Great Smoky Mountains NP Family Backpack Aug 1 - 9th

[russco]

Another Non- Big Bend related Trip report for those interested! We started out Hewaded East for a family backpacking Adventure Aug 1 and made our way across to Vicksburg, MS a little before sundown. Checked out the city and the Civil War Battlegrounds before continuing on to our destination of Atlanta, GA to meet with some of my wifes family. Spent a couple of nights in Atlanta before we all loaded up for a little outdoors in the Smokies. Along for the journey was myself, wife, and two daughters and my wife's cousin, Husband and son. We made it to GSMNP around 1:00 pm and registered a backcountry permit. We had reservations at the Icewater Spring shelter for a night and the shelter on Mt. LeConte for the following. We parked a car at the Newfound Gap parking lot and another at the bottom of the Alum Cave trail...some 15 trail miles away. The hike began on the Appalachian Trail headed east for a few miles to the Icewater Spring shelter. Wer had a couple of backpacking newbies in our group and everyone did fine! We found the shelter and within a few hours quite a few people had shown up that we would be sharing the shelter with...some without reservations.Nickla s and I made a side hike on to Charlies Bunion...worth the trip! Everyone was real nice and we had a great time swapping hiking stories around the campfire. Filtered some water from the "Icewater Spring" and turned in to bed. Next morning dawned a beautiful sunrise and we slowly broke camp. This day found us hiking the Boulevard trail to Mt. LeConte. Mostly enshrouded ridge hiking up and down and so on and then UP UP UP! Hiking in the Smokies reveals some awesome sites between the trees! It's about 6 miles of moderate intensity hiking to reach the Mt. LeConte shelter...which we would have to ourselves for the evening. Everyone was pretty pooped out so they mostly set up their bunks and had naps.I dayhiked down to the Mt. LeConte lodge and found the Trillium Gap spring for our resupply. That evening we boiled dinner and enjoyed the sunset from"Cliff Tops". The night brought cool temps and a light rain. The morning broke to a dense fog with a visibility of about 20 ft. till the sun burned it off to a glorious day for hiking! Down the Alum Cave trail we went...what a great trail with modest exposure in a couple of places with cables to boot! (I could see where the cables could be very handy in winter) Down the rock cliffs to the Alum Cave and then the trail meandders you down a mountain stream complete with aan arch you hike through, log bridges to keep your boots dry, and some of the most beautiful scenery to be seen....We could definately see why old Dolly gets so worked up over the place! After we made it to the trailhead we went to find our carcamping sight located in a place called Deep Creek. Deep Creek was an awesome place to car camp...it had a river running through it with lots of people floating down in tubes and a few waterfalls to hike to and swim! After viewing the waterfalls we headed up the road to do some whitewater rafting on the Nantahalla River....what a blast.. we did a self guided trip down the river ana a great time was had by all! If you haven't been to the Smokies you should give it a try...We highly reccomend! Cheers! 
 Pics- http://www.flickr.com/photos/russkan/2754255241/in/set-72157606678090000/

[mule ears]

We found the shelter and within a few hours quite a few people had shown up that we would be sharing the shelter with...some without reservations...

 Mostly enshrouded ridge hiking up and down and so on and then UP UP UP! Hiking in the Smokies reveals some awesome sites between the trees!

 The morning broke to a dense fog with a visibility of about 20 ft. till the sun burned it off to a glorious day for hiking!

Russ sounds like you all had a great trip.  It also sounds like the typical Appalachian hiking experience, tunnel hiking thru the trees, a bit damp, sometimes too many people around the shelters but still great views, flora and fauna.  I have hiked all over the Smokies but have never made it to Le Conte yet, hard to make a loop out of it with just one car. 

[jeffblaylock]

Looks like a great trip. I've wanted to go to the Smokies, too, hopefully this fall, but it looks like funds will be short. I'll just have to settle for some camping in Arkansas instead. 

[russco]

Thanks ME, Jeff. The trip was great! With having newbies and 2 vehicles I was relieved to get to do this route in this order! There were two perks to parking at Newfound Gap, 1 it was only 3 miles to the Icewater Spring shelter so if the newbies pooped out before/after the 1st night they could get back to the car easily..and 2 by parking there we had essentially parked close to the top of the mountains with only a few hundred feet of gain the get before dropping 2800 ft in 5 miles off of Mt. LeConte! And Jeff might I reccomend the Little Missouri River trail in the Ouachita National Forest...Great hike in Arkansas with beautiful campsites all along the river! Little Missouri River campsite- http://www.kodakgallery.com/PhotoView.jsp?collid=245251575108.844528539108.1218555943722&photoid=827029539108&folderid=0&UV=210713363914_779933859208

[mountaindocdanny]

Leconte is my favorite peak in the Smokies. Back when I lived in east TN I walked to the summit six times one summer, by six different routes. Always wanted to stay at Leconte lodge on the summit, but those were my college days and gas money was tough enough to swing.

[russco]

The lodge is hard for me to swing when I think about the free NPS shelter .2 miles away! Price for a family of 4 is around $400...ouch! That would have ruined this cheapskates budget of $100 a day average for 10 days gas, food, lodging the works! We had a great time though and we saw there was a bear attack on a kid off the rainbow falls trail a couple of days after we left! 

[mountaindocdanny]

It's been 10 or more years since the last time I was up on Leconte. I heard that they took down the fence in front of the Leconte shelter. It used to be bent in from the bears that would try and push it down to get at the food (presumably not the people) inside. I never spent the night in it but I heard from many who had. Apparently bear breath doesn't smell that good.

[mule ears]

I heard that they took down the fence in front of the Leconte shelter. It used to be bent in from the bears that would try and push it down to get at the food (presumably not the people) inside.

Because of the use of the bear/food hanging cables at every shelter and campsite it has reduced all of the critter problems all over the park. It has worked so well they have taken out the chainlink bear fences from just about every shelter I have seen.