I just finish an October 2021 backpacking trip in the mountains of TN/NC and hook up with backpacking buddies Rob Bush and John Quillen and others.
I also get to twice backpack the "hardest" trail in Citico Creek Wilderness---Brush Mt.
All trip pics here---
https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backp...rush-Mt-Trail/
TRAILS
Entrance at Beech Gap on Benton MacKaye Trail---
**BMT to Cold Spring Gap and Trail 149 to North Fork up to Cherry Log Gap.
**Fodderstack Ridge to Snow Camp down BMT Connector to Barrel Gap (with Rob Bush).
**31st Backpack of Brush Mt down to South Fork Creek with Rob Bush.
**SF Trail and up North Fork Trail all the way to Trail 149.
**Trail 149 south to BMT Connector to Snow Camp up to Bob Bald and Hangover Mt.
**Hangover Backtrack to Bob Bald down 54A to BMT Connector to Trail 149.
**Brush Mt down 32nd backpack.
**Play around South Fork/North Fork Creek.
**South Fork trail out to Citico Creek Roadwalk to Indian Boundary Lake and OUT.
My first night is about 4.5 miles in from Beech Gap and along the way I pass the top trailhead to Brush Mt. Left is Brush and right is 149 (a trail which leaves the BMT in Cold Spring Gap and travels north in 3.5 miles to North Fork Creek). Pack of choice is McHale with about 100 lbs of crap.
Trail 149 gets me to North Fork trail which climbs hard up to Cherry Log Gap on Fodderstack Ridge. The upper part of NF trail is actually in the creek. This is where full leather goretex boots come in very handy.
I leave the creek portion of NF trail and set up camp at the beginning of the bowl section which is the steepest part of the whole trail. Oddly this little flat place is in the bowl.
I finish North Fork and climb up to Fodderstack Ridge where I meet Rob Bush pulling a 5 day trip---Up North Fork to Bob Bald---Down Nutbuster to Wildcat Falls---Up Fodderstack where he meets me to Barrel Gap---Zero in rainstorm---Down Brush Mt with me on my Day 5. He's carrying a vintage Dana Designs Astralplane pack.
We leave the ridge and take the BMT Connector down to Barrel Gap and stop at Birch Creek to cook lunch as Rob forages several mushrooms to fry up.
We make it to Barrel Gap and Rob set's up a strange hammock tarp made by a company called Dutch (?).
Rob's wife Beth and daughter Skyla show up in Barrel Gap after a night hike from Beech Gap about 3 miles away.