Smokies w/13 yr old son, random questions

[FLdad]

After a few months of prep and training, I think we are finally ready for our 5 day hike from Fontana Dam to Newfound Gap. Last weekend we did a long hike in our town over the bridge with full weight backpacks and he did pretty good. But I will be carrying two days of his food to keep his pack lighter. A few of the questions I have been going back and forth on are below:

Do we need a satellite phone? I don’t have a mini satellite communicator but a friend let me borrow his sat phone and we loaded some minutes on it just in case we have an injury. I just don’t know if it will be worth the extra weight. I was going to make a last minute decision based on weather but I know weather changes quick on the trail.
Since our preferred shelters were full when I booked our backcountry permit, after Double Spring Gap, one of our camp sites is a few miles off the AT. Are those sites hard to find or are they marked pretty well in the Smokies? Do these site have decent bear cables easily visible or should we plan on making our own 200’ from camp?
We plan on playing it by ear regarding sleeping in the shelter or pitching a tent adjacent to the shelter. I’m expecting to have to deal with college kids being loud and staying up late or the occasional weirdo for at least a night, which in any case if we know before nightfall we may opt out of the shelter and set up a tent. My guess is that you need to claim your bunk early and hope for the best?

[illabelle]

It's definitely thru-hiker season, so the trail/campsites/shelters will be full. The "official" rule is that everyone must sleep in the shelter unless they are on a thru-hiker permit. With a thru-hiker permit, you are permitted to tent only if the shelter is full. In practice, I believe it is a bit more fluid than that. If you arrive late, it's raining, and the shelter is full, don't expect thru-hikers to volunteer to go out and set up their tent.

The AT is so well traveled that a satellite phone isn't needed. Even though one of your campsites is on a side trail (I'm guessing Forney Creek, #68?), there's still plenty of hikers out and about. Unless you're hiking in the dark, the campsites will be easy to find. I assume you're carrying a Smokies trail map. Trail junctions are normally signed, but the sign may not mention the campsites, so you need to know where to turn.

There are bear cables at all the campsites. Some are in better condition than others, but nearly all are usable.

I hope you and your boy have a fun adventure!

[Gambit McCrae]

Do we need a satellite phone?
IMO this falls into personal safety and only you can make that call however I can provide that I have never carrier one, my cell phone has always had ample signal...for the most part. I think I had pretty good service the whole way thru the park.

Since our preferred shelters were full when I booked our backcountry permit, after Double Spring Gap, one of our camp sites is a few miles off the AT.
You didn't ask but I will give my 2 cents, I would never walk 2 miles off trail to sleep on the ground for the night. Im not saying to break the rules, I think I am saying I would have held out for dates that have spots that meet my needs. The AT is ridgeline the whole way thru the park so 2 miles off the AT in GSMNP is probably going to mean some serious elevation changes just to pitch a tent, not to mention the uphill back to trail the next morning....

Are those sites hard to find or are they marked pretty well in the Smokies?
They are marked well, all that I have seen have had the site number somewheres in camp but I have not whitnessed all the campsites in the park...yet.

Do these site have decent bear cables easily visible or should we plan on making our own 200’ from camp?
Yes(found out on the googles, YRMV)

We plan on playing it by ear regarding sleeping in the shelter or pitching a tent adjacent to the shelter.
I’m expecting to have to deal with college kids being loud and staying up late or the occasional weirdo for at least a night, which in any case if we know before nightfall we may opt out of the shelter and set up a tent.
My guess is that you need to claim your bunk early and hope for the best?
It has been some years since I last walked thru the park but as of the last time I did(2019) you as a section hiker do not get to choose a tent vs shelter at shelter sites. Tenting at shelter sites is reserved only for thru hiker overflow, and if the shelter is not full, all thru hikers must use the shelter until it is full and only then can a thru hiker sleep outside of the shelter.
Some info to shoot down any work arounds you may be thinking of...
Thru hikers and section hikers obtain different permits
Thru hikers are considered to be hikers who are hiking the entire park length plus 50+ miles on each side of the park. Another way of saying your trip has to be 172+ miles long to be considered a thru hiker.
"Ill just do what I want" - Best of luck, I have been kicked out of the park(Mollies Ridge circa 2010) for having an inaccurate/ incomplete permit. I would love to share that experience with everyone, but the short story is that I had to hike down to cades cove and source a ride back to Fontana Dam from there....it was a nightmare.
Since you asked the above questions i will add...There are ridge runners and park rangers on the trail, they check for permits as they pass folks. If you are found to be in contempt you will be ejected from your hike. The ridge runners stay at the shelters and enforce the rules. If you do not follow the rules they have radios for park ranger assistance. If a park ranger has to hike into a shelter in the middle of the night because you refused to stay in the wooden trail box, they are not going to be happy, and it happens, just search the internet for stories of nighttime removals in GSMNP. I didnt say these things to be a jerk, just trying to be informative lol

Basically follow the rules and you will have no issues.

[Slugg]

Any particular reason for staying on the AT? The park has ~900 miles of trail that won’t be full of thru-hikers this time of year and you could just pitch your tent and not have to “hope for the best” and worry about having to leave the shelter.

[FLdad]

Thanks for the feedback regarding the satellite phone, i'll probably keep it at home and save the weight. I also appreciate the info with ridge runners and park rangers. I didn't see them on our day hikes last year so I wasn't sure how available they would be to help sort out issues. Since we have booked a spot at our shelters for the designated nights it makes me feel better to know we should (although not guaranteed) have space available as long as we don't arrive too late. I was surprised at the formality of booking our spot so far in advance when conditions could change. But I guess the conditions change for every hiker on the trail, not just me.
@illabelle we will be staying at Double Spring Gap, then the next reservation is at 21 Mile Campsite which is on the way to Husky Gap. Then we will pop out at Newfound Gap Road and catch a shuttle to Gatlinburg. I just checked the online permit and two more people made reservations at 21 Mile our same night, so we will have company. Maybe they'll have some good jokes and fun stories to tell.
@slugg No specific reason for staying on the trail other than that has been a bucket list to section hike and I feel it gives my son a good goal of preparing and training for a specific distance, and then getting to a destination with a reward being a hot meal and a night on the town in the tourist trap that has become Gatlinburg, lol.
By the way, thank you for reading and taking the time to respond, this forum has a ton of great advice and I'm happy to have found it.

[illabelle]

...@illabelle we will be staying at Double Spring Gap, then the next reservation is at 21 Mile Campsite which is on the way to Husky Gap. Then we will pop out at Newfound Gap Road and catch a shuttle to Gatlinburg. I just checked the online permit and two more people made reservations at 21 Mile our same night, so we will have company. Maybe they'll have some good jokes and fun stories to tell....
By the way, thank you for reading and taking the time to respond, this forum has a ton of great advice and I'm happy to have found it.

That itinerary sounds better. The original post said Newfound Gap, which could be tough if you were going down to 21, then back up. But NFG Road is a different scenario entirely. Sounds like a good plan.