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TSWisla
12-08-2016, 19:30
Approx 62 miles. If I have my pack weight down and make sure that I am in good shape, how long can I expect this part to take me? It took me 3.5 days to hike the approach to Unicoi as a beginner with a 50lb pack (!) I am thinking between 4 to 5 days, but of course I have to have each day perfectly planned in GSMNP. How long have you gone without a shower? Can this section be done without a break/resupply/shower? Thank you!

MuddyWaters
12-08-2016, 19:43
Not 62 miles
72 is closer

Most in shape hikers will do 4-5 days
Many poorer shape, heavier packs take 7

Either you can do miles to skip shelters,or you cant

TSWisla
12-08-2016, 19:44
Right, sorry, 72. What do you think?

MuddyWaters
12-08-2016, 19:49
Nobody can tell you how many miles you can hike per day.

Approach to unicoi is 61 miles i think

You can do 4 days most likely, 5 to be safe

No problem at all without resupply

TNhiker
12-08-2016, 20:06
Can this section be done without a break/resupply/shower?



it can be if you want it to be.....

or at newfound gap, one can hitch a ride into town to do whatever ya need to do in a town....

also----there's hostels/hotel at both ends of the park, so one can also grab a shower there......

or at fontana dam---the visitor's center has free showers as well.......

and i would agree with everything else that muddy says...........on this thread at least :P

ScareBear
12-08-2016, 20:17
If you go at it SOBO, you'll find it is way less difficult...I doubt YMMV, but....YMMV....

ScareBear
12-08-2016, 20:20
Its a tough 72 miles, NOBO. You'd be well-served to start weighing your food and consumables for that period. Better plan on no less than 5 days. That's assuming 15 mile days NOBO...not a walk in the park...

TSWisla
12-08-2016, 20:22
Thank you everyone. Just curious, I have never gone 5 days without a shower before, especially under hiking conditions. We did 3 days, but I was just curious what most other hikers do. Thank you.

ScareBear-I really want to follow the AT in consecutive sections going from S to N. Thank you for the suggestion though.

Lynnette
12-08-2016, 20:28
72 miles. But don't rush through this. This was a really special park before the fire and some great things to see. If the shelters are still intact, you will make reservations with the park to hike almost shelter to shelter, with probably one exception where the shelters are almost on top of each other. Park rules require that shelters are where you put your head at night. Attention to the 71.2 miles of AT affected by the fire. As of Dec 2, ATC has not been allowed back into the park to process trail damage and make repairs. The fire was huge. Mudslides are extremely dangerous. For updates Visit the ATC and web site: http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home/community/blog/ATFootpath/2016/12/02/update-on-the-a.t.-and-the-southern-fires and the park updates http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/12/gatlinburg_fire_latest_update_2.html. Also if you try to go west to town to resupply, please look before hand at the devastating photos of the fire damage and assure yourself if you can face this tragedy. But all that considered, have a great walk in the woods. No - you dont need a shower.

TNhiker
12-08-2016, 20:33
use a bandana and a creek to give yourself a sponge bath.......

or take some of those handy wipes type things.......

and maybe some baby powder......

or just suck it up and be stinky.........

TNhiker
12-08-2016, 20:34
If the shelters are still intact


they are....

the fire didnt go up that much towards the ridge of the AT, but rather down towards town.....

TNhiker
12-08-2016, 20:48
72 miles. But don't rush through this.



likewise.......meant to say this earlier---not to rush.....

spend some time at the fire towers/overlooks.......

spend some time on the ridge between silers and clingmans just checking out the views.....

same with the jump off and the bunion.........

and in general, have a good time in this Park.........

ScareBear
12-08-2016, 21:45
Bring one of these in a ziploc. Use it on day 3. Pack it out.
https://www.amazon.com/Anti-Monkey-Butt-02203-AntiMonkey/dp/B004DJ79KS?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=ur2&tag=dsa001-20&linkId=N5ZSSMAJKHXCWHGK

Or, bring a couple of Lightload towels and half a bar of hotel soap. You might want to have a couple of Lightload towels anyway, in case you have to pitch in the rain and mop your floor dry...

https://www.campmor.com/c/lightload-towels-13001

Don't worry about no shower. I always use a Lightload to wash my face in the morning and a large wipe like AMB on each 3rd or 4th day...YMMV as well as your smell....just sayin....

Venchka
12-08-2016, 22:09
You don't say what time of year. You don't say what you plan to do to get ready.
It's your hike. You can be a slave to convention if you like. You might be setting yourself up for disappointment.
Good luck.
Wayne


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

TSWisla
12-08-2016, 23:45
Thank you for helping me to put things in perspective. I am very grateful to all of you.

Slo-go'en
12-08-2016, 23:46
I'd say 5 days minimum, 7 is more typical for a section hike. Weather and time of year are factors.

Engine
12-09-2016, 05:04
NOBO on the thru hike next spring, our plan is to get through it in 4 days. But, we have hiked big mile days in the area before and we know what we are in for. It's NOT easy going, especially the first two days!

If I were you and I wasn't sure about daily mileage, I would pack 5-6 days of food. Then, see if you are on track to finish within that timeframe when you get to Newfound Gap since the trail is a bit easier after that. If not, catch a ride into town and grab some additional grub.

tflaris
12-09-2016, 07:54
We did it in 5 days. Pack base weight was 12-14 lbs


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TSWisla
12-09-2016, 07:58
I plan on going at the end of April.

ScareBear
12-09-2016, 08:00
Dude, the first day out of Fontana is a loooooooooong uphill battle. Literally. Day 2 is a ripper. It get slightly better after that.

Other than wanting to complete the AT in one single direction(I gave up on that a couple of years ago...) and a desire to inflict 8 hours of pain upon yourself every day, why would you demand to go NOBO in that section? As a section hiker, its all hard in GA, NC and TN. Why make it harder? SOBO from Clingman's is soooooooooooooooo much easier. And, guess what? You get to see the EXACT SAME SCENERY!!! Really! It's like a guy I ran into at NOC while we were waiting for a shuttle, he was going to ascend Cheoah on a section hike. He asked what we were doing and replied "The same, but from the other side..." Puzzled look. We said, "Dude, have you looked at an elevation profile?" That said, I would HATE to hike SOBO out of NOC for a day....ouch....

For me/us, its all about the trail. Direction of travel matters not. Distance traveled and energy expended do. YMMV.

TSWisla
12-09-2016, 08:29
I know what you mean because I hiked up from NOC to Cheoah and then back down. I will be honest that it was tough going up, but not so bad that I wouldn't do it again. I will have to next year. I really did not feel like it was too big of a deal. I am really focused on bringing the right equipment and just the right amount of food to keep my weight down. I feel that this is where I have struggled. I do sincerely appreciate your advice though. Having said that, what kind of clothes should I bring for a 7 day hike from NOC through GSMNP? I listed my gear in another thread, but I would really like to figure out what clothes to bring. In addition to the socks that I will be wearing, how many more pairs should I bring? What about hiking shirts? I am bringing only 1 pair of pants. I have a waterproof jacket, do I need to bring a sweater or fleece as well? I am definitely bringing a top and bottom of long underwear and a moisture wicking undershirt for sleeping. Is this too much or not enough? Thank you again.

MuddyWaters
12-09-2016, 08:50
I know what you mean because I hiked up from NOC to Cheoah and then back down. I will be honest that it was tough going up, but not so bad that I wouldn't do it again. I will have to next year. I really did not feel like it was too big of a deal. I am really focused on bringing the right equipment and just the right amount of food to keep my weight down. I feel that this is where I have struggled. I do sincerely appreciate your advice though. Having said that, what kind of clothes should I bring for a 7 day hike from NOC through GSMNP? I listed my gear in another thread, but I would really like to figure out what clothes to bring. In addition to the socks that I will be wearing, how many more pairs should I bring? What about hiking shirts? I am bringing only 1 pair of pants. I have a waterproof jacket, do I need to bring a sweater or fleece as well? I am definitely bringing a top and bottom of long underwear and a moisture wicking undershirt for sleeping. Is this too much or not enough? Thank you again.

Its not as bad as some make it out.
End of april, bring standard gear
You should have no duplicates of anything, but socks possibly, 1 spare pr
It could be 50 at night, or 20, just wont know till then, so need to be prepared
Id bring my 100 wt 11 oz fleece hoody, (wearing much of time)and a 6 oz down puffy for camp. It can get nippy at 6000. But temperature inversions where its warmer at elevation than lower are common too there.

It will be crowded. Tail end of bubble. But still very much in it.
You like spooning with strangers? You may.
14 people in a 12 person shelter is not unusual
With many more tenting

Wait a few more weeks and it will be more pleasant

JC13
12-09-2016, 09:36
That stretch is going to be all about how many miles you can do based on shelter spacing. So you will either be doing long days or short days for the most part. 2 pair of socks, one for wearing, one for sleeping. 1 hiking shirt, its easy to go 5+ days without a shower. Pretty much everyone else will smell bad and you pretty much get numb to it. What you will notice is the clean people, we could smell them sometimes before we even saw them.

ScareBear
12-09-2016, 09:40
Hard to say this far in advance. You should be checking the forecast the day before you hike and adjust your gear accordingly. Shutter's weather app is great for that and it's free.

As Muddy and I have pointed out, you've picked a slightly unfortunate time to hike GSMNP. As a non-thru hiker, you MUST stay in the shelter you have reservations for. You may NOT pitch your tent. Thru-hikers only are allowed to pitch tents when the shelter is full. That's what reservations are for...the shelter....

If you can, wait until the 2nd week of May or later. The odds of a 20 degree night are near zero then. You can probably be safe with a 30 degree bag. I'd just bring what I usually do that time of year, what I am wearing and one more to sleep in. That means in my clothing bag are only one shirt, one pair of socks, one pair of underwear. No shorts/pants. Always a fleece multi-purpose balaclava. You could go with a puffer or mid-weight fleece if you were really worried about cold. I just use my rain jacket and balaclava. I wear Craghopper stretch zip-offs, Terramar t-shirt, Thorlo syn socks, Terramar underwear. I also have a bandana I wear during the day for tick pro. And rain pants. That's it. If ****e goes bad, you can use your rain gear as a vapor barrier inside the bag.

TSWisla
12-09-2016, 10:56
I see, so you can use the same shirt, socks, pants, underwear and socks for 5 days? Only change at night. I just have to recalibrate my thinking. That is why I am asking these questions. Thank you for the insight.

I can't get any other week off because of work, so I am stuck going at the end of April.

MuddyWaters
12-09-2016, 11:22
I see, so you can use the same shirt, socks, pants, underwear and socks for 5 days? Only change at night. I just have to recalibrate my thinking. That is why I am asking these questions. Thank you for the insight.

I can't get any other week off because of work, so I am stuck going at the end of April.

5 days?
You can use them for 6 months
Washing every week or two is good however
No need to change at night either

ScareBear
12-09-2016, 11:41
5 days?
You can use them for 6 months
Washing every week or two is good however
No need to change at night either

Everyone is different about sleeping bag hygiene. Me? I like to have a nice clean down bag to crawl into. After 5 days on the trail, I have to consider whether to wash or burn what I've been wearing. I sure wouldn't wear that stuff for 8 hours in my expensive down bag if I didn't have to....YMMV...

Puddlefish
12-09-2016, 11:57
One of my toughest days of my hike was leaving Fontana Dam. I already had my "trail legs" by the time I got there, and I have less than fond memories of the hot hard flat road walk, followed by the long constant uphill stretch. I was kind of happy to hit the really steep stretch just before Shuckstack tower. I generally like climbing, but it was one of those 5% steeper than my preferred grade deals. Of course it was a very hot day as well, so that might factor in. I recall thinking if I can just gain altitude, it will cool off. Maybe I just had a bad attitude that day.

MuddyWaters
12-09-2016, 13:31
One of my toughest days of my hike was leaving Fontana Dam. I already had my "trail legs" by the time I got there, and I have less than fond memories of the hot hard flat road walk, followed by the long constant uphill stretch. I was kind of happy to hit the really steep stretch just before Shuckstack tower. I generally like climbing, but it was one of those 5% steeper than my preferred grade deals. Of course it was a very hot day as well, so that might factor in. I recall thinking if I can just gain altitude, it will cool off. Maybe I just had a bad attitude that day.

Im going to suggest you just had a bad day.
Most find it vastly over hyped because looks bad on profile.

Most...start in morning too.
Which may play role

u.w.
12-09-2016, 18:17
I see, so you can use the same shirt, socks, pants, underwear and socks for 5 days? Only change at night. I just have to recalibrate my thinking. That is why I am asking these questions. Thank you for the insight.

I can't get any other week off because of work, so I am stuck going at the end of April.

Yes you can hike in the same clothes each day. You can rinse the clothes you wear at the end of each day, or mid-day even - if you like. No soap needed, but a good rinse does a world of good - plus you can rinse and wipe yourself down too, again - a world of good. I carry a gallon ziplok bag for this purpose.
I did that section - plus more on either end - this past July '16. From Fontana Dam Shelter to Davenport Gap (actually Standing Bear Farm Hostel) was a relatively easy three and a half days. I did get clear weather from Icewater Spring shelter to Triconrner Shelter (covering Charlies Bunion, among other spots) which was spectacular! I hope you get great weather when you hike it. The climb into the park ins't so bad. After Spence Field Shelter you'll have a few steep-er-ish ups. Hike your hike at your speed, and enjoy your hike. Again, I hope you have great weather for it, and I'm thinking you're going to love it. I certainly did...
Keep an eye to the weather as the time nears - you may very well still encounter winter weather on your hike at that time.

u.w.