Winter BMT Hike

[kayak karl]

Benton MacKaye Trail
Has anyone thru hiked this trail or parts of it? I have Rock's guide, but any pointers or advice would be appreciated. I'll be doing it in December 27-January? and going NOBO.
Thank You.
KK

[Tipi Walter]

I've done it from Hemp Top trail in the Cohuttas (by Dally Gap) north to Calderwood Lake and hiway 129. No point in going further north as the nanny henpecking Park rangers want to tell me exactly where to sleep in a 500,000 acre forest, and then charge me folding money to sweat up the mountainsides.

Luckily your route will be free range, choice of campsites and Cash Free until you hit the Smokies. The Cohuttas are excellent with giant opportunies for some serious blue blazing. Jacks and Conasauga Rivers come to mind. And Big Frog Mt deserves to be slept on of course. There's water at Double Springs Gap (but a hellish climb from there to Big Frog) and sometimes the spring on top of Big Frog Mt is running. If not you can follow the rocky spring wash down the mountain a couple 100 yards and find water.

Hiway 64 suks cuz it's basically an Interstate with all the usual noise pollution. And then comes the long climb up into Little Frog wilderness on Dry Pond Lead which takes you thru a mishmash of road crossings, old logging cuts, Deep Gap, Brock Mt, etc etc. It's the strange stretch between hiway 64 and Reliance. But before you hit Reliance comes Lost Creek which should be a night's camp as there are a couple great campsites in the beginning of the trail as you head downstream.

The worst part for me was the roadwalk from Hiwassee Outfitters campground to Webb Bros store and the dangerous roadwalk from the Hiwassee bridge to Childers Creek. I nearly got killed by the fat tourists in their Griswold's family trucksters. Of course I was going the other direction, from north to south.

The John Muir section is fantastic esp the upper part around the Narrows. The water is ice cold for swimming (don't try it in January) but when I did it in the summer I called the whole place the Forbidden Zone cuz of the giant bird-eating spiders and the copperheads. Then you climb up to a rugged fantastic rocky overlook and descend to Coker Creek footbridge and the long climb to hiway 68.

68 crossing takes you up to Unicoi Gap and the long haul up to Peels Top where there's water by an old stone homestead in Tate Gap. Beyond you come to Six Mile Gap (small campsite) and then Sandy Gap. There's water on the left down the Kirkland Creek trail. Now comes a stiff climb to Moss Gap on State Line Ridge and beyond to Rocky Top (ain't no telephone bills) and then the long drop on Brookshire where there's water and camps.

Cross Brookshire and you pull the Sugar Mt hump up and over down to Tellico River and access to the motel in the Green Cove community, about 1.5 miles to the left. Sycamore Creek at the Fish Hatchery is a 3,000 easy climb to Whiggs Meadow where ya got to camp---there's a pond on the front side of the bald if you look for it. From the Whigg you descend to Mud Gap and parallel the Skyway which in the winter won't be full of the hateful screaming motorcycles.

I could go on but let's stop.

[Tipi Walter]

Here's a link to my trip report if you want to see the fotogs. Of course I'm going south from Tellico River and the Fish Hatchery.

http://www.trailspace.com/forums/tri...30.html#128530

[royalusa]

Benton MacKaye Trail
Has anyone thru hiked this trail or parts of it? I have Rock's guide, but any pointers or advice would be appreciated. I'll be doing it in December 27-January? and going NOBO.
Thank You.
KK

Thru-hiked it in May 2010. Our journal has a few pointers in it regarding water, route challenges, resupply, maps, etc.:
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=317030

Have fun!

[Blissful]

Smokies should be interesting, but you're used to winter challenges.

[Blissful]

Hey Tipi, need you to share more; I'm planning this for the spring.

[Blissful]

Benton MacKaye Trail
Has anyone thru hiked this trail or parts of it? I have Rock's guide, but any pointers or advice would be appreciated. I'll be doing it in December 27-January? and going NOBO.
Thank You.
KK

Thru-hiked it in May 2010. Our journal has a few pointers in it regarding water, route challenges, resupply, maps, etc.:
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=317030

Have fun!

Great, have to look it over.

[SGT Rock]

I did it in winter. Be prepared for temps down to 0F. Also be prepared for harder times trying to get resupplied as most everything along the trail is going to be closed, but it is still possible to do it.

[Tipi Walter]

Hey Tipi, need you to share more; I'm planning this for the spring.

The Crosscut Mountain Boys maintain this trail and most of it is in great shape and pretty much a joy to walk---except in a summer furnace heatwave. Going north, going south, it doesn't much matter.

[Tipi Walter]

Hey Tipi, need you to share more; I'm planning this for the spring.

You may find a few more photos of the BMT in this Cohutta trip report from a couple years ago. It shows the spring on Big Frog Mt, etc.

http://www.trailspace.com/forums/tri...541.html#91541

[10-K]

I thrued the BMT in April 2011.

Here's my journal: http://postholer.com/journal/viewJou...entry_id=21227

[kayak karl]

I did it in winter. Be prepared for temps down to 0F. Also be prepared for harder times trying to get resupplied as most everything along the trail is going to be closed, but it is still possible to do it.

the temps my hammock is OK for. what places could i be guaranteed to resupply? if there are any

[10-K]

You can send a mail drop to Cherry Log post office - 30ish miles from Springer. It's a few miles off the trail.

You can send a mail drop to Webb Bros store - you walk right by it.

You can send a mail drop to the Green Cove Motel - about a mile off the trail and a good place to spend the night and take a shower.

When you get to Deal Gap and the Motorcycle Motel you could probably get the Jim or Nancy from the Hike Inn to pick you up and take you into Robbinsville for resupply. I believe the Motorcycle Motel is closed in winter or you could send a drop there (I did).

When you get to Smokemont in the park you could hitch into Cherokee - not sure how hard that would be and it'd suck if you planned on it and the road was closed.

[10-K]

After thinking about it I believe Cherry log is more than 30 miles.... I made it to the post office when it opened the morning of my third day.

(would've made it at the end of my second day but I spent a half a day hiking in the wrong direction my second day.)

[SGT Rock]

the temps my hammock is OK for. what places could i be guaranteed to resupply? if there are any

1. There is a new hostel at the Shallowford Bridge. I think if you are going to send a package you need to call ahead - it is on my errata page.

2. Cherry Log PO is open that time of year, and you also have the option of Blue Ridge if you are looking for more in your town visit like laundry and a hotel. Look on pages 18-20.

3. At Watson Gap, the folks at Jacks River Store can bring you a package and/or bring you to their store. If you do a package, call ahead. Their on page 22.

4. Ducktown is always open, page 30. The manager at Ducktown Copper Inn is a hiker and offers shuttles if you can get him.

5. In Reliance you can send a package to Hiwassee Angler, and Reliance Fly and Tackle is a favorite stop for me - I recommend a shower and overnight stay on their property. Page 28.

For Reliance north it will be hard to find anything open.

6. At Tellico River Road you can mail a package to the fish hatchery if you arrange it ahead of time with the guy that works there. Page 34. With luck, you might find a way into Tellico Plains (page 36) which is a great little town, but it would hard to get to and from the trail unless Rick Harris is available.

7. At Deals Gap you can set up to go into the Hike Inn (Page 42). You will absolutely need to plan this one ahead of time as the Hike Inn only handles hikers with lots of arrangement ahead of time during the off season. When you get to the area at the Dragon, you can use their free phone to call in for the ride to their place once you are in the area - page 38.

8. Cherokee is probably your next good bet. You can walk/hitch into town and do most all you need just into town around the Exxon Big Bear Mart. They have enough variety to supply you to the end. Page 52-53.

9. Then you can end up at Standing Bear Hostel. Page 58.

You can send a mail drop to Cherry Log post office - 30ish miles from Springer. It's a few miles off the trail.

You can send a mail drop to Webb Bros store - you walk right by it.

Except that they are not open that time of year.

You can send a mail drop to the Green Cove Motel - about a mile off the trail and a good place to spend the night and take a shower.

Same thing, closed that time of year

When you get to Deal Gap and the Motorcycle Motel you could probably get the Jim or Nancy from the Hike Inn to pick you up and take you into Robbinsville for resupply. I believe the Motorcycle Motel is closed in winter or you could send a drop there (I did).

When you get to Smokemont in the park you could hitch into Cherokee - not sure how hard that would be and it'd suck if you planned on it and the road was closed.

The road is usually closed at either the visitors' center or at the bridge you have to cross to go into Smokemont, so it isn't that bad a walk. And if you take the river trail it is a nice hike.

[Tipi Walter]

"From Reliance north it will be hard to find anything open."---Sgt Rock.

And thank God for that.