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  1. #1
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    Thumbs up VIDEO: Hammocking the Great Smoky Mountains during Tropical Storm Zeta




    In September 2020 I spent 3 days backpacking the northeast corner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This was my first trip back in a hammock after a couple t*nt outings in Yellowstone. I always appreciate my hammock more after going to ground! Tropical Storm Zeta ended up having a heavy influence on my plans.

    On Day 1 I started at the Chestnut Branch trailhead and knocked out a short road walk before beginning the real fun - a climb up the Baxter Creek Trail to the top of Mt Sterling. Weighing in at 4000' of elevation gain over ~6 miles this is widely regarded as one of the most difficult trails on the East Coast. As rewarding as it is challenging, the view from the Mt Sterling Fire Tower may be the best in the Smokies.

    After enjoying the scenery on Night 1 I woke up to more precipitation on Day 2. All the rain did lead to a beautiful hike descending Swallow Fork Trail. Following Swallow Fork as it grew from a small stream to a full-fledged river was one of my favorite aspects of the trip. Once I reached the end of my descent for the day, at Big Creek, I ate lunch in the Walnut Bottom area. An afternoon climb brought me up to the Appalachian Trail and Cosby Knob, home for the night.

    I had expected the weather to break on Day 3 but the rain continued to come down. Fog obscured my view from Mt Cammerer which was a bit of a disappointment, as I had planned the entire trip around visiting Cammerer. Oh well, something to look forward to in a future adventure. With no sign of the rain abating I decided to call it a trip after 3 days and headed back to the car.

    Enjoy the gorgeous natural sights and in-the-wild commentary from my 3-day adventure in the Great Smoky Mountains! Thanks for watching.


    Layne

  2. #2
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    Nice video. Too bad you had all that rain but you seem to adjust very well. Thanks for sharing.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Longwinters View Post
    Nice video. Too bad you had all that rain but you seem to adjust very well. Thanks for sharing.
    Thanks for checking it out Long. I enjoy how backpacking forces us out of our comfort zones having to adapt to situations that we aren't in full control of.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Layne View Post
    Thanks for checking it out Long. I enjoy how backpacking forces us out of our comfort zones having to adapt to situations that we aren't in full control of.
    Completely agree! I remember my first multi day solo trip out where I was completely alone in the middle of nowhere. Honestly, a bit uncomfortable that first night. Then, you build some confidence and keep going.

  5. #5
    Senior Member twentybelow's Avatar
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    Good choice on "option B". We can't expect to avoid rain on multi-day trips, but three consecutive days of dealing with soggy gear gets tiresome. Thanks for posting!

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tpatter View Post
    Completely agree! I remember my first multi day solo trip out where I was completely alone in the middle of nowhere. Honestly, a bit uncomfortable that first night. Then, you build some confidence and keep going.
    You're totally right! We all started somewhere. And as a bonus you got to apply that confidence gained from backpacking to other areas of life as well.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by twentybelow View Post
    Good choice on "option B". We can't expect to avoid rain on multi-day trips, but three consecutive days of dealing with soggy gear gets tiresome. Thanks for posting!
    Thanks for checking it out twenty! I had no regrets about finishing the trip when I did and had a great time overall.

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