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Re: [at-l] GSMNP AT & Miscellany



CP:

I've done all of that itinerary.   Unless you are in excellent shape
I'd be surprised if you can do that route in 7 days!  Since you stated
you want to relax, I'd suggest a much shorter route.  I took 6 days to
do the lakeshore trail loop, IN august also.  It will be HOT & HUMID &
BUGGY & full of poison ivy.  I also to 6 days to do each of the halves
of the at in the Smokies.  starting at Clingmans dome/ newfound gap
and heading downhill. My point is this.  Newbies to the smokies (me
included) grossly underestimate the time it takes to travel those
trails.  I try to limit myself to 8 miles in the summer; 6.5 in the
winter.  

There are some really nice spots along that whole route.  I can help
you with some of that, once you have decided on a route. 

As to bears in the smokies, they are really not a problem.  ALL sites
(including shelters) have wires for hanging your food.  The wire gates
on the shelters are an old leftovers and will be going away.  The
shelters are really to limit impact to the trail.  the tent sites in
the smokies are usually very nice.  why would you want to ruin them
with a building?

Carry a shelter!  It WILL rain on you.  


t. 

Jackson, MS






> A friend and I are looking to do a 70 mile loop in the Smokies.  The loop
> starts and ends at Fontana Dam.  It starts on the Appalachian Trail,
> then switches to the Forney Creek Trail and finally the Lakeshore Trail.
> We're going to do it in 7 or hopefully 8 days, so we'll have time to
> relax, and possibly even a day to set basecamp and do some dayhiking
> (unless I'm told otherwise in some replies!)  We will be going around
> August 4-13, including driving time.
> 
> I was wondering if anyone who has done this loop or hiked any portion of
> it could offer any information, stuff they found interesting,
> uninteresting, etc.  The terrain looks pretty rugged (especially a huge
> descent off of Clingman's Dome) in areas, and I was wondering how much (if
> at all) the terrain slows down the pace.  Any trip reports for this area
> that anyone can point me to would be really great as well.
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