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Oops, I just drooled a little bit


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How do you define reasonable? There are plenty of state parks close by, but for fun hikes the closest is Fiery Gizzard Gulf or Savage Gulf (about 1.5 hour drive)


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I’ve never stayed there, but it’s nice. They’re walk-in sites, so you have to haul your gear. There’s a delay in the campground openings in the park this year for whatever reason—something to do with...

Ranger Falls might require a swim for the near future, if that makes a difference in your plans. Collins Gulf is a great loop, too.


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I did Lakeshore Tr to Eagle Creek in the Smokies this week. Lots of creek fords on Eagle and a dip in Fontana Lake kept it cooler on a hot day. CS90 is directly on the lake. You can loop up to...

very nice! --great photos

Sawmill's a great spot to hang. i was there in mid april a few years ago and the hillside above the campsite, and the grotto in front of Schwoon Spring Cave were covered in wildflowers. from the...

that's a neat little rock city up there. where is that on the CT?

if the water's running high, definitely don't miss Schwoon Springs. I think it's the neatest feature at Savage Gulf.

you'll have better sky views from one of the rimside campsites as opposed to Sawmill. I can tell you for sure that the Alum Gap and Collins campgrounds are right next to overlooks, where you'll have...

^^ CS37 is a great spot to hang, right on the river. it's a popular campsite, but probably not this late in the season. BOLO for mice --they're limber and can fly, apparently (!)

go see the Big Tree. it's a really neat sight to see. Fall Creek Falls is nearby, too. But I imagine the falls aren't much to see this time of year.

OK, so the JMT climbs up to the plateau from the O&W Bridge past Jakes Falls and past Devils Den. when it finally crests the ridge, it comes to a T intersection where JMT makes a hard Left-hand turn....

that's good luck on the bear sighting! I've been hiking at BSF fairly frequently for like 15 years and I've still yet to see a bear there.

have you seen Hole in the Ridge? it's just off the...

on average, a 40* would work, but could definitely be cooler.

oh, and be prepared for wet fords on upper Forney Creek. above CS70, they are all unbridged and some are tricky and perhaps impassible in high water.

which sites did you end-up reserving?

On Forney, CS70 is nice... right in between where Jonas Creek joins Forney. 69 was tiny and right on the trail. my memory is telling me that this would...

cool. I have not done any trips in the KY part of the park yet. can't wait for cooler weather to come around.

fun stuff! I got a kick out of the 'tents only' sign. what could they possibly mean by that? maybe they borrowed the sign from an RV campsite? like you said, I'm pretty sure they don't have an...

congrats on the big mileage. I often have a hard time eating my first few days on the trail, too. I've been going stoveless on my solo trips for the past few years. I've found that I just don't have...

what route did you guys end up taking?

I've thought about doing this trip a few times but shied away from the whitewater for an overnight trip. it sounds like it's relatively tame --is that right? if you're looking for another idea, I did...

Check out the Cumberland Trail too. Some of the segments have some really great campsites


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You can get to the Fiery Gizzard in about an hour. It's the nearest fun hiking I can think of.


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well done, that sounds like a fun trip. is the overlook at High Rocks worth the effort? it's one of the few in the Smokies i haven't seen, due to the logistics.

are you saying the shelter was...

just saw a great trip report over on GoSmokies.

bury the poo, burn the TP. what doesn't burn up easily i'll put in a ziplock. it's not typically something we have to worry about in this part of the country but all the more reason to always be...

trying to think of more notes on this route....

I can tell you for sure that Derrick Knob does not have a privy. it's a little out of your way, but Spence does have one. you'll miss most of Spence...

...very rugged, lots of crossings, some deep. wilderness with all the accoutrements... downed trees, washed-out sections, obscured by summer weeds. the upper six miles or so, between Big Fat Branch...

Slickrock is a wild, wild trail.

In the same area, check out Citico, Bald River and Snowbird --all adjacent.

no campsite down there --just the cabin and the cemetery. if old, obscured cemeteries are your thing keep your eyes open for obvious spur trails that have no sign other than a no-horses sign. these...

What did you decide on for a route?

yeah, and it'll be that way through August and beyond perhaps. even 100% chance of rain doesn't mean it's gonna rain all day.

my summertime rainy trip strategy involves designated sleeping...

keep in mind that there are a ton of creek fords on that section of Upper Forney Creek (all of them above CS70 are unbridged), and they won't be easy in higher water. some of them aren't the kind of...

These are all lightly used items --only three bag nights. All items are in perfect condition from my inspection, stuff sacks included.

The Profly is 126in X 76in. No pin holes. Has built in line...

there's a privy at Cosby and Tricorner shelters. no privy at CS38.

keep in mind that that time of year is when most thru-hikers start from Georgia. be prepared for lots of company and perhaps full shelters each night... oh, and nasty weather... March can be a...

your mountains are beautiful

did you hear about the bear attack at Spence Field? I think it happened in early May just before you guys passed through.

The falls in Savage Gulf generally flow year-round --Ranger Falls would be one of the first to dry up. as some folks have already mentioned, down the canyon the creek beds are often dry even when the...

which sites did you guys stay at? is that first campsite Cabin Flats?

yeah, me and some buddies did this about 8 or 9 years ago and had a blast. the Green River is very flat through there... hard to notice a current at all. so there is plenty of paddling involved. I...

just below Black Balsam is Graveyard Fields, which is a pretty neat high elevation valley. you can hit up like three or four waterfalls in a relatively short loop.

Hey Rain Main -- 68 is a weird site in a way... there are two areas that are not exactly close together. I may be exaggerating it in my memory but I swear they were quite a distance away. the upper...

there's on particular trail with like a dozen designated backcountry campsites spread out around it. they also have RV sites and a campground with walk-in sites. I have no idea what they mean by...

definitely no big fords on the Leatherwood to Grand Gap Loop route.

you will have creek crossings along the trail between Slave Falls and Charit Creek. it's not a big creek through that section,...

Daniel Boone supposedly burned his tongue on a turkey gizzard while camped in the area, or something like that.

The Gizzard is awesome --one of my favorites. would you mind telling us about your trip TNHunter? they've been working on a re-route but there's no good info on the park website, nor the Friends of...

what's a good water level for the area falls to be running? is 4 to 5 feet on the gauge usually equate to good flowing falls?

let's see more!