Hiking next week GSMNP - partner?

[centerfieldr162]

I will be in the GSMNP next week. Specifically hiking dates 1/3, 1/4, and 1/5. Looking to see if anyone wanted to go along with me. I'm doing out and back day hikes all three days. PM me if you're interested!

[Pheral]

Sorry, I have to work. Otherwise...

Gonna be quite cold. Bring spikes - a lot of ice at higher elevations.

[illabelle]

Overnight lows in Knoxville range from 8 to 14°. Hard to imagine how hard the wind might bite on a ridge up in the mountains! Hope you got plenty of insulation.

[centerfieldr162]

I know it's going to be super cold. I have my cold weather gear and I hiked the snow storm last March but I don't even think it got past -3 degrees on LeConte then. Hopefully I won't turn into a popsicle lol anyone else want to come??

[Bianchi Veloce]

I know it's going to be super cold. I have my cold weather gear and I hiked the snow storm last March but I don't even think it got past -3 degrees on LeConte then. Hopefully I won't turn into a popsicle lol anyone else want to come??

My brother and I are planning on doing the AT through the park January 20 thru 27. I'd be interested in your experience in your hike. Any advice you can share would be awesome.

Good luck in your hike. It is bitterly cold in the Smokies this week. Be safe.

[Gambit McCrae]

Be safe!! BRRRRR

[Tipi Walter]

Mt LeConte always gets walloped with low temps. On Jan 1 the low was -6F. On Jan 2 is was -5F. Today's low is 4F.

On time I was nearby on Hangover Mt at -10F and LeConte had -22F. What a difference.

[HooKooDooKu]

I will be in the GSMNP next week. Specifically hiking dates 1/3, 1/4, and 1/5. Looking to see if anyone wanted to go along with me. I'm doing out and back day hikes all three days. PM me if you're interested!

How was it?
A hiking buddy was up there last week doing a few day hikes posting pictures on Facebook showing the snow on the ground and reporting the temperature.

[centerfieldr162]

How was it?
A hiking buddy was up there last week doing a few day hikes posting pictures on Facebook showing the snow on the ground and reporting the temperature.

It was a really good trip! I will post a longer description later tonight whenever I'm not at work and I have time to upload some pictures.

I hiked LeConte via Alum Cave, Rocky Top, and Charlie's Bunion. The trails were very icy, definitely needed my spikes as I had already figured. I've been hiking gsmnp for a while and I don't know why it still surprises me when I see clueless tourists, but I saw several people trying to hike LeConte without spikes, some even in shoes like duck boots... Crazy. Got caught in a lot of snow on top of Rocky Top and couldn't see a thing. It was cold outside but I did just fine with my midweight merino shirt and a pullover on top of it. I had my puffy and rain jacket in my backpack in case I needed them, but I never got cold until I stopped to take some pictures and I had sweated enough for it to soak my shirt. Not as much snow on top of LeConte as I expected, but there was at least 8 inches on the ridges leading to Charlie's Bunion and also Rocky Top.

[HooKooDooKu]

I hiked LeConte via Alum Cave, Rocky Top, and Charlie's Bunion.

??? Rocky Top ???
I thought that was an alternate name for Thunder Head Mountain along the AT just outside of Cades Cove.
I'm familiar with 'Arch Rock', 'Eye of the Needle', 'Inspiration Point', 'The Bluffs', 'Gracie's Pulpit', 'Cliff Tops', 'High Top', 'Myrtle Point', 'The Jump Off', 'Charlie's Bunion', and 'The REAL Charlie's Bunion' in that area you descript. But I'm not familiar with anything called 'Rocky Top'.

[centerfieldr162]

??? Rocky Top ???
I thought that was an alternate name for Thunder Head Mountain along the AT just outside of Cades Cove.
I'm familiar with 'Arch Rock', 'Eye of the Needle', 'Inspiration Point', 'The Bluffs', 'Gracie's Pulpit', 'Cliff Tops', 'High Top', 'Myrtle Point', 'The Jump Off', 'Charlie's Bunion', and 'The REAL Charlie's Bunion' in that area you descript. But I'm not familiar with anything called 'Rocky Top'.

It is along the AT on Thunderhead Mountain. You can see the "rocky top" label on the GSMNP trail map. It's a side trail on the AT. There are two rocky summits, the first is what they call Rocky Top that was supposedly the inspiration for the song. This has just been my understanding from recent reading.

http://www.hikinginthesmokys.com/thunderhead.htm

[centerfieldr162]

It is along the AT on Thunderhead Mountain. You can see the "rocky top" label on the GSMNP trail map. It's a side trail on the AT. There are two rocky summits, the first is what they call Rocky Top that was supposedly the inspiration for the song. This has just been my understanding from recent reading.

http://www.hikinginthesmokys.com/thunderhead.htm

Didn't mean side trail. It's the first rocky "summit" you come up to on the AT. I could barely see once I started on Bote Mt Trail because of the snow.

[HooKooDooKu]

It is along the AT on Thunderhead Mountain. You can see the "rocky top" label on the GSMNP trail map...

I get it now... you were describing 3 separate hikes:
1. LeConte via Alum Cave
2. Rocky Top
3. Charlie's Bunion.

Because of the proximity of LeConte to Charlie's Bunion, I though you were describing one long hike. That was further reinforced by the fact that 'High Top' is a pile of rocks on the summit of LeConte that someone could mistakenly call Rocky Top. So I thought you might have meant you hiked a huge loop of Alum Cave, Boulevard, AT to Charlie's Bunion and to New Found Gap.

[DSPeabody]

??? Rocky Top ???
I thought that was an alternate name for Thunder Head Mountain along the AT just outside of Cades Cove.
I'm familiar with 'Arch Rock', 'Eye of the Needle', 'Inspiration Point', 'The Bluffs', 'Gracie's Pulpit', 'Cliff Tops', 'High Top', 'Myrtle Point', 'The Jump Off', 'Charlie's Bunion', and 'The REAL Charlie's Bunion' in that area you descript. But I'm not familiar with anything called 'Rocky Top'.

Since this thread has bean brought back up, and I know HooKoo is still around....I have to ask what is the REAL Charlie's Bunion? I didn't realize there were two.

[TNhiker]

Since this thread has bean brought back up, and I know HooKoo is still around....I have to ask what is the REAL Charlie's Bunion? I didn't realize there were two.

Its about a quarter (maybe a touch longer or shorter) mile from what's now know as the "tourist bunion".......

small trail going through the brush, at least ten years ago when I was last up that way...

[HooKooDooKu]

Since this thread has bean brought back up, and I know HooKoo is still around....I have to ask what is the REAL Charlie's Bunion? I didn't realize there were two.

If you look in Google Earth (or satellite view of Google Maps), you can clearly see the trail that goes pretty much strait up a hill:
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6383.../data=!3m1!1e3
Scroll out from that link and you'll see Google Map's waypoint for Charlies Bunion at the "tourist" bunion off to the left.

But keep in mind the satellite image shown was captured in late November. If you go during the summer, expect growth that is 4' tall mostly hiding the trail.

[Ashepabst]

fun stuff! let's see the photos. Alum Cave is quite the adventure when icy. I once saw a teen-aged kid come within inches of a big icefall at the bluffs.

[TNhiker]

??? Rocky Top ???
I thought that was an alternate name for Thunder Head Mountain along the AT just outside of Cades Cove.

it's sadly also the "new" name for a city here in tennessee----old lake city...........or old coal creek......

[HooKooDooKu]

it's sadly also the "new" name for a city here in tennessee----old lake city...........or old coal creek......

Rocky Top, TN
According to Wikipedia, the city was founded as "Coal Creek", renamed to "Lake City" in 1936, and then "Rocky Top" in 2014.

[TNhiker]

Rocky Top, TN
According to Wikipedia, the city was founded as "Coal Creek", renamed to "Lake City" in 1936, and then "Rocky Top" in 2014.

yup.

just like i said in my post....