Quote Originally Posted by stephanD View Post
It is always amazes me how easily it is to get disoriented in the wood. One can be 50 yards from a road, and they will never know it....
How about 50 feet?
In GSMNP, the terrain is so steep and the forest so thick...
I was once hiking the AT from Mt Collins shelter SOBO, planning to transition to Clingman's Dome Road at Collins Gap to walk the road to the Noland Divide Trailhead.

Thru Collins Gap, the AT parallels the road for about 1/4 mile... most of the time only 50' off the road. But there's only a short section before the AT climbs beyond Collins Gap that the trail is about level with the road.

So, in any case... I'm walking the AT waiting to get to Collins Gap to pop out on the road. I missed Collins Gap and didn't know it until after the AT had started climbing away from the road.