Smoky Mountain Travel Blog

Fall in the Smokies.

Backcountry Camping. Off the Grid – my favorite place.

With Autumn leaves exploding in color. Smells of dirt and forest. Cold chill claimed. This is when the Appalachian Mountains are at their best. Its October. Leaf Season!!

Getting lost in a forest, living light, traveling by foot. No internet, No people.

Disappearing into the backcountry has been a past-time of mine since my teens. Most of my camping adventures have been with friends. But a few are solo. This time; I’m solo again.

This Southeast USA adventure starts as a road-trip. My car loaded with camping gear. I drive north from my Orlando Florida home. Making for an easy drive; I stop for a short 1-day visit of Savanah, Ga. – and its gentle southern charm.

The following day I finish driving to the Smokies … spending a night in Bryson City, NC. and enjoying an expresso at Mountain Perks.

I’m in the mountains. Now, it’s time to hike.

I jump off to the backcountry from Twentymile Ranger Station, NC - in the Southwest corner of the Smoky Mountain National Park. For a pilgrimage to Gregory Bald – one of my favorite hikes in the world!

For me; the Smokies have always been a magnet. Pulling me back from worldwide adventures. Pulling me to rural America. Reminding me of long-ago hiking adventures with HS friends and the simplicity of survival in the forest. These gentle forests are ancient and hold my heart.

5 days. Solo hiking on steep mountain trails. Summiting the mile-high peak of Gregory Bald. I love this off the grid adventure. An original AT trail.

Proper preparation is a must for backpacking. I’m on the AT ridgeline. Alone.

No-one is coming to carry my pack, my tent, my food. Pack light – every ounce matters. If you don’t use an item every-day on the hike … you don’t need it!!!

Study the topography. Calculate food and water needs. Estimate hiking distances and cooking fuel requirements. Book your campsite permit with the Smokey Mtn Backcountry Services online. Ready.Set.Go.

Modern backcountry hiking includes a phone… Not for internet or SMS. But, for the Camera and Maps. Paper maps are hard to come by now… so I use an App called AllTrails. Download the trail maps and put my phone in airplane-mode. This-year I’ve brought along a small backup battery pack. … not cool to add that item to the pack, but a few safety items slip-in. …. Like Bear-spray (pepper spray).

I carefully pack for a backcountry adventure. Weighing my pack as I prepare. Keeping the weight as light as possible. Under 30lb.

This year, I’m here in NC during the second week of October 2022. The weather is perfect. Upper 30’s at night, 50’s during the day. Rain/wind one night – on the peak of Gregory Bald. But otherwise, the hiking and camping conditions couldn’t be better.

Making a campfire is 100x easier in these conditions. Dry firewood becomes plentiful. Nothing finishes off a hard day of hiking like a campfire and a sip of Bell’s in the forest.

I’ve selected a loop route for this backcountry trip. Leaving and returning to my car. A 3300ft elevation gain from the car to the Bald.

First night out, I’m at campsite #95 – Dalton Branch. About 5 miles up the mountain from my car, along Wolf-Ridge Trail. All official camp sites in the Smoky Mountain National Park are well organized. #95 has 4-5 campfire rings ready to go. And each site has a tree-mounted cable pully system, used to hang food and backpacks in the trees. Food smells bring in the bears, and they often walk thru camp sites at night. Keeping food in your tent or in the open ..…definitely not a good plan.

At #95, two other hikers have booked a campsite. Two women, from Tennessee. Experienced hikers with first-rate camping skills. I enjoyed their company and ‘their’ campfire. Thank you, Tennessee.

The second day of hiking is the hard day for this adventure. A full 6 hours of hiking. Straight up. Heading to Gregory Bald. The hike pushes my endurance. But the weather is good, and I’m packed-light. Each day, my pack gets a little lighter..as I eat up the food. I haven’t seen anyone all-day as I continue up Wolf-Ridge Trail – a long hard hike.

Finally; site #13 – Sheep’s Pen, 4800ft elevation. Almost at the peak of Gregory Bald. This is a huge, beautiful camp site – 8-9 campfire rings. Surrounded by towering Oak and Birch tree’s dropping acorns and yellow leaves. Stunning to my senses. Air so clean you can ‘taste’ it’s purity. My fire that night was epic – Now I’m off the grid!!

The lights of Cades Cove in the valley below twinkle. Wind rustles the leaves of the Birch trees. And freeze-dried food never tasted so good.

Morning sun brings the need for another hike to the closest water source. A small spring about a 15-minute hike. I load-up on water for the next stage of this adventure. My next campsite has no water source, so I need a plan. Normally I only hike with enough water to reach the next campsite.. But for today/tomorrow – I’ll need to be conservative and smart with this resource.

Today’s hike is just .5 miles – very short. A last steep grade to the peak of Gregory Bald. In the clouds much of the time, this 5000ft peak holds a huge cleared meadow – A Bald Peak. No trees. Gregory’s Bald is named after a farmer that first settled Cades Cove and owned this towering mountain – 3000ft above.

There are only a few ‘true’ grassy meadow Bald’s remaining in the Appalachians – and these must be periodically maintained by Park Services, or the forest will reclaim its peaks.

Several theories exist about who built the Bald’s - when/why? Many believe the Cherokee Indians built the Bald’s as communication points across their territory. Bald’s can be found on the highest peaks for hundreds of miles in the Southern Appalachian’s. Cherokee Indian’s cleared and burned the Balds … but their history has been lost.

For me, the meadows and view from Gregory Bald are breathtaking. I’ve earned this private view of the planet – the hike was demanding – but I’m here! I’ve never felt so alive!

At the Peak, I find a semi-flat spot with a few trees – on the southern edge of the Bald - a small wind break. This is my campsite. Off the grid, off the map, off the reservation. With winds gusting to 20+mph here on the peak, just staking down my MSR Hubba Bubba tent is a challenge. My head is in the clouds. I survive.

Thru that entire day, I get hourly views from the Bald. I’m in a cloud. Finally, finally, for just an hour; the clouds clear to the blue!! And a magnificent view of the Smokies is gifted. Brilliant.

Pushing on to Campsite #93 – Upper Flats, I spend one final night on the Mountain. The hike to #93 is along the Gregory Bald Ridge Trial – a scenic easy trail that follows the ridge and descends along Long Hungry Trail. This stretch of ridgeline forms the State boundary between NC and Tennessee.

Temperature and conditions are perfect at this lower elevation. Another campfire and the solitude of a forest that is mine. The quiet of this forest is medicine to my body. Sounds of the leaves, of the trees swaying, of an occasional bird, of my foot fall. But the quiet between these notes that is the true secret. Listen.

Falling leaves. Insane Red’s and Yellows and Oranges surround me. All these colors, set against a deep Blue sky. This might be heaven.

From campsite #93,, Crossing a few more small streams….Hiking along the beautiful Twentymile Cascades. I return to my car – 5 days in the backcountry.

A sense of accomplishment greets me. Civilization and a Hotel await.

A shower and soft bed. Fresh real food. Electricity. The simple basic things of life become 100x more precious and I am grateful for them. Maybe that’s why I love backcountry hiking so-much? Funny, I once had a friend that nick-named me Basic Bruce. Maybe she knew something.

I took a thousand pictures and video along the trail. Hopefully a few are worthy.

When possible, my trips to the NC and TN Smokie Mountains include exploring the local towns. Bryson City, Franklin, Cherokee, Highlands - each offering an old-school vibe. These small towns are located in the Nantahala National Forrest, NC - just south of the official Smokies Mtn National Park. They are a slice of Americana, of apple pie, of a time passed. It’s like these towns are in a time-warp and the intense pace of America’s big cities a million miles lost.

These ‘HighCountry’ towns are connected by small roads that twist thru gorges and gaps. Past waterfalls and forests of Yellow and Red. Tourists are here now…. For some a day trip, maybe staying in Ashville. Driving around the country mountain roads is a joy – the trees are in their glory – It’s Autumn. Its Leaf Season.

After resting up from hiking for a few days in Franklin,NC,,, and a day drive to Wayah Bald viewing tower (Wayah is Wolf in Cherokee),,,,,,it’s time to travel again.

I drive south from the Smokies to Blairsville, North Georgia and my best friend’s vacation Cabin – just an hour travel time. Still high in the Appalachian Mountain range. The Cabin is a perfect home – How lucky am I ??

The temperature has dropped into the 20’s at night … and the Cabins fireplace keeps my ‘camping’ vibe going a few more days. 😊

High on a mountain, the Cabin is surrounded by trees. Relax and catch my breath from hiking and travel. Like the Smokies of Western NC, this area in North Georgia has a similar mountain vibe. I visit several regional small towns; Helen, Cleveland, and Blue Mountain – slow, calm escapes surrounded by scenic Autumn views.

Here in Blairsville, I add a day hike up nearby Blood Mountain – the highest AT peak in Georgia. Blood Mtn is 5300 ft, and from one viewing area – I could see the Skyscrapers of Atlanta – 30-35miles away. – What a Bloody strange perspective of the planet! Interesting!!

I’m on the AT again – More photos and another beautiful hike. The Blood Mtn Trailhead is just a 15 minute drive from MY cabin. Definitely cool ….. It’s kinda nice having friends with vacation homes!

Stopping in on my North Ga. cousins was an added bonus on this road trip.Now back home to Florida……Time to start planning another adventure!!

Thanks for looking in on my blog.