Backpack No. 1 - Road to Smoky Mountain 900 Mile Club *RESCHEDULED* - Sat, Nov 3 2018

REGISTRATION REQUIRED: Once you've reviewed the event details, and decided you'd like to join us, you MUST sign up at the bottom of this page.



Backpack No. 1 - Road to Smoky Mountain 900 Mile Club *RESCHEDULED*


The Basics:
Event Type:Backpacking
Event Location: Twenty Mile Ranger Station Rd, Robbinsville, NC 28771
Date(s) & Time:Sat, Nov 3 2018  6:00 am >> Sun, Nov 4 2018 2:00 pm  (Carpool Departure: 6:00 am   *log in for location*)
Registration Opens: Thu, Oct 4 2018 8:00 pm
Registration Cut Off: Thu, Nov 1 2018 10:00 pm
Event Duration:1 Days 9 Hours
Difficulty Rating:D6: Advanced (Exploratory)
Distance:28 Miles
Pace:Moderate
Trip Leader(s):
John
Myra Kincaid
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Member Cost:None

Participant Info:
Who's Invited: Members Only, 21 And Older Only
Maximum Group Size:6
Minimum Group Size:3
Number Registered So Far: 3 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)
Are Dogs Permitted: No

Note: This is an "EXPLORATORY" trip. This means that there are parts of this trip, or perhaps the whole trip, that is new to your Trip Leader(s). However, they are confident that this will not be an issue.
This note is here so that you can make an informed decision. When a Trip Leader isn't personally familiar with a trip, there is an increased chance of things not going as planned and you need to be prepared. The Trip Leader may have additional details in the itinerary.

Itinerary:

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is a backpackers dream with endless loop hikes and endless diversity of hiking trails. The Park is home to almost 150 different trails covering almost 900 miles of trails. Hiking all the trails in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park gives you the honor of joining the 900 mile club.  Join me on my quest to join the 900 mile club.  This will be my first hike to join that illustrious club. I hope to do 6-8 of these every year.

Itenerary: Please see map for a visual of this hike.

Day 1: Approximately 16-17 miles. We will park our cars at Twentymile Ranger station. We will hike 0.5 mile on the connector trail until we reach an intersection with Wolf Ridge Trail, which we will take for 6.3 miles until it intersects with Gregory Bald Trail. We can take a short trip to Gregory Bald if the group so decides. At the intersection with Gregory Bald Trail, we will continue onto Gregory Bald Trail to its trailhead 4.1 miles away. Once at the trailhead, we will turn right on Parson Branch Road. We will road walk 3.3 to 3.4 miles to the trailhead of Gregory Ridge Trail.  Here we will take Gregory Ridge Trail about 2 miles to campsite 12 where we will spend the night. 

Day 2: Approximately 11-12 miles. We will break camp early. We will continue our hike on Gregory Ridge Trail for approximately 3 miles where it will intersect with Gregory Bald Trail.  We will turn right on Gregory Bald Trail and go over Gregory Bald again until it intersects with Wolf Ridge Trail in 1.2 miles. Here, we turn left on Wolf Ridge Trail and retrace out steps back to Twentymile Ranger Station.  I hope to finish early on Sunday. Hopefully by 12, but no later than 2 given our long drive back home.

This is an advanced backpack and requires prior experience backpacking with long distances! If you do not have a history of D6 backpacks with the club, you will be contacted to confirm your experience.

This event is a rain or shine event, and it will only be cancelled/rescheduled for severe weather.

There are special rules and regulations for backpacking in the Smoky Mountain National Park. If this is your first time either hiking or backpacking in the Smokies, please let me know.


Required Items to Bring:

Hiking Boots / Shoes

Backpack

Tent / Tarp / Hammock 

Sleeping Bag

Sleep Pad

Food and Snacks (2 days worth)

Water and Filtration / Purification device, Drops, or Tablets

Headlamp and spare batteries

Campsite Reservation Fee * I will purchase up to 6 campsite reservations and provide to each hiker with the reservation at the beginning of the hike. It will be $4 per person. *

Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.

Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.

  • Camera
  • Hiking Poles
  • Sunscreen
  • Insect repellent
  • Stove
  • Matches/Lighter
  • Change of Clothes and Towel for Drive Home
  • Maps/GPS
  • Entertainment (cards, etc).

How to Get There:
Carpool to Event Distance (round trip):320Mile(s)
Carpool Departure Time: 6:00 am
Carpool Location:   Log in for location
Carpool Directions:   Log in for directions
Carpool Cost: Estimated cost per vehicle for this event is $128.00 using a reimbursement rate guideline of $0.400 per mile. The total amount should be divided by the number of people in the vehicle, including the driver. This is a guideline, not a rule, for drivers but the cost should not be higher unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Notes:

There are some regulations with hiking in the smokies. If this is your first time hiking or camping in the Smokies, please email me.


* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.


Cancellation/Partial Attendance:   Please review the AOC cancellation policy.