dont go in march= get a permit =you will have to stay in the shelters but its a nice hike when the weather is good
A friend of mine and his two grandsons (ages 12 & 14) plan to do the section from Clingman's Dome to I-40 in May. Would be interested in hearing about your experiences with the scouts.
General Backpacker permit will be required. That means getting reservations for each shelter they plan to stay at and sticking to their itinerary. Hiking the crest means they can expect average hi/lo temperatures to be 60º/45º, with actual temperatures to be +/-15º (so they've got to be prepared for temperatures to possibly get to freezing). I once experienced lows in the upper 30's at Icewater in July.Originally Posted by cdk4091
Alot of good advice on here!
As a 15 year veteran scouter, my advice:
As others said, if your group is more than 10 (2 adults/8 youth), split into 2 groups - yes ...that requires an additional 2 adults.
Pick up the AWOL Guide (my preference) or the Thru-hiker's companion - (loved by many others), or some other good map book that indicates water areas.
Have fun!
Many have skirted these rules and they are put there for a reason and many also try and "make up loopholes" to skirt the rules! Nothing was more satisfying than watching two rangers come in to BC 90 one morning and wake up a group of 15 who did not have any backcountry permits, had alcohol not mention some other substances. I think he spent almost an hour writing ticket after ticket and then made them load up and leave the park! It was nice to see some enforcement of the rules for once!
fantastic!
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