Ok. Shelter reservations are going to open for my dates (8/31 - 9/2) in a couple of days. My hiking partner and I are starting at Clingman and going south towards Fontana.

Our general plan at this point - PLEASE GIVE ME ADVICE TO LET ME KNOW HOW DOABLE THIS IS!!!

8/31/13 we will likely start at 2 pm and it looks like Siler's Bald is a good target for the short day (4.6 miles)

For day 2 (9/1/13), I was thinking Siler's to Spence Field, which is 14.7 miles, but looks like a good hike on paper.

There doesn't look to be a shelter between Mollie's Ridge and Fontana, which would make day 3 a 16 miler? Is that a pretty easy hike or is it a lot to bite off in one day? I'd hate to have to only go the 5.4 miles from Spence to Mollie's and call it a day, but without knowing the terrain I don't want to bite way too much off, or if I'd be missing some great sidetracks by trying to kide too much in one jump. So for now, let's just call Day 3 (9/2/2013) Spence to Mollies, or 5.4 miles.

That would make Day 4 (9/3/13) Mollie's Ridge to Fontana, 10.6 miles. Now, our "support car" will be meeting us at Fontana Dam to restock our food and swap out some gear. Once we cross the dam and are out of the park, are we free to camp anywhere along the trail? If so, I was thinking we meet our car, go a few more miles down trail and camp on trail to wrap up day 4.

Day 5 (9/4/2013) would be a hile to Brown Fork shelter about 12 miles south or so,

The last day (9/5/2013) would be a short 2-3 miles to Hwy 143 to get picked up for the drive back to Atlanta with a quick motel shower on the way to check-in for my 7 pm flight back to Omaha.

I think it is ambitious, but doable since a good chunk of the hike is relatively downhill per the profile maps. For reference, I'm 37, my hiking partner (my aunt who lives in GA) is 57, we are both avid hikers (routine 5-12 mile hikes) with appropriate backcountry skills.