Scrapbook Adventures Backpacking Across the Great Smoky Mountains on the Appalachian Trail - 10/97   Written by Kip Ladage   Few things in life are as exciting as a crazy idea. And a crazy idea was just the case when I dreamed up the concept of my good friend Darrin and me attempting to hike our way across the Great Smoky Mountains.  I have always said, "you can accomplish anything good if you believe in yourself." With those thoughts in mind, I approached Darrin with my idea. After hours of thought, I can honestly say that I don't remember him ever speaking negatively about the idea.  So the two of us set a date for our great adventure to begin. By planning the trip in October, we thought we might be able to avoid some of the crowds on the trail we had read about.  Our goal was to hike north to south, beginning at the trail head near Davenport Gap. We hired a local fellow to shuttle Darrin's truck back to Fontana Dam, our end point.  We studied books and maps, read about the area, and trained hard. Unfortunately, Iowa does not help much when training for steep climbs. Since we knew we would be facing challenging altitude changes from the very beginning, we substituted bleacher walking for rocky terrain. Few people in small town Iowa do any backpacking, so at first our neighbors questioned what we were doing. However, after the first few weeks, Darrin and I got used to the unusual looks and the questions.  Finally, after months of planning and training, our trip was about to begin. All details had been accounted for; it was time to start hiking.  It took very little persuasion to convince our shuttle driver to shoot a "departure photo." After the photo shoot we buried our watches deep in our packs (we had no need for them on the trail) and began our hike.  We knew there would be an immediate change in altitude, but we had no idea just how intense that first climb would be. Sweat seemed to spray from our pores as we moved ever higher toward Davenport Gap.  Within the first hour of hiking, it was clearly evident that we had far too much weight in our packs. Since this was our first week-long hike, we had gone overboard on the loads. At this point we didn't realize how seriously the heavy loads would affect us.  Our destination on the first day of the trip was Cosby Knob, a mere 8.1 miles. Such mileage is certainly attainable, but it is also necessary to factor in altitude changes. When adding all of the ups and downs of the Appalachian Trail through the Smokies, you can easily include several thousand feet gained and lost. If you consider each 1000 feet of altitude climbed as an additional hour of hiking, it is easy to see that we spent a full day hiking.  Trail conditions were really surprising. Even though the trail receives the impact of several thousand people each year, the vegetation was still very thick on the northern end. We did notice how the path had been eroded several inches in many places. I guess that is better than countless other trails damaging surrounding vegetation.  Since we were hiking so late in the growing season, we were not privileged to hike through the colorful and sweetly scented flowers of the Tennessee/North Carolina segment of the Appalachian Trail.  The exposed rugged geology of the trail also caught our attention. Massive boulders lined the trail everywhere we looked. Once in a while we used one to lounge on while we basked in the scenery.  According to the books we read in preparation for our hikes, we had a good likelihood of observing some sort of big game wildlife -- either black bears or wild boars. It didn't take long to realize that the trailside vegetation was thick enough for any creature to hide in. We weren't worried. In fact, we hoped to see some of the region's wildlife, at least from a distance.  After becoming adjusted to the terrain and moving into our "hiking modes," we both began to enjoy our surroundings immensely. Even the climbs seemed to become easier, and before we knew it, we were approaching the first side trip of our hike.  Although both Darrin and I were winded from the hike, when we came upon the sign indicating the spur trail to the Mt. Cammerer lookout tower, we knew we had to hike it.  Our understanding is that the tower had been abandoned and was quickly falling into a state of disrepair. Determined trail enthusiasts apparently took it upon themselves to carry in the materials and tools necessary to repair and maintain the tower.  The decision to include the Mt. Cammerer loop was very worthwhile. From the vantage point on top of the tower, hikers are afforded a bird's-eye view in every direction. We wished we had known more about the area surrounding the park so we would have been able to recognize landmarks.  After taking in as much of the surrounding landscape as we could, we left Mt. Cammerer, destined to finish the day's hike at Cosby Knob. We still had nearly half of the day's mileage to hike.  Even with all the reading, preparations, and training, neither of us seemed prepared for the rough terrain. Iowa simply does not have hiking routes anywhere that are consistently rugged. Jagged trails make for very scenic walks, but they are demanding on knees and ankles. Both of us were feeling the burden of the excessively heavy loads we were carrying over such irregular footing. I noticed pain in my knee; Darrin's ankle's were letting him know they had had enough.  Finally, and much to our relief, we reached the Cosby Knob shelter. Because you don't know who else will be staying in the shelters with you, each night is a surprise. Our shelter mates in the Cosby Knob shelter were an older gentleman (65) who was hiking the entire Appalachian Trail (approx. 2,100 miles) in segments and had completed all but 600 miles. There was also a young man from Georgia, another guy from Michigan who was baking bread over a fire, and his girlfriend (who hikes in a dress). All were friendly and many interesting thoughts were shared.  Most shelters on the A.T. have a journal in them. We read through the journal while eating supper and noticed that our shelter mates had included our arrival in their entries. We were nicknamed the Yankees, a name I continue to use today.  As you can see, the shelters are constructed with three solid sides and a mesh front. Considering the high amount of traffic the shelters receive, most were quite clean according to backpacking standards.  When using backcountry shelters, there are two important rules to follow. Rule 1 - Always clean up after yourself and any thoughtless hiker before you. Rule 2 - Shut the door so the bears don't come in. Please close the door quietly. The sound of metal doors slamming shut is not a natural sound in the outdoors.  By the way, we did not have any uninvited bears join us in the shelters. We did have plenty of company in the form of rodent visitors. As soon as the sun dropped, the mice came out in hoards. We were so tired though, that their presence hardly bothered us.  Continued on page 2 . . . click here.      Click here to e-mail questions and comments regarding Backpacking the Great Smoky Mountains.     Click here to link to Ladage Photography and Destinations.