GSMNP: Done

[HooKooDooKu]

...spending a night in every backcountry site....
so i stole his idea.....
... spent a night in every site ...including the island and other lake ones......bought a canoe specifically to do that....

I've got a canoe, and have several times considered rowing to some of these water campsite... just never got around to doing it.

Where did you usually put-in for these trips?

Only obvious places are the Fontana Marina and the boat ramp near Bryson City. But that makes for some long distance rowing to some of those water-only-access campsites.
Looking at Google Earth, there appears to be some additional marinas along '28' between Stecoah and Almond.

I guess my biggest concern with the canoe is that with the exception of the Bryson City put-in, you've got to cross the open water of Fontana Lake, which looks to average 1/4 mile based on some Google Earth measurements.

[HooKooDooKu]

Oh, and now you'll have to change that little script under your name: "On my way to the 900 Miler Club"

It's been so long since I set that, I can't find where to change it at the moment... closest I've come has been to find the setting to change the avatar, but not the text under the avatar.

[Ashepabst]

the one boat trip I've done on Fontana was from the Marina to the head of Hazel Creek Cove. it was right around 5 miles as the crow files... didn't take us long at all, even in gear-laden canoes and a headwind. I can't remember the exact amount of time it took, but we got a late, mid afternoon start and still had enough time to hang around at camp before dark (October).

[centerfieldr162]

Congrats! Headed up there this weekend for a short trip. Hope to be in the club with you one day.

[HooKooDooKu]

Also meant to say that with my best conservative estimation I've logged over 5000 miles within the park boundaries and most of that was before I ever heard of the 900 mile club. I bet HooKoo has way more than he thinks!

I doubt I have 5000 miles logged...

I've lived in Alabama my entire life, so GSMNP has always been a pretty far distance to go for camping and day-hikes. Most of the last 25 years has only averaged 2 or 3 trips a year to GSMNP (and one of those was our annual hike to LeConte Lodge).

It's only been in the last 7 years since my kids were old enough to start going that I started averaging something more like 4 or 5 trips per year.

But early this year, I looked at my 'map' (in this case, color-coded routes in Google Earth to visually track my progress) and realized that I just might be able to finish with about a half dozen trips.
1. Hike up Greenbrier Ridge to Derrick Knob.
2. Bear Creek - Hazel Creek - Lakeshore Loop (only time I've camped 4 nights in a row in GSMNP).
3. Zig-zag up-n-down the various trails in the Deep Creek area
4. Rich Mtn Road, Indian Gap, Ace Gap, Beard Cane, Cooper Road loop (a few miles of road walking can often create a loop hike)
5. Porters Creek, Brushy Mtn, Trillium Gap, Rainbow Falls, Old Surgarlands Trail (that one required a shuttle - was great to see Vesna from 'A Walk In The Woods' again).
6. Baxter, Sterling Ridge, Swallow Fork, Low Gap, Lower Mt Cammerer, AT, Cheastnut (again, a short dirt road walk turned this into a loop)
7. Oconaluftee River (out and back), Clingman's Dome Road/AT loop between Mt Collins and Road Prong, and Laural Falls to Townsend 'Y'

Never done that much hiking in one year. (Except last year when I thru hiked the JMT).

[HooKooDooKu]

Here's a screen shot of my Google Earth Map:
GSMNP.jpg
Orange Lines - trails I've hiked.
White Lines - trails I have NOT hiked (quiet walk ways, horse trails, etc)
Grey Lines - Roads
Yellow Lines - Roads I've hiked to complete a loop
Red Lines - Old Trails now closed/over grown/etc
Dark Orange Lines - Old Trails now closed/over grown/etc that I've hiked.
Yellow Tepee - Campsite I've stayed at
Yellow House - Shelter I've stayed at
Green Tepee - Campsite I've NOT stayed at
Green House - Shelter I've NOT stayed at
Red Tepee - Closed Campsites
Red House - Closed Shelter
Brown Tepee - Horse Camps
Blue Tepee - Water Access Campsites

[HooKooDooKu]

I don't have a link but I thought I read that the average 900 miler covered about 1500 to achieve them all. As pointed out above, trails look quite different in different seasons and it's not that hard to freshen up old routes with different variations.

The trails vary from season to season, seem different in one direction compared to the other. So most trail repeats have really NOT been repeat experiences.
Then add the fact that the character of most trails drastically changes from one end to the other, and even if you've done the trail before, you won't recall all the changes in character.

At this point, the only trials that have been memorized such that I pretty much recall what's coming next is Alum Cave and Boulevard... and that's only because they are my favorite trails for going to LeConte and hiked each of them about a dozen times.

[madgoat]

Great job HooKooDooKoo! I hope to join you in the 900 mile club in the next couple of years.
For those interested in stats:

• I have about 98 trail miles left in the park (scattered all over the place) until I get 900.
• I have hiked 1059 trail miles in the park to date (from 1998 to present)
• I have spent 70 nights in the park at backcountry campsites and shelters on 21 separate backpacking trips that spanned from 3-5 days each.
• I have logged about 155 miles of dayhikes with family or by myself.
• If the elevation gain/loss figures in Nat Geo Topo software can be believed, I have hiked roughly 368,000 ft elevation gain and loss. (all trips have been loops or out and back.
• I expect to hike an additional 200 miles or so to get my last few miles, since I will be covering ground I have already hiked to get to those last illusive trails, and several of them will be out and back trips. I only have one backpacking trip left in an area that I have not hiked the majority of the trails already (northwest of cades cove).

No easy feat to get all 900, so major kudos to you HooKooDooKoo! If you do get around to it, I would be very interested in your stats for what it took to get all 900 miles.

[TNhiker]

Where did you usually put-in for these trips?

depends upon where im going....

i have launched from the marina.......cable cove (hazel creek is almost a straight shot across lake)...........there's a ramp on the road in to tsali..........and tsali has a ramp as well............also, there one on the south side of the lake outside of bryson that i have launched from....

there's one on the north side of the lake near bryson that i have not launched from....


one thing to keep in mind-----the north shore is NPS land----which means you have to stay in designated campsites...

south shore is national forest land for the most part (some private land as well, i believe)..

which means on the south side and many many islands----one can camp anywhere.................and there are hundreds of campsites on fontana...

also---the other lakes in the area---santeelah and chilhowee have campsites as well..........

i really enjoyed the trips i did on santeelah----i think theres 20 or so campsites scattered across that lake...

[TNhiker]

I've got a canoe, and have several times considered rowing to some of these water campsite... just never got around to doing it.

i highly suggest a trip over to check out the eagle creek copper mine...


http://www.ecjones.org/scenery/_Grea...opper_Mine.pdf




also----there are some cemeteries in the park that only accessible by boat.........

[TNhiker]

you've got to cross the open water of Fontana Lake, which looks to average 1/4 mile based on some Google Earth measurements.

its easy to cross the lake though...

low motorized traffic.........

unless its a high wind---its easy to cross..

and one day if you'd like---i could tell you the story about me being stuck on an island (CS87) when my canoe floated away....

[HooKooDooKu]

i highly suggest a trip over to check out the eagle creek copper mine...

That reminds me of one of the things on my "What Next" list... some off-trail exploration.

As one major example, I've wanted for years to make my way to the top of Mt. Guyot... simply because it is listed as the highest mountain east of the Mississippi with no trail/road to the summit... meaning not very many people go there. But such a trip has been on hold for the last couple of years as I started pushing in earnest to get to the 900 Miler Club.

[Traffic Jam]

and one day if you'd like---i could tell you the story about me being stuck on an island (CS87) when my canoe floated away....

Now you've done it...tell us please. It sounds like a great story.

(I love knowing I'm not the only dumb*ss).

....and congratulations on your achievement, HooKooDooKu

[TNhiker]

yeah.....

guyot has no real trail up to it....

ive never been up there but sometimes theres some ribbon flagging marking the route...



the copper mine, imo, is not to be missed...

if you have boat---id be happy to show you the route over that way....

[HooKooDooKu]

the copper mine, imo, is not to be missed...
if you have boat---id be happy to show you the route over that way....

Yea, I'd like the details on the copper mine.
Don't have any plans at the moment to canoe across Fontana, but it's been something on my radar for many years since I do own a canoe.
I like to learn about where these kinds of places are located and add them to my GSMNP Google Earth data.

[FYI: My Google Earth data originated from the data available from TNLandforms.us. I've since reorganized their data into the different trail types, added additional trails as I learn where they are (such as the JumpOff or the old route up to Blanket Mountain), added the various roads in the park (since a road walk of a few miles can make many a hike a loop hike without the need for a shuttle), updated trail locations when the satellite imagery shows the path to be off, and added markers to indicate trail distances not just between trail intersections, but trail intersections, campsites, and major points of interest such as water falls.]

[TNhiker]

this is the best resource i have found on the copper mine...

http://www.ecjones.org/scenery/_Grea...opper_Mine.pdf


its pretty easy to find-----just paddle up the eagle creek watershed and theres a point where eagle creek (and its wide at this point) goes to the left and theres a cove towards the right.....

go back in this cove and look on the north side of the shoreline and theres a path and what not.......

[TNhiker]

canoeing fontana has opened up a whole different world of seeing the park for me.....

the old road bed can be seen along the shore, the cemeteries, etc etc etc...

for a while----i was backpacking winter, spring and fall, and when it was hot----was doing canoe camping trips.......

fontana and santeelah were my main places but would wander some of the other lakes in that area as well...

[Starchild]

Congrats, I have the AT section done, there is more?

[HooKooDooKu]

its pretty easy to find-----just paddle up the eagle creek watershed and theres a point where eagle creek (and its wide at this point) goes to the left and theres a cove towards the right.....

From your description, I assume you're talking about the split that occurs about 3/4 of the way between the main lake opening near the boat-in campsite and campsite 90.Looking at the satellite data dated 4/2013, I can see what looks like an object at the waters edge that looks like an Eiffel Tower on a round white foundation that would be submerged if the lake was full. Beyond that, I can't make out any paths...

Oooo... but wait a minute. With the Earth Point Toto overlay, I see the 'Fontana Copper Mine' being located up the mountain side on a sub-cove on the left, and an old trail that goes strait up the drainage and connects with Lakeshore trail about half way between the junction with Eagle Creek and campsite 88.

Marked!

[HooKooDooKu]

Congrats, I have the AT section done, there is more?

There is about 800 miles of trails shown on the GSMNP Trail Map. That doesn't include "quiet walk ways" and other unofficial trails.
The AT only makes up about 73 of those 800 miles.
If Scott Mtn Trail is taken off the map (it's been closed for quite some time, I've heard some rumors that's going to become permanent... like the "temporary" closure of Polls Gap) then the length of official trails will fall below 800.