GSMNP Loop hIke advise

[Hosh]

+1 on that, I feel like I have 10 years of experience in an area I've never stepped foot in. We're now starting to get gear purchased, my nephews and brother have to purchase some base, insulating layers and rain gear. I just sprung for a new EE 20 deg Revelation quilt during their Black Friday sale.

We still need to finalize our route, but with this thread and other tools, there's lots to pick from.

Any body got a half way reliable weather forecasting resource for the area? Where kinda tracking to mid to late April, but will start looking at reservations in early April.

[HooKooDooKu]

Any body got a half way reliable weather forecasting resource for the area? Where kinda tracking to mid to late April, but will start looking at reservations in early April.

From what I've heard, local guides count on Mountain Forecast.
Select 'Appalachians' for the 'range'.
Select 'Blue Ridge Mountains' or 'Great Smoky Mountains' for the 'subrange'.
Then pick your desired mountain. I don't understand how they have data organized. The 'subrange' list is NOT alphabetized, and mountains you would think should be in 'Great Smoky Mountains' are not. For example, Clingman's Dome and Mt Guyot, mountains on the spine of GSMNP are NOT in the GSM subrange.
What's great about Mountain Forecast is that it gives the temperature forecast at different elevations for the chosen mountain.

While not a 'Prediction' site, another tool I often find useful is the National Weather Service GSMNP Temp and Precipitation Table. It lists the Hi/Lo temps and rain fall from 5 GSMNP weather stations. The page starts with yesterday's data. If you click the various 'Versions', numbers, you get the record for that many days ago.

I also love the graphs shown at intellicast, but you have to assume the given weather is for the valleys:
GSMNP
Gatlinburg TN
Cherokee NC
Townsend TN

[Dogwood]

The weather link was given given on the first page both for the highest elevations at Clingmans Dome and for Gatlinburg. Plus GSMP has live weather cams.

[Hosh]

Ok, got my permit, yipee. Had to do about 25 online reservations over 3 days because the "Pay Gov" site was down and would error out. You don't find out until the end, so I now have memorized my brother's Ohio vehicle license plate number. I am guessing Paypal was too expensive, too inflexible or too something for the Government to use. Hopefully "Pay Gov" didn't cost a billion dollars.

So, bitching aside, I need a little insight into water sources. We plan to stay 1 night at BC site 37, pretty obvious on sources. Hike up Gunter Fork or Swallow Fork to Laurel Gap Shelter depending on spring runoff levels due to creek crossings. Then hike to BC site 38 back to the trail head.

Thanks for all the help to plan it out, I think we have a good 3 nighter that will give the 4 of us a peak at GSMNP's beauty.

I plan to bring my Sawyer mini in line filter as a gravity feed from a MSR 4 liter bag. I also have a 10l StS bucket. The map indicates a creek crossing north of LGS on Balsam Mt Trail. I also have read of a spring near site 38, either to the southwest of the site or northwest of the tower, can't remember.

Some insight on spring/creek locations would be appreciated. We're going the last week of April.

[TNhiker]

For the shelter----there's a spring, if you go out the front side of shelter (it sits with its back to trail), and down the path a little...

if that spring is not running (usually only in late summer), go up to the intersection with mount sterling trail and go on that for a couple hundred yards.....and you'll see a seepage running across trail...

for 38---there's a spring down Baxter creek trail.....and there's a sign that says water..

this is is a good downhill/climb so you only really want to do it once....

[Hosh]

Thanks,

Curious, at that relative elevation, would you normally filter/treat water from the spring. I will, just for, but probably would not in a more isolated western location.

[TNhiker]

What elevation would I treat water?

thats easy---any elevation....

im not taking that chance so all my water is either filtered or boiled.....

[madgoat]

When I am hiking in the smokies, my tea tastes better than anywhere else. The water is clean and pure, but I always treat it or boil it, even if I'm getting it from a high up spring.

Probably don't have to do it, but 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure'. Not terribly interested in being hopped up on immodium with 3 days left to hike.

[Hosh]

I get it, I plan to treat, especially with my 2 nephews along.

If I were in a similar situation in the Rockies, higher point above ponds or grazing areas, and a natural spring came out of the mountain side, I would not treat it.

[HooKooDooKu]

The hike from 38 to the water source is something like 1/3 of mile (one way) and something like a 300 or 400 foot elevation decent. If I were doing your loop, I would just pack water from either Laural Gap shelter, or from one of the runoffs early along Mount Sterling Ridge. Once you hike about a mile or so from Laural Gap, you won't pass any water sources on the way to 38.

[Hosh]

Thanks, I have a 4 liter MSR roll top bag and some 2 liter Evernew bags. I am excited and hope we hit a good weather window.

[Hosh]

Just got back to Denver, really nice trip. We did Big Creek TH to bc37, Swallow Fork/Mt Sterling to bc38, Baxter Trail to BC TH. The Big Creek drainage is beautiful, clear water, nice pools and waterfall/plunges. Lots of flowers, great weather with light cloud cover and manageable humidity. The area at bc 37 was nice, next to creek, a bit dense (5 total groups) for my liking but still a good setting. Bear cables have disc for mice with plenty of capacity for everyone. There wasn't a privy, surprising with the number and density of hikers. I am guessing the NPS got tried of people leaving trash behind.

Hiked up Swallow Fork the second day, nice steady climb with another beautiful creek. At the intersection with Mt Sterling, there was an abundance of a small white flower in the ground cover. It was an amazing scene and the scent from the flowers was refreshing. My nephew saw the hind end of a black bear cub. We saw a couple of female turkeys, heard a male "thumping" in brush, and some red/brown squirrels. Getting to bc38 was a pretty good pull, 2800' for the day. The bc38 site was also crowded, compounded by a lack of anything close to flat ground. My brother and 2 nephews were sharing my CS UL4 tent and I was in my new CS UL1 (smart move). We had problems finding anything close to flat for UL4 and ended up very close to 2 guys we had met at bc37. A hammock would be a great option, since there were plenty of sturdy trees. Like bc37, no privy and lots of tp splotches everywhere.

Hiked down Baxter was a pounding 4100' descent over 6.2 miles. Quads and calves were rebelling with each step as we neared the trail head. Trail was not as pretty as the day's prior, but there were some really cool fern like mosses growing on the rocks. Not as much wildlife, but did see some day old scat near the BC TH.

Overall pretty fun, my nephews got a taste of backpacking for the first time. Both liked it a lot and talk of future trips. Being a "spoiled" Rocky Mtn guy, I was very impressed with area, lush forest, beautiful streams and flowers ruled the day.

Thanks to all who helped and provided input, we had gear and clothing dialed in with total beginning pack weights @20 #'s.

[TNhiker]

The area at bc 37 was nice, next to creek, a bit dense (5 total groups) for my liking

yeah.......thats the most used backcountry site in the park........

There wasn't a privy, surprising with the number and density of hikers.

except for times when the put a port a john out for cemetery visits-----the only places that have privies in the park are at shelters along the AT.........

The bc38 site was also crowded, compounded by a lack of anything close to flat ground

interesting............was this just around the main fire ring in the clearing near the tower? or did ya check out some of the sites that are kinda hidden in the trees............



glad you had fun...........and got to experience our lush woods and scenery.......

[HooKooDooKu]

Just got back to Denver, really nice trip...

Glad you enjoyed the hike... but I noticed you didn't make any mention of the fire tower at 38. Does that mean no one was brave enough to climb the stairs?

Bear cables have disc for mice...

The disc is for larger animals like squires... the mice will simply climb the wire you clip to the tree.

[Hosh]

We scouted below the fire tower into the trees, but it appeared that the ground continued to slope off. Perhaps we didn't go far enough.

My nephews went up the tower, I already had my pack on and the vistas were pretty limited due to fog, humidity and cloud cover. I have spent the last 12 weeks recovering from shoulder surgery and didn't get much time to get into shape. The walk up Swallow Fork and Mt Sterling to 38 was a gasser and passing on the tower fit into my mental state.

I didn't try to stop mice on the attached cables, since it looked like the grab handles were slick enough to stop them. We hung our packs and food bags with out any problems.

It's easy to understand how 37 is the most popular, pretty beautiful setting.

[TNhiker]

I didn't try to stop mice on the attached cables, since it looked like the grab handles were slick enough to stop them

one thing to keep in mind, and i usually mention it but not sure if i did in this thread or not------for the bear cables in the Park, it is a good idea to use a redundant method with those cables...

the hook to hang bags is an open faced hook and the bears and other wildlife have learned to jiggle and shake the cables getting bags to fall........

a simple carabiner attached to the main loop of the cable will prevent this..........

[TNhiker]

We scouted below the fire tower into the trees, but it appeared that the ground continued to slope off. Perhaps we didn't go far enough.

yeah.....theres a few sites hidden in the trees with fire rings and what not.........along with, and used primarily by horse peoples, a site to the east side of the trail..........


not sure if the sites down in the trees would have been more level for ya or not..............its been a while since ive been up there and dont remember it being too much of a slant when i stayed there...