Okay boys, I returned from an August backpacking trip and here are the full pics link---
https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backp...riors-Passage/
I started the trip in the Bald River wilderness of East Tennessee and connected to Warrior's Passage trail, Sugar Mt and the Upper Bald River area, Sycamore Creek and Whiggs Meadow, and into Joyce Kilmer wilderness in North Carolina.
I didn't see any backpackers until Day 13 of the trip.
21 DAYS
ON
WARRIORS PASSAGE
TRIP 176
August 7-27 2016
HIGHLIGHTS
**21 DAYS ALL OVER THE MAP
**FIRST TIME ON BASIN LEAD TRAIL SINCE TRIP 14 Nov. 2002
**FIRST CAMP ON TOBE CREEK ON WARRIOR'S PASSAGE TRAIL
**FOUR DAYS ON WARRIOR'S PASSAGE TRAIL
**9 MILE DAY TOBE CREEK TO BALD RIVER WILDERNESS
**9 CREEK SWIMS
**11 DAYS ON THE BMT
**DESERT REPROBATE ON WHIGGS MEADOW
**10 MILE DAY SYCAMORE CREEK TO COLD SPRING GAP
**PATMAN JOINS ME ON BOB MOUNTAIN
**BIG RAINSTORM IN NAKED GROUND GAP
**PATMAN AND I SEE NO BACKPACKERS IN 17 DAYS
**4 DAYS ON THE NAKED GROUND TRAIL 55
**FIRST BACKPACKER OF TRIP GENE GABY WITH DOG LILY ON NAKED GROUND TRAIL
**LONG TALK ON DAY 18 WITH GENE GABY
**I FIND GENE'S YELLOW JACKET NEST AND LEAVE 7 RED RIBBONS
**ASHEVILLE BOB WITH TWO DOGS IN NAKED GROUND GAP
TRAILS
Entrance Cow Camp Trail Bald River Wilderness
Cow Camp
Bald River Trail
**Rock Ledge**
Bald River
**Big Pine**
Bald River
**Cascade Winter Camp**
Bald River
Bald River Road 126
Basin Gap
Basin Lead Trail
**Gravelstand Top Camp**
Basin Lead
Waucheesi Mt Road 126B
Warrior's Passage Trail
**Tobe Creek**
Warrior's Passage
**Wildcat Creek**
Warrior's Passage to Old Furnace Road and Backtrack
**Boy Scout 1965 Camp**
Warrior's Passage Backtrack South
Waucheesi Mt Road
Basin Gap
Bald River Road 126
Bald River Trail
**Cascade Winter Camp**
Bald River Trail
Bald River Road 126 East (Holly Flats)
Brookshire Creek Trail
**Tony Camp**
Sugar Mt Trail (BMT)
**Sugar 3rd Switchback Camp**
Sugar Mt Trail
Fish Hatchery
Sycamore Creek (BMT)
**Hobo Camp**
Sycamore Creek
Whiggs Meadow
Mud Gap BMT
Skyway BMT
Beech Gap
Fodderstack Ridge BMT
Cold Spring Gap
**Little Cove Camp in the Wedge**
54A South
**South Col Bob Mt**
Four Mile Ridge
**Landon Camp Naked Ground Gap**(2)
Naked Ground Trail 55
**Low Dog Camp**
Naked Ground Backtrack Up
**Middle Dog Camp**
Naked Ground Backtrack Up
**High Dog Camp**
Naked Ground Up
**Landon Camp Naked Ground Gap**
Four Mile Ridge
Bob Mt
54A South
**Mighty Oak Camp**
54A South
Fodderstack Ridge
Beech Gap
Skyway Roadwalk to Jeffrey Hell Trailhead and OUT
My trip begins with a shuttle up Tellico River road and into the Bald River wilderness on a "secret" sidetrail called Cow Camp as the trailhead is shown here. My pack is full of 21 days worth of food and fuel and books so it's heavy---around 95 lbs---and my trip starts out on a rigorous climb.
Cow Camp trail pulls me up and over a little mountain and descends to Bald River where I camp and then prepare to leave the wilderness on my Quest for the Warrior's Passage trail. Here I rest at the Cascades on Bald River.
YOUR FOREST SERVICE AT WORK. I leave Bald River wilderness and begin my climb up Waucheesi Mt and notice some recent clearcut logging in "my" mountains.
Near the top of Waucheesi Mt I reach the trailhead to Warrior's Passage, a 5.5 mile trail heading north past several land features. This is the high trailhead vs the low trailhead on Old Furnace road. From here to the end I lose almost 2,000 feet in elevation. The goal of this trip is to backpack this trail north to its end and backtrack south to this spot.
The main landmark on the Warrior's Passage trail is Wildcat Creek which is very low due to our current drought. I camp on this creek for a night.
After several days on Warrior's Passage and a hell slog back up the WP Plunge, I descend Waucheesi Mt and connect to the Upper Bald River wilderness on Brookshire Creek trail and connect to the Benton MacKaye trail where I cool off in Old Dog Falls on the Upper Bald River.
Once on the BMT I climb Sugar Mt where all the water sources are dry except for one and so I carefully suck up 3 liters for the night's camp near the top of Sugar Mt.