Okay boys and girls---I return from a backpacking trip in the TN and NC mountains and it's a return to Snowbird wilderness for 17 days of the trip and then an exploration of the 5 peaks surrounding the Snowbird backcountry starting on Day 17---Hooper Bald, Huckleberry/Little Huckleberry Knob, Haw Knob and Whiggs Meadow. The last 10 days finds me on Sycamore Creek down to Tellico River and up and over Sugar Mt to Brookshire Creek.

All trip pics can be found here--

https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backp...s-wo-Resupply/

27 DAYS
WITHOUT
RESUPPLY

TRIP 206
August 18-September 13, 2020

HIGHLIGHTS
** 27 DAYS WITHOUT A SMARTPHONE
** 27 DAY THRUHIKE FROM HOOPER BALD TO GREEN COVE CABIN
** 32 CREEK CROSSINGS
** 4 BACKPACKERS SEEN IN 27 DAYS (INCLUDING PATMAN)
** DAY 1 TWO BACKPACKERS SEEN ON TRAIL 154 AND THEY SPEND 4 DAYS IN MEADOW BRANCH CAMP
** SNOWBIRD CREEK GOES WILD: BIG STORM ON DAY 8
** TRAIL 415 REACH AROUND ON WILDCAT KNOB AND NEW CS ON FS 2581
** PATMAN JOINS ME IN SASSAFRAS CREEK CAMP
** HURRICANE LAURA DELUGE RAINSTORM ON SASSAFRAS CREEK DAY 12
** TREMENDOUS RAINSTORM ON DAY 13 IN FORGOTTEN CAMP DAY 13: 10 INCHES IN 3 HOURS
** THIRD BACKPACK UP KING'S MEADOW
** BACKPACKING IN A TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR MISS NATURE GIVES ME A BATH DAY 14
** 3 NIGHTS ON KING'S MEADOW TRAIL
** BACKPACKING LITTLE HUCKLEBERRY, BIG HUCKLEBERRY, HOOPER BALD, HAW KNOB AND WHIGGS MEADOW ON AN 8 MILE DAY
** 2 NIGHTS IN HOBO CAMP ON SYCAMORE CREEK

TRAILS
Entrance at Hooper Bald in North Carolina
King's Meadow Trail Down on Gravel Road
Trail 154 Heading Southwest
**154 Cove Camp**
Trail 154 Down to Snowbird Creek
Snowbird Creek Trail Downstream 6 Crossings
**Camp 7 on Snowbird Creek**
Snowbird Creek Trail Downstream 5 Crossings
**Meadow Branch Upper Campsite**
Snowbird Creek Trail to 65A to Middle Falls
**Middle Falls Camp**
65A Backtrack to Snowbird Creek Crossing Above Middle Falls
**South Bank Burnt Rock Campsite**
Burnt Rock Ridge Trail Going Up
**Burnt Rock Ridge Camp**
Burnt Rock Ridge Trail Going Down to Sassafras Creek
Sassafras Creek Traill Down
Snowbird Creek Trail Heading Downstream
**Sassy Bird aka Jalopy Camp**
Snowbird Creek Trail Heading Downstream to Jct City
King's Meadow Trail
**Owl Camp Footbridge Camp**
Snowbird Creek Trail Backtrack Up
Trail 415 Snowbird Mt Trail Heading Up
FS Logging Road 2581 East to Deep Gap and old 415 up to Wildcat Knob and Backtrack to 2581
**2581 West Camp**
415 Backtrack Down to Snowbird Creek Trail
Snowbird Creek Trail Upstream
Sassafras Creek Trail Up
**Sassafras Creek Camp (2)**
Sassafras Creek Backtrack Down
Snowbird Creek Trail Up to Footbridge
**Main Footbridge Camp**
Trail 64A Up
Snowbird Creek Trail Upstream
**Forgotten Camp Near Upper Falls**
Snowbird Creek Trail Backtrack Downstream to Jct City
King's Meadow Trailhead
**Owl Camp Footbridge Camp**
King's Meadow Trail Up
**Arrow Camp Near High Owl Camp Creek**
King's Meadow Trail Up
**Upper Deep Gap Camp**
King's Meadow Trail Up
Hooper Bald Trail Heading East
Huckleberry Knob Trail to Little Huck Trail
**Little Huck Camp (2)**
Little Huck Trail Backtrack to Huckleberry Knob Trailhead
Skyturd Roadwalk
Hooper Bald Trail Backtrack
Skyturd Roadwalk from Hooper Bald to Big Junction
Haw Knob Bushwack Up and Over to Whiggs Meadow
BMT/Sycamore Creek Trail Down
**Hobo Camp on Sycamore Creek (2)**
Sycamore Creek Trail Down
**Low Sycamore Camp aka Bear Camp**
Sycamore Creek Trail Down to Tellico River
BMT/Sugar Mt Trail Up and Over to Brookshire Creek
**Horse Camp on Brookshire Creek Trail**
Sugar Mt Backtrack Up to Top
**Pretty Pine Gap on Sugar Mt**
Sugar Mt Trail Down to Tellico River
Sycamore Creek Trail Backtrack Upstream
**Low Hobo Camp on Sycamore Creek**
Sycamore Creek Trail Backtrack Downstream
Tellico River Roadwalk to Green Cove Cabin
**Green Cove Cabin High Campsite (2)**
Picked up by Little Mitten at Cabin and OUT.



Little Mitten and Zoe dog drop me off on Hooper Bald in NC at 5,400 feet. In the distance on left is Huckleberry Knob where I will be on Day 17 after a full exploration of Snowbird wilderness.


I leave Hooper Bald and lose several hundred feet on King's Meadow trail to this spot---where I take Trail 154 into the Birds.


It's remarkable but on Day 1 I see backpackers who are fishermen from Charlotte headed down to Snowbird Creek to basecamp 4 days on the creek to fish. I see only 4 backpackers for the entire trip.


Trail 154 punches me on Snowbird Creek trail where I turn left and get into crocs for the trip's 30+ creek crossings. This is #1 below 154 jct. Pack is a Dan McHale model coming in at alittle over 100 lbs---with 65 lbs of food/fuel and 7 books etc.


As I tool down Bird Creek I run into the 2 backpackers from Charlotte and they are camped on Meadow Branch---a side creek from the north running down into Bird Creek.


My campsite is higher up on Meadow Branch Creek---at a fine spot. Solo tent of choice is my 8 lb 10 oz Hilleberg Keron 3---the perfect long-term solo backpacking tent.


On Day 4 I pull 11 Bird Creek crossings and reach Middle Falls, a major landmark in the Birds. This shows slightly higher than normal flow---but then Hurricane Laura hits.