Smokies Backcountry: Pay To Camp?

February 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Should the Great Smoky Mountain National Park charge backpackers for camping overnight in the park? According to an article published yesterday by National Parks Traveler, the answer is a resounding NO:   John Quillen, a Tennessean from Knoxville who fought to have the public comments on the fee proposal made public, says that by his calculation the comments were "almost 20 to 1 against the fee." Part of the concern was that the proposed fees, which range from a low of $4 per person … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appalachian Trail, Backpacking Articles, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, National Parks

Great Smoky Mountain National Park – And The Machoists Got Pelted

January 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Since the early 90's, some Appalachian Trail thru-hikers that I know have continued the tradition of an annual winter hike. As I detailed in "40 at 40", the trip is never easy and is typically booked within a few weeks of the MLK holiday. After a four year absence, I made a guest appearance during their three-day ramble of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park this year. It was mid-way through their hike when we met up at the Mt. Collins Shelter after the machoists got pelted by hail for 30 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appalachian Trail, Backpacking Articles, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Winter Backpacking

Great Smoky Mountain National Park – 40 at 40

January 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Five to ten years ago when I was younger and in better shape, I joined a group of former thru-hikers for a multi-day and often strenuous winter backpacking trip. The hike was appropriately dubbed the MLK trip since it usually occurred on or around the three-day Martin Luther King weekend. The "M.O." of the MLK trip was (and continues to be) a 30-38 mile mega-hike, preferrably in snow, and always spanning four days. Typically we left town after work, fought traffic to some Mexican … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Backpacking Articles, Backpacking Trails, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Winter Backpacking

Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Kephart Shelter – Trip Video (December 2010)

December 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This video is of a short in and out backtrack hike in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It starts at US 441 on the North Carolina side of the park (and just north of the Oconaluftee Visitors Center) near Cherokee. The trail follows the The Kephart Prong which is a stream that runs down from Kephart Shelter to the Newfound Gap Road - also known as US 441. The shelter sleeps 10-12 and is situated in a valley at the junctions of the Grassy Branch and Sweat Heifer Trails. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Great Smoky Mountain National Park, National Parks, Videos, Winter Backpacking
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