Benton MacKaye Trail

[Egads]

I've encountered a few confusing areas in the Cohuttas and IIRC along Section 15; but I never felt the need to pull out a compass

[Mags]

Maps yes, compass..probably not, but at one ounce (or less for a thumbnail sized one), there is no real reason to not bring one.

(I used one just to pull out quick at two trail junctions in the wilderness areas. Did I need it? No. Did I find it useful. Yes)

[Diamond Diggs]

I am getting ready to head out for section hike tomorrow.... about six days as far as I can get from the ocoee hyw 30 area.... i guess i should pick up a compass just in case.... not really sure I know EXACTLY what to do with it though (other than knowing what direction I am heading in that particular moment)

by the way.... if anyone is free I sure would not mind the company... for some reason I am getting a little freaked out about bears!

[Mags]

[quote=the vagabond;904970i guess i should pick up a compass just in case.... not really sure I know EXACTLY what to do with it though[/quote]


IF you are not sure how to use a compass, probably not much use.
http://www.learn-orienteering.org/old/


Too late now, but read this and practice!

[Diamond Diggs]

well... ive got the basics down..... but not a whole lot more

I think I can do a little orienteering, as far as positioning compass to map to get general direction

[Cuffs]

6 days from Ocoee to Hwy 30? NO! I did that over Labor Day weekend and in 2.5 days... Trail is good except in one area where it merges with old forest roads. Maybe they are still there, I left stick arrows on the ground indicating the trail...

[Diamond Diggs]

no, 6 days from hyw 30 OR ocoee to the GSMNP boundary.... hehehe

no worries though, had to change my plans, I guess I will hit it up come december!
speaking of which... anyone in the area up for a section hike the first couple weeks in DEC. on the BMT?

[bsa-troop6]

We are about to publish a trail guide for the TN/NC section of the Benton MacKaye Trail. It will have color maps and profiles of each 5-10 mile segment with a description of the route, history, etc and location of campsites and water sources. It will be 48 pages long printed on waterproof paper, about 4x11 inches in size, perfect for sticking in your pocket or on a side pocket of your pack. It will be available on www.bmta.org as well as at REI stores and lots of other places. But it is not yet available. Sorry. If you need something right now, the best is the Trails Illustrated map for the Tellico/Ocoee Section of the Cherokee National Forest (#781). Also covered on the two new maps for N GA (777, 778) and the Smokies map (229). The BMT is shown in yellow on these maps. Also, there are segment maps available for downloading on the www.bmta.org website, but these have not been updated in several years. Hope this helps. The trail is fairly clear of blowdowns and brushed out almost all of the TN/NC section, except for the section just north of US64 to Kimsey Highway, which we plan to go fix up on Nov 10-11. The intersection of the Dry Pond Lead Trail with the BMT near to Kimsey Highway is not very obvious at present. This will be fixed by the middle of next week. Remember though that in Tennessee we are not permitted to paint blazes in the wilderness, so you really do need that map and compass or GPS in places.