Who knew WB could be so educational!

http://www.bear.org/website/index.ph...=61&Itemid=122

[HooKooDooKu]

On the Noland Creek portion of the trail we elected to not take the bypass and wound up making two creek crossings. One, in our underwear, thru thigh high water and another by crossing a tree (with no rail).

#1. What is "the bypass"?
#2. WOW! Water levels must have really been high. I hiked Noland Creek last year. Most the creek crossings are bridged. I only recall two of them that were not, and it seemed like those were above CS#62. I don't recall anything more than knee deep... if that.

[TNhiker]

#1. What is "the bypass"?

was wonderin the same thing............


although, seemingly i recall something about going up on the hill to avoid the creek crossings (but, could and probably be thinking about another trail)........

and last week, at least the TN side, got hit with a pretty good storm and the creeks coming into gatlinburg were pretty high............

[TNhiker]

oh, and i think unbridged stuff is around campsite 63..........

there's a bridge (or at least used to be) right above 64 and then after that, its unbridged crossings..............

[PapaGarrettP]

#1. What is "the bypass"?
#2. WOW! Water levels must have really been high. I hiked Noland Creek last year. Most the creek crossings are bridged. I only recall two of them that were not, and it seemed like those were above CS#62. I don't recall anything more than knee deep... if that.

The bypass is a trail that somehow avoids criss-crossing the creek. I saw it noted in Sgt. Rock's trail guide and decided to go up the creek. The water was really high. Most of the crossings did have bridges or logs with rails. The two that did not were manageable, but I would not have want to fall down as I would have had some real trouble. the water was moving very fast. The creek I crossed in my skivvies was moving fast enough to require that we pull our poles out of the water prior to re-planting. In other words, you couldn't move your pole while it was submerged; it would get dragged downstream.

[PapaGarrettP]

And now I know what a "bear plug" is, even though I'd never heard of such a thing before now. Who knew WB could be so educational!

http://www.bear.org/website/index.ph...=61&Itemid=122

Yes; it was a new one on me, too. Sam from A Walk in the Woods (our shuttle driver) told us to be on the lookout!

[Bati]

The bypass is a trail that somehow avoids criss-crossing the creek. I saw it noted in Sgt. Rock's trail guide and decided to go up the creek. The water was really high. Most of the crossings did have bridges or logs with rails. The two that did not were manageable, but I would not have want to fall down as I would have had some real trouble. the water was moving very fast. The creek I crossed in my skivvies was moving fast enough to require that we pull our poles out of the water prior to re-planting. In other words, you couldn't move your pole while it was submerged; it would get dragged downstream.

Two crossings are in a proposed wilderness area and thus not bridged. They are the reason for the park marking this trail as having "dangerous fords".

[TNhiker]

ok......

i had to find out more about the "bypass trail"......

it should really be "bypass route" as the way its listed in rock's book is to use to take springhouse branch to forney creek to the road and down noland divide to pole road.............


i think me andHooKooDooK were thinking it was a trail that paralleled noland creek trail................

[TNhiker]

Two crossings are in a proposed wilderness area and thus not bridged

there's a proposed wildnerness area in the Park?

tell me more please...............