Three friends of mine and I are looking to do a 5 or 6 day section hike this Fall (exact dates TBD). As we will be driving up from Florida, we are looking at somewhere down south. The Smoky Mountains are about as far as we would likely be able to go in a single day drive.
All of us are experienced backpackers with a few hundred miles experience, but none of us have done anything over 3 days long, so 5 or 6 days will be taking it to the next level. All of us are in good shape and age 46-60. Two are lightweight backpackers, one wants to become one (plenty of time) and I do not know the style of our last.
I first want to focus on where, but any ideas on location, staging or prep are welcome.