Guided Backpacking Trips in the Great Smoky Mountains

Guided Backpacking Trips in the Great Smoky Mountains

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

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Did you know that REI offers guided backpacking trips in the Great Smoky Mountains? If you’re new to the park, or new to backpacking, this is a great way to explore the Smokies with experienced and professional guides.

REIs challenging Appalachian Trail tour follows the crest of the western Smoky Mountains. Along the way participants visit Clingmans Dome, Derrick Knob, Thunderhead Mountain, Rocky Top and Spence Field. Along the way hikers stay in backcountry shelters, and REI provides breakfast and dinners. The trip is considered challenging for experienced backpackers or very fit beginners. REI runs this guided trip about a dozen times this year, but half are already sold out.

For a backpacking excursion that’s a little less challenging, and a little more family friendly, REI introduced a new three day backpacking loop hike this year, designed for families with children ages 9 and up. The trip starts and ends in the Big Creek area, and includes a visit to the Mt. Sterling fire tower. Along the way hikers pass by old growth Hemlock and Spruce trees, streams, pools and cascading waterfalls. There are still two dates available for this year; however, you do have the option of organizing a privately guided trip.

For those seeking the ultimate in adventure, REI offers an introductory course in rock climbing in North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest. During this two-day course participants spend time at Looking Glass and Cedar Rock, two areas ideal for beginner climbers. The course is run by professional instructors that are certified by the American Mountain Guides Association, and have many years experience in teaching “Rock Climbing 101”. All meals, camping accommodations and required technical equipment are provided. Several dates are still available.

For more information on these guided trips, as well as a variety of other adventures in national parks and outdoor areas across the country - and around the world - please click here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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Mastering the Basics of Adventure Travel

Mastering the Basics of Adventure Travel

Thursday, February 17, 2011

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Outside Magazine has an interesting and informative article in the print and online edition their February 2011 issue. The article essentially offers a series of basic tips for adventure travelers. These are skills any outdoor enthusiast, especially those traveling abroad, should possess.

These include packing, how to handle bribes, essential gear, blending in and working with the locals, and a few survival tips.

I particularly liked this piece of advice:

Hand over a decoy wallet instead, filled with expired IDs, credit cards, and some trivial amount of the local currency. Outside contributing editor Patrick Symmes pulled this move two years ago in Venezuela, forking over the wallet, a wad of expired Bolivian bills, and the $70 in his pocket—preserving the $500 he'd zipped into a money belt.

To read all of Outside's adventure travel tips, please click here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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Alone Across Alaska

Alone Across Alaska

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

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You would think being an Alaskan smokejumper would be adventurous enough. Not if you’re Bruce Nelson.

Bruce personifies adventure. Just take a quick look at some of the highlights from his outdoor adventure resume. He’s hiked the 2168 mile Appalachian Trail, bicycled coast-to-coast across the southern United States, canoed 2300 miles down the length of the Mississippi River, and has climbed Mt. McKinley (also known as Denali). Additionally, in what he described as “one of the great adventures of my life”, he walked and paddled over 1,000 miles across Alaska in the summer of 2006. Did I mention he did this alone?

Nelson lives the lifestyle. He recently retired from his smoke-jumping days, but he continues to live in his 16' X 20' cabin northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. He has an oil-burning stove and has all the normal comforts of home with the exception of running water.

His trek across Alaska was no ordinary adventure. Traveling from east to west, Nelson crossed the isolated northern section of Alaska, which took him across the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Brooks Mountain Range. There aren’t any trails or guide books to follow in this part of Alaska. Nelson essentially "winged it" by studying topographical maps.

It took him 77 days to complete his trek. He estimates that he hiked 615 miles and canoed about 403 miles down the Noatak River to the Bering Straight.

Here’s an excellent 3 minute trailer from his “Alone Across Alaska” DVD.


Alone Across Alaska: 1,000 Miles of Wilderness from bucktrack.com on Vimeo.

Nelson’s Alaska trek isn’t his final adventure. He’s currently attempting to thru-hike the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), which runs more than 2500 miles along the Continental Divide of the Rocky Mountains from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. He began his most recent adventure on May 1st at the Mexican border, and is currently in Montana with less than 430 miles to go. You can follow his progress at:

http://www.bucktrack.com/Continental_Divide_Trail_Updates.html


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

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Adventure Travel in a Tough Economy

Adventure Travel in a Tough Economy

Monday, July 21, 2008

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Although we’re already half-way through the summer, there’s still a lot of time left for vacations and adventure travel. Instead of traveling to some far-off vacation destination, why not travel over to the national park in your own backyard? With roughly 50 percent of the U.S. population within 500 miles, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an excellent choice for a little adventure travel.

With a sluggish economy and high gas prices, traveling to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a great way to stretch your entertainment dollar. You can’t beat the price of admission; Great Smoky Mountains is the only major national park that doesn’t charge an entrance fee. The main attractions in the park are all free as well. Choose from over 800 miles of trails to create your own adventure. Check out one of the many waterfalls in the park, or take a hike in the high country for some spectacular vistas. If your preference is seeing wildflowers, stop by one of the ranger offices and ask what’s in bloom. There’s something in bloom somewhere in the park almost any time of year. Another free adventure option is to take your bike for a ride around the pastoral settings of Cades Cove. The Park Service closes the 11-mile Cades Cove loop to motor traffic on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

Another adventurous way to see the national park is on horseback. The park has hundreds of miles of horse trails as well as five drive-in horse camps. If you don't own a horse, there are four rental stables that will provide you with mounts and guides.

Maybe hiking and adventure travel isn’t really your cup of tea. Don’t worry; the park still provides many activities for those that like more leisurely pursuits.

Wildlife viewing is very popular within certain areas. Go to Cades Cove in the mornings and early evenings to see black bears, white-tailed deer and wild turkeys. The Cataloochee Valley is the best place for spotting elk which were recently reintroduced to the park in 2001.

The Smoky Mountains also boasts nearly 80 historic structures that have been preserved or rehabilitated. Feel free to walk in and explore the many houses, barns, outbuildings, churches, schools, and grist mills from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

All this sightseeing is naturally going to make you hungry. Make sure you bring a picnic lunch or dinner with you. There are eleven picnic areas within the park. There’s also more than 2100 miles of streams where you could roll-out a blanket and enjoy the scenery while picnicking. With all those streams, there’s also plenty of fishing opportunities.

You can really make your dollar stretch by camping in the great outdoors. There’s nothing better than sitting around a camp fire and watching the stars after a hearty dinner cooked over an open flame. The park has 10 campgrounds from which to choose from.

If you’re not into roughing-it you could stay in one of the gateway communities. Being as popular as it is, Gatlinburg can be a relatively expensive option. However, if you travel to Townsend, Cosby, Cherokee or Bryson City, you’ll be able to find more affordable lodging. Restaurants will also be cheaper in these towns. Furthermore, if you opt to stay at one of the many cabins that the Smoky Mountain area is famous for, you could save a lot of money by cooking your own meals instead of eating out every night.

Another reason to stay at one of the smaller towns is that you won’t have the constant temptation of dropping cash on places like Ripley’s Haunted Adventure or Hillbilly Golf.

Whether you’re looking for adventure travel or just an inexpensive vacation, the Great Smoky Mountains is an excellent way of getting more bang for your buck. And, it’s most likely right in your own backyard. You could spend a weekend or a full week here and you’re almost guaranteed to spend much less than you would if you were to go to Disney World or Las Vegas.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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