Smokies Slack pack ?
Has anyone ever slack-packed the Smokies ? Is this even possible ?
Just ignore it
"Seeks It" did it in 2012 as part of his remarkable feat of hiking the entire trail both SOBO and NOBO in the same year by doing nothing but out and back day hikes for the entire length of the trail. He did the Smokies sometimes with some fairly long hikes and sometimes by hiking in on side trails. Here is a link to his trail journal for that year if you want the particulars -- he started the Smokies on March 8:
http://www.trailjournals.com/journal/entry/369551
Life Member: ATC, ALDHA, Superior Hiking Trail Association
Wow, that is remarkable. Do you know his motivation for doing it this way? Did he not like sleeping in the woods?Originally Posted by map man
Of course it's possible.......
----by using shuttles...
-----by using other trails...
-----or do the it in two long chunks with long days of hiking...
Not unless hike 35-38 mpd
Which means no for 99+% of people
Go ahead and count the road crossings yourself
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 09-12-2017 at 09:29.
It's 39.7 miles from the southern boundary to New Found gap (the only road which crosses the AT) and then it's 31.3 Miles from New Found Gap to Davenport Gap. So, if you can do that kind of mileage in a day, sure it can be done.
Using side trails doesn't help, you'd be doing 5 to 10 mile hikes up steep trails just to get to the AT. By the end of the day you'd still have hiked 30 miles.
Even Warren Doyle's AT slack pack hikes have to do overnight stays to get through the Smokies.
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If you're in the right kind of shape... sure it can be done.
Several years ago, a park ranger went from Fontana Dam to Davenport Gap in one day.
You can use Clingman's Dome road to reduce the mileage for the southern half by about 8 miles, so 31.7 Fontana to CD, 8 CD to NFG, 31.3 NFG to Davenport. Still a bunch of miles.
At Clingman's Dome, it's a 1/2 mile detour to the parking lot.
But if you continue NOBO on the AT for a little more than 2 miles, the trail comes within 25 yards of the road to Clingman's Dome at Collins Gap (there's even a small parking lot at the gap with room for about 10 cars).
There's a couple of other places between Clingman's Dome and New Found Gap where the AT is pretty much right at the road.
Other than the Clingman's Dome/New Found Gap area, the closest approach the AT makes much of anything is Cosby Campground. From Low Gap, it's a 2.5 mile - 2,000' descent to the campground... but at that point, you're only 7 miles from Davenport Gap.
Next on the list is a 5 mile - 3,000' descent to Laural Creek Rd from Spence Field.
Side trails to a trail head only get worst from there.
The only way I would attempt this is to start at Newfound Gap and head North 31 miles to Davenport, then go Clingmans Dome and hike North 7 miles to Newfound Gap. Then the third day start at Clingmans dome and hike South to Fontana. Less climbing this way
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