Gregory Bald Backpacking Trip
LyttleBryan July 27th, 2010
This weekend I finally had the opportunity to see one of the staples of the Smoky Mountains: Gregory Bald. It still surprises me that after a hundred or more trips to the Smokies, I still haven’t seen some of the most commonly visited parts of the park.
Our trip wasn’t just a hike up to the Bald, but was actually a two night, three day backpacking trip. I had Friday afternoon off work, so we left around noon to head to Cades Cove. Our trip took us up Rabbit Creek Trail to Scott Gap. From there we took Hannah Mountain Trail to Campsite #14 where we stayed the night on Friday. Saturday we got up and continued on Hannah Mountain and then up Gregory Bald Trail to Campsite #13 for the night. We got up early on Sunday and made our way up to the Bald itself where we had breakfast and watched the sun come up. After that it was all downhill (literally) to the road. From there we hitched a ride back to Cades Cove Loop road and finally to our car. It was a really fantastic trip with a lot of neat things to see and experience.
If I had to pick a theme for this trip, it would probably have to be the heat. It was hot this weekend in the Smokies. Like, really, really, hot. I think there were a couple of times while climbing up to the bald that I could be found sprawled out on the ground with a bandanna over my head. Looking back it was fun, but I can remember some points of pure misery during the trip. Couple this with water sources that were few and far between, and it made for some tense moments. Julie and I were both out of water by the time we got to campsite #14, and by all signs, we weren’t expecting to find any at the local sources. Fortunately the last spring we looked at had enough that we could filter it. The same thing happened on the second day too. It wasn’t until we were within a 1/8th of a mile from Campsite #13 that we came upon the spring. It definitely makes me rethink the 2 liters of water that I carry. I may have to invest in a new three liter bladder.
If I had to pick another theme for the trip, it would be that Julie hates hammocks. You see, this trip Julie decided that she wanted to try hammock camping as well. So I loaned her my spare ENO Doublenest with rainfly and away we went. By 11:45 pm on Friday night, she was pretty darn miserable. So miserable in fact that she spent a good 10 seconds screaming at the cicadas to be quiet. I’ll leave the profanity laden content out of this entry, but needless to say I was both happy no one else was in the campsite and trying hard not to laugh at the situation. Fortunately she was a good sport and made it through the rest of the weeknd. Either way she’ll probably be getting a new single person tent in the near future…
I think one of the most exciting parts of the trip for me, aside from the bald, was the number of campsites we passed on the trip. I enjoy knowing things about the Smokies, and knowing what the campsites look like is great when someone says “hey, where should I go?” I got to go past 5 different campsites this weekend: 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. I can say without a doubt that campsite #13 is one of the coolest sites I’ve ever seen in the Smokies. The grassy ground, the old trees, and the bald are just amazing! Campsites #12 and #15 were also very cool sites. They’re much easier to get to and have large creeks flowing directly past them. I would gladly go for one of those when I’m looking for a nice easy site. Site #14 was also a nice site, though very small. It definitely couldn’t house more than 2-3 tents, though it can handle quite a few hammocks. Site #16, well, I can’t really think of a good reason to stay here. With site #15 being only 1.1 miles away, I can’t think of a reason not to go there instead!
Though one thing of note about site #16, is that Hannah Mountain Trail, which goes right past it, is absolutely amazing. It is easily one of the nicest trails I have hiked in the Smokies. It doesn’t have a lot of amazing views, and there isn’t anything special about it like waterfalls, but it’s just an enjoyable trail. I can understand why it’s referred to as “the softest trail in the Smokies.” It is!
Another thing probably worth mentioning was some of the wild life we saw on the trip. Not once, but twice we got a little too close to a bear we didn’t know was there. Just outside Campsite #16 on Hannah Mountain Trail we came over a ridge and scared one in the middle of the trail. It was about 30′ away when I saw it. Fortunately it was just as startled as we were because it immediately started running up the ridge. The other bear was about 25 yards from campsite #13. It was just off in the brush and we didn’t see it until we were about 10′ from it. Both times we were too close for me to safely get pictures. Unfortunate, but I’d much rather remain a safe distance from bears!
Overall it was an amazing trip. Pictures are below. If you’re wondering which campsites are which, the order we passed them and the order with which they’re shown in the photos are: 15, 16, 14, 13, 12.
Enjoy!
Gregory Bald Backpack 7-26-2010
