Springer through the Smokies in October

[budbronson]

Hey guys,

I hiked from Atkins, VA to Shenandoah in May 2010 (trail name Eagle). Now I'm planning my next section hike.

Anyone have any advice on hiking from Springer through the Smokies starting the last week of September?

I'm trying to figure out what kind of weather and crowds to expect. I don't predict seeing too many other people (bummer, but I can't start my vacation any earlier) and hope the weather should still be pretty mild down there.

Anyone have any good input for me?

Thanks,
Brian

[Blissful]

You'll hit people if you will be in the Smokies by early Oct. That's leaf season.
Weather an vary. Prepare for some cold stuff (by Oct 1 I had my 15 degree bag with me on my sobo.

[moldy]

This should be a great hike. You will see plenty of people. This years weather has been so strange, I would bring my 40 degree bag with a back up fleece and I might end up sleeping in my down jacket in the Smokies. You may end up working for your daily water.

[burger]

My girlfriend and I did Springer to Gatlinburg from Sept. 25 - Oct. 10th or so last year. It was a good time to be on the trail. Crowds were sparse--we never had a full shelter anywhere and had a couple of shelters to ourselves. We had no trouble with shelter space in the Smokies. Foliage was changing nicely by the time we got to Franklin or so.

Just be prepared for highly changeable weather. We had a few days with highs in the 80s, and we had all-day rains with highs in the 40s-50s.

Pencil in a half-day off at NOC. It's a great place to relax, and the restaurant is very good.

[Papa D]

Should be a great hike - possibly, you could have some water issues as we are in a drought and that is the driest time but as of now, springs seem to be holding ok. You might also consider a blaze orange hat (or at least bright colors) as there are hunting seasons at that time. You might also run into some SOBOS finishing their hike.

[budbronson]

Awesome! Thanks for the great info. I'm really excited about this hike. I'm either doing this or a southern section of the PCT. Appreciate your help!

[Llama Legs]

why not do it SOBO?

[burger]

why not do it SOBO?

I'd say to go north. The scenery gets better and better as you go north (you'll only have a couple of decent views in GA; there are lots of great balds up in NC). Also, the trail gets harder as you go north. GA is a piece of cake if you've trained--NC and the Smokies have bigger climbs.

[budbronson]

Yup, I plan on doing it north, so I can have the Smokies to look forward to the whole time. I also like the idea of starting at the true start of the trail. And when I finish the Smokies, I'm gonna find a way to Knoxville, where I'll then fly to San Diego and hike from Warner Springs to Big Bear City on the PCT.

As far as water goes, people mentioned that it's dry right now. But can I expect to hit at least one stream/spring daily? I usually use Iodine. Would a pump be more efficient considering the lack of water sources?

[burger]

As far as water goes, people mentioned that it's dry right now. But can I expect to hit at least one stream/spring daily? I usually use Iodine. Would a pump be more efficient considering the lack of water sources?

We hiked during a pretty good drought last year and used Aqua Mira the whole way without problems. When we found water it was fine--the problem was that many of the springs and small streams were dry.

[milo]

I was thinking of going south from harpers ferry to springer around the same time (mid to late Sept). Now you got me thinking about starting in springer and heading north. Hummm. I was also considering the PCT but I assumed the weather would be a lot more difficult with the only doable section being the desert. I'm not a big fan of desert hiking. Let me know what you end up doing. Maybe I'll see you on trail.