A social network for lovers of the Great Smoky Mountains

Hiking the AT through the Smokies?

Does anyone have an experiences or insights related to hiking the 70-some mile AT through the Smokies?

Permalink Reply by kevinumberger on September 18, 2009 at 4:28pm: start at one end and go to the other.......that's my advice.....(sorry.......couldnt resist)....what kinda info are you looking for?i havent done it as a thru hike, but have done all the at in the park via section hikes........; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Matt on September 18, 2009 at 4:31pm: Wondering if there are any recommendations-- which end to hike from? Good shelters or campsites? ...any insights about the current water situation along the trail, etc.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by kevinumberger on September 18, 2009 at 4:37pm: current water situation (cause this summer has been really wet) is good right now......only have heard of one sorta dry place and i think that was mollies ridge......along the at, other than CS 113, it will be all shelters.......they tore the shelter down at 113 a few years ago.....either end, you have an uphill to start out.........if you wanna make it easier, start at newfound gap and hike one way, then shuttle back to nfg, and hike the other way.......it will avoid the initial uphills...........its a great ridgeline hike with many views along the way.......the views really pick up between silers and pecks........; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Matt on September 18, 2009 at 4:41pm: Thanks! Last time I was on the AT ('07), the water situation was pretty awful. Good to hear that it won't be as scarce this time around.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by kevinumberger on September 18, 2009 at 4:46pm: yeah......that was a bad summer for water and there were problems all over the place....this year, with the rain, it hasnt been as bad...........i havent heard of any major problems.......if you have any more questions, i'll try my best......; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Greg Hoover on September 23, 2009 at 1:29pm: As I recall going from Fontana to Davenport is a little less uphill, but probably not enough to notice. There used to be a shelter at Birch Springs just above Fontana, but it's been changed to a campsite, I think. Seems like a bad idea to me because no one hiking the full 70 miles would want to carry a tent just for that first night. So, if you leave from Fontana make sure you can make it all the way to the first shelter. Otherwise, start at Davenport. Be sure to make the brief side trip to Cammerer if you haven't been there before.

I did it many years ago -- took seven nights. Could easily be done in 6 or 5 nights. Seven was un-rushed and great.

An unusual tangent -- friends and I did the entire eastern half in a single day hike -- 31 miles plus Cammerer. It was incredible! Sunrise at Charlies Bunion and sunset at Cammerer. Walked in the dark first two hours and last two hours. Pretty cool stuff.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Matt on September 23, 2009 at 1:34pm: Thanks for the advice. Wow, the eastern half in a single day! That sounds awesome. We'll be pushing it as well--though not as much. We'll be doing the hike in 4 days/3 nights.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Greg Hoover on September 23, 2009 at 4:53pm: Over 15 miles a day with a full backpack! Yikes. I'm too old for that kind of pace, but I know plenty of young whippersnapers who can do it. Sounds great. Enjoy.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Greg Hoover on September 23, 2009 at 1:30pm: One more thought -- I had the same menu every day -- by the third day I was sick of it. Plan a good variety of food.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Matt on October 4, 2009 at 5:46pm: Well, the trip details are coming into focus. We were hoping for three 20 mile days with the fourth as a ten-miler. Funny how shelter (un)availability can thwart well-thought plans. Instead, our hike looks like this:

Day 1: 9.8 miles from Fontana Dam to Mollies Ridge Shelter
Day 2: 24.9 miles to Mt. Collins Shelter
Day 3: 27.8 miles to Cosby Knob Shelter
Day 4: 8 miles to trailend; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by ashe on October 5, 2009 at 12:16pm: you going soon? in a month or so you may be hard-pressed to get in a 27-mile day with day light left.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Greg Hoover on October 5, 2009 at 1:26pm: OK, I"m kinda old, but I can't imagine doing a couple of 25 mile days. I can't imagine doing even a single day that long with 40 pounds on my back. Sounds like a death march. You obviously know your capabilities better than I do, but if it were me, I'd do just half the park -- that way I'd have time to enjoy the trip rather than having to worry about mileage and daylight. My friends and I did a 33 mile day hike of the eastern half and we really, really rushed and the best we could manage was about 2 or 2.25 mph for the overall trip. If you can keep that pace with much more weight on your back, you'll still be looking at 11 to 13 hours of hiking. If you can maintain a 2 mph pace -- which is going to be hard to do. I'm not necessarily questioning your ability to do it -- just wondering if that long, fast pace will drain the joy out of the trip. But, like I said, I'm a slow, old guy. Either way, it will be a memorable trip . Enjoy.; ▶ Reply to This