Mt. Sterling-Great Smoky Mountain National Park

This route is a little different than our usual route so please take note below.

This is a challenging, but also very rewarding backpacking trip to the summit of Mt. Sterling. We will steadily climb 6.2 miles along the Baxter Creek trail, gaining 4100 feet in elevation, culminating with 360 degree views of the Smokies from an old firetower. This is the highest back country camp in the Smokies at 5,842 feet above sea level. So it should be a bit cooler up there than the valley's below.

I will most certainly climb the fire tower to enjoy the views of the surrounding mountains both day and night. There will be a waning quarter moon, so the night sky should be awesome, in addition to the potential for a beautiful sunset.

At this altitude, the moss covered rocks are something out of a children's fairy tale. The smell of the spruce reminds your senses that the hard work getting up there, is all worth it! 

We have 2 nights on top of Mt. Sterling. So on Saturday we don't have to break camp and can enjoy the area without being rushed. 

On Sunday we will break camp early enough to get started on the next leg of our journey, just after breakfast. Instead of going back down the way we came, we will backpack almost 12 miles back to Big Creek, via Walnut Bottoms, and then down the Big Creek trail. We plan on maintaining a good pace to cover the distance, but will also make plenty of stops along Big Creek. Weather permitting, I plan on taking a quick swim in Big Creek to refresh. Its cold water, so the swim will be more like a frigid plunge!

The permit is for 8 people, for 2 nights, @ $128.00 total, (what a deal!).  We will divide the cost among those of us who go on the trip. If you cancel at the last minute, forcing the remaining group to pay for your spot, well, you won't be around to defend yourself at the fire. It's not for the fair weather hikers. We will only cancel if the weather is horrible all weekend. A spring shower is always possible, but that won't warrant cancellation.

BIG CREEK CAMPGROUND is our trailhead. https://maps.app.goo.gl/ XF hf2WsynwbXWYaDA

Indian trail is our carpool meeting site: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ ky5 MxNvsDwinq7bd6

The Trip Leader(s) for this event has (have) elected to personally collect the funds that event participants are required to pay, or to require participants to pay funds directly to a third party.  No funds will be paid to the Atlanta Outdoor Club for this event.  Therefore, by registering for this event, you acknowledge and agree to the following: (1) the monies paid by registrants will not be monitored, managed, or otherwise accounted for by the Atlanta Outdoor Club; (2) that the Atlanta Outdoor Club bears no financial responsibility for this event; and (3) you waive any and all claims against the Atlanta Outdoor Club, and hold the Atlanta Outdoor Club harmless for the loss of any monies you paid for this event.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any paying registrant may request directly from the Trip Leader, prior to the event, a breakdown of the funds collected, estimated expenses, and deposits made in anticipation of the event.  Following the event, the Trip Leader must complete his or her financial accounting for the event, and a paid registrant may request a breakdown of funds collected, money spent and supporting documentation after that time.  If you were unable to obtain requested documentation, please contact the Director of Paid Events.

Due to the difficulty of this trip, if you haven't done a trip with me at this level, please reach out to me to convince me you're not only prepared, but you're a good fit with this group. We only want team members who can play well with others, since we're all out here to enjoy ourselves together.

(Thanks to Bob Bunner for the initial additional notes, I've made some additions/revisions at the end. mjj)