Bradley Fork – BMT Connector- Road to Towstring – Towstring – Bradley Smokemont Loop

Date: 5/29/16
Distance: 10 miles

Bill and I hiked these "garbage" trails to finish off the Memorial Day GSHAG Fall Campout.  These trails are nothing special, but they are on the map, so I must hike them!

We started at the back of the Smokemont Campground.  We took the short walk up Bradley Fork to the BMT connector.  We took the BMT connector back down to the Church at the front of Smokemont.

From there we walked down the road to the stables and then continued on the gravel road to the Tow String Trail.

We followed the Tow String trail back to Bradley Fork where we turned right and walked about 1.2 miles up to the Smokemont Loop Trail.

Smokemont Loop Trail was the pits.  The climb seemed horrific for a trail that doesn't really go anywhere.  I had already hiked the 2 previous days and spent the night it the campground for 2 nights.  I'm sure that contributed to the dislike.

The Loop Trail brought us back to the campground where we finished the hike.

NFG to Smokemont campground (AT-Dry Sluice – Cabin Flats – Bradley Fork)

Date: 5/28/16
Distance: 13.7

This GSHAG hike was from Newfound Gap to the Smokemont campground via the AT, Dry Sluice and Bradley Fork.  We also took a short in and out side trip to Cabin Flats along the way.  JD, David, Mary Anne and Jack hiked the entire hike.  About 7 other hikers opted for the shorter version returning to NFG from the Bunion.

The highlight of the hike was Charlies Bunion.  Unfortunately my phone was out of whack, so the pictures weren't great.

 I found this picture on the hike the Smokies Facebook group.  I'm the guy in blue on the high rock to the left.

 Dutchmans Pipe on Dry Sluice.

Cabin Flats Backpack Day #2

Date: 7/26/15
Distance: 18.2 miles

On Sunday morning, we packed up camp for another tough day of hiking.  I set out a few minutes before the rest of the group because I had plans of adding on a few miles up at Hughes Ridge.  I backtracked down Cabin Flats to Bradley Fork and then about 8:30 started up the mountain.

Bradley Fork is tough.  It is a big 2000' climb in only 3.3 miles.  The trail is a rocky old road which made it even tougher.  Even though it was early and cooler than it would be later in the day, I was sweating buckets before reaching the top.

 Up at Hughes Ridge, I turned left and hiked out to Pecks Corner and then beyond to the AT for a total of 2.2 miles.  It had a few climbs that seemed tough after climbing Bradley, but were no more than a few 100' of elevation change.

At the AT, I turned around and returned to Bradley where I found the rest of the group who climbed the mountain at a more reasonable pace.

I continued on down Hughes Ridge for an additional 2.8 miles before turning down the mountain on Chasteen Creek Trail.

 Chasteen Creek is another old road that was full of rocks on much of its 4.4 miles.

Chasteen returns to Bradley Fork after losing 2600'.  The day got hotter and hotter as I trekked down the  mountain.  The elevation change made a big difference in the temperatures.

Back at Bradley, I turned right and hiked the 0.5 miles over to the Smokemont Loop trail in order to completely finish the trail.  I then turned around and walked my way back to the campground.  I made it out about 2:40 and pretty quickly headed for home.  It felt great to sit in the Air Conditioning in the car after a long day of heat.

The hiking was tough but really enjoyable.  There were a really nice assortment of summer flowers along the way and some good company at camp.  Not to mention, I marked off a large section on my 2nd Map pushing it over 200 miles.

My pack didn't seem to be as much as a burden as in the past.  I carried the Hammock and Tarp for the 1st time and I believe that dropped me a pound or so.  I also carried the bare minimum clothes since it was summer.  I carried a bit less water knowing that there were plenty of creeks along the way.

Cabin Flats Backpack Day 1

Date: 7/25/15
Distance: 18.3

This weekend I went backpacking with the Meetup group to hike the trails above the Smokemont Campground.  We started on Saturday morning on the Smokemont Loop Trail.  This trail leaves the campground near the waste dump station.   It begins with an old bridge which crosses the creek.  The trail begins on a gravel road, but within the 1st 1/2 mile it turns up the mountain on a normal Smokies trail.  It does have a bit of a climb as it goes up and over a ridge.

 After climbing 1400' and then losing about 1000', you arrive at a very long log bridge which connects to Bradley Fork.

 Once on Bradley, we turned left and headed for Cabin Flats.  Bradley is an old gravel road.  In this section it had a very moderate rise over 2.3 miles.  It is right next to the creek most of the way.

Bradley turns up the mountain at the Cabin Flats intersection.  I continued on Cabin Flats all of the way to the end where it terminates at campsite 49 (our home for the night).  I setup the hammock and unloaded most of the stuff in my pack before continuing my hike.  Once I had lightened the load, I headed back down Cabin Flats to Dry Sluice Gap.

Dry Sluice heads straight up the mountain climbing 2600' up to the AT.  It was a really tough trudge up the mountain.  The day was hot and the trail was very steep. Up at the AT, I turned left and walked 0.5 miles over to Charlies Bunion.

 This patch of Carolina Lilies was on Dry Sluice.

 There were some really nice views along the AT today.

 The Bunion was packed with people today.

 After a short time at the Bunion, I backtracked down Dry Sluice to the campsite.

There was a huge tree just off  Dry Sluice not far from Cabin Flats.

I was hoping that I might sleep better in the Hammock, but no luck.  I least I was pretty comfortable while I laid awake.