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• Bradley Fork to Cabin Flats—Wildflower Hike

  • When
    04/27/2024
  •  
    9:30 AM
  • Location
    Bradley Fork Trailhead, Smokemont Campground, GSMNP

  Register

  April is prime wildflower viewing time! We will explore a bit of the North Carolina side of the Smoky Mountains as we walk the road/trail alongside Bradley Fork to the Cabin Flats Trail. We will gain about 1200 ft over 4 miles, then a couple of hundred feet to Campsite #49. There we can enjoy lunch by a rushing stream before our return. The hike is 9.8 miles, rated moderate. Meet at the Bradley Fork Trailhead in the Smokemont Campground (far end) at 9:30 a.m. or carpool from Sugarlands Visitor Center, leaving promptly at 8:30 a.m. Park away from the restrooms, leaving the spaces for the tourists. Carpool 54 miles roundtrip @ $0.07 = $3.78 to the driver (round to $4).

  Leader: Randy Mitchell

  Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.

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• North Boundary Greenway-West End of Oak Ridge

  • When
    05/04/2024
  •  
    9:00 AM
  • Location
    Books-A-Million, 310 S Illinois Ave, Oak Ridge, TN 37830

  Register

  We'll do a slow 3 mile hike passing through parts of Big Oak, Sink Hole, and Boulder Trails looking for wildflowers with option for 3 more miles for those who wish to continue and visit Gallaher Cemetery and the nearby quarry. Bring your entire family. Meet leaders at 9am at Books-A-Million parking lot just off Oak Ridge Turnpike.

  Leaders: Jeannette Gilbert and Terri Felde

  Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.

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• AT Work Trip

  • When
    05/04/2024
  •  
    9:00 AM
  • Location
    Davenport Gap Trailhead, TN 32 / NC284, I-40 Exit 451, Waterville, NC

  Register

  The May 4th work trip is designated toward treadway rehab between Davenport Gap and Lower Mt Cammerer Trail. Planned work includes some sidehill digging where tread is starting to slip downhill, pruning back encroaching vegetation, and replacing of a few log steps. Tools will be provided. Carpool from the Cracker Barrel on Strawberry Plains at 8:00 a.m. Alternate meeting point is at Davenport Gap trailhead at 9:00 a.m. Participants will need to wear sturdy footwear and weather appropriate attire. Bring gloves, lunch, snacks, and plenty of water. If you have favorite tools you prefer to use, please bring those as well.

  Leaders: Franklin LaFond
  Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.

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• The Road to Nowhere Loop Conservation History Hike (Sunday)

  • When
    05/05/2024
  •  
    8:45 AM
  • Location
    Road to Nowhere Tunnel Parking, Lakeview Drive, North Carolina 28713
  • Spaces left
    13

  Register

  The settlement of the Road to Nowhere Controversy was one of the most important conservation victories in the recent history of the GSMNP. The settlement prevented road construction from the Lakeshore Road Tunnel to Fontana Dam. The SMHC’s Ray Payne was a tireless advocate for keeping the north shore of Fontana wild. We will savor the undeveloped parklands as we hike from the tunnel around the Whiteoak and Forney Creek trails and return via the Goldmine and Tunnel Bypass trails. The hike is 10.1 miles long, rated moderate. Meet at the Sugarlands Visitor Center (in the lot furthest away from the visitor’s center) ready to leave at 7:00 a.m. {Drive: 104 miles RT @ 7¢/mile=$7.25 Cash}. We will also meet at the Lakeshore Drive Trailhead, ready to start hiking at 8:45am.

  Leaders: Hiram Rogers & Jean Gauger

  Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.

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• Wednesday Hike: East Lakeshore Trail-Sinking Creek Branch

  • When
    05/08/2024
  •  
    9:00 AM
  • Location
    Cracker Barrell, 325 Fort Loudoun Medical Center Dr, Lenoir City, TN 37772

  Register

  Nine miles along beautiful Tellico Lake. Out and back. Cumulative ascent will be 1325 feet. Moderately easy. Bring a trail lunch & water. We will begin the hike at the Sinking Creek trailhead at the end of National Campground Road at 9:30 am. Meet at the Lenoir City Cracker Barrel by 9 am. Drive 20 miles RT {@$.07 = $1.40}.

  Leader: Terry Nyenhuis

  Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.

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• AT Work Trip - Konnarock Trail Crew

  • Start
    05/10/2024
  • End
    05/16/2024
  • Location
    Konnarock Trail Crew

  Register

  ATC's annual Konnarock Crew is coming to the Nantahala National Forest from May 10th—16th. This crew is made up of volunteers from across the country and often includes members of other trail associations. This annual crew is utilized to build treadway structures, construct new trail segments, and perform extensive trail rehab. This is a great opportunity to learn or improve maintenance skills from trained ATC crew leaders and help improve this section of trail.

  This year’s project is a 1.5-mile-long rehab project, south of Yellow Creek Gap. The hike to the worksite is moderate. The crew will start at 8:30 each morning from the Yellow Creek trailhead. You can car camp with the crew behind the Forest Service gate for any number of nights if you would like. Volunteers that participate with the crew for 3 or more days receive a commemorative Konnarock T-Shirt.

  Participants will need to wear sturdy footwear and bring work gloves, lunch, snacks, and plenty of water. If you have a hardhat, shin guards, and/or safety glasses, please bring those as well. For more details, contact Franklin LaFond or Randy Bullock.

  Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.

  To learn more about ATC trail crews and sign up for a full hitch with this amazing group, visit the ATC's site to complete their registration form.

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• SMHC Centennial Fish Fry and Square Dance

  • When
    05/11/2024
  •  
    3:30 PM - 7:30 PM
  • Location
    Appalachian Clubhouse, Elkmont, GSMNP
  • Spaces left
    32

  Register

  Save the date for the SMHC Centennial “Tom and Meta Dewine Fish Fry and Vaughn Browder Square Dance” celebration on May 11 beginning at 3:30 at the Appalachian Club located at Elkmont in GSMNP. SMHC held regular fish fry events and also square dances over many of the early years of the club as social events, banquets and election picnics. Plans are being finalized to celebrate and relive this history which will include a fish dinner and then a square dance. We’ve lined up old time square dance caller Leo Collins and friends and live music from Boogertown Gap and friends. A genuine “Appalachian Trail” sign will be given away as a door prize to a lucky winner. Bring a dessert to share.

  Attendance is limited to 90, so register early to save your spot! The event cost is $22 per person and open to members only. You will need a current parking permit if you plan to park your vehicle within the national park. Carpooling is encouraged. A group camp site has been reserved at the Elkmont Campground for those wishing to camp. Please make a note on your registration if you are interested in camping.

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• Little River Trail Backpack to Campsite 30 (Saturday and Sunday)

  • Start
    05/18/2024
  • End
    05/19/2024
  • Location
    Little River Trail, Elkmont, GSMNP
  • Spaces left
    5

  Register

  We will backpack the entirety of the Little River Trail on Saturday, May 18, spending the night at campsite 30. This overnight trip up the 6.2-mile-long gentle grade trail offers breathtaking natural beauty and a rewarding outdoor experience. As we traverse the Little River Trail, we will be treated to mesmerizing views of the cascading Little River and lush greenery that lines the path. Three Forks Campsite 30 is truly a magical place in the back of beyond. We will be greeted by a tranquil setting nestled amidst 2 fast flowing streams, providing a perfect spot to rest or bring a fly rod and try your hand at fishing for native Brook trout. This will be a fun outing and suitable for a newer backpacker. This trail is rated as moderate for backpacking. Pre-registration in advance is required as only 6 spots will be available. Contact leaders for meeting time and place.

  Leaders: Adam and Amanda Beal

  Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.

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• Twentymile to Shuckstack (Sunday)

  • When
    05/19/2024
  •  
    8:30 AM
  • Location
    Twentymile Ranger Station, Robbinsville, NC, GSMNP

  Register

  Some of the best views in the Smokies can be had from the Shuckstack Fire Tower. So, let’s hike there via the Twentymile trail and the AT (returning the same way). Those willing to climb the creaky stairs can enjoy the outstanding views to be seen from the top of the tower (I’ll just look at your pictures). We will probably have an opportunity to talk with thru-hikers along the way, too. Hike: 10.8 miles with total elevation gain of 2,700 ft. (1,500 in the last 2 miles), rated Difficult because of that last tough climb.

  Meet at Walmart-Supercenter, far right side of the parking lot, on US 411 South in Maryville at 7:30am {Drive: 80 miles RT @ 7¢/mile=$5.60}, or at the Twentymile Ranger Station at 8:30am. The leader will meet the group at the Twentymile Ranger Station, not the carpool site.

  Leader: Pat Watts

  Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.

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• Wednesday Hike: East Lakeshore Trail-Canal and Baker Hollow Branches

  • When
    05/22/2024
  •  
    9:00 AM
  • Location
    Cracker Barrell, 325 Fort Loudoun Medical Center Dr, Lenoir City, TN 37772

  Register

  The hike will begin at the Canal Branch Trailhead. We will hike 4.5 miles south along Tellico Lake on the Canal & Baker Hollow Branches of the East Lakeshore Trail, have a rest & lunch, then return north on the same trails back to our vehicles at the trailhead. Bring a trail lunch & water. Rated moderately easy. Meet at the Lenoir City Cracker Barrel by 9 am. Drive 10 miles RT {@ $.07 = $.70}.

  Leader: Terry Nyenhuis

  Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.

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• Off Trail Hike: Woolly Tops - Charlie Klabunde Legacy Hike

  • When
    05/25/2024

  A truly classic Smoky Mountain adventure that has been undertaken by the Club “officially” nine times since 1941 and well regarded with a mystique as the fortress heart of Greenbrier. The 1958 SMHC Handbook has an eloquent description of the vicinity: “The paths to the altar are virgin streams. The waters as wild as I, child of the mountain and cool as rain, the song of the mountains they sing and play o’er the mossy rocks on the steep, steep slopes pristine.” This rugged trail-less climb was standard fare for Charlie Klabunde, who ranks foremost among the Club’s all-time advocates for off-trail hiking and always in accord with Ernie Dickerman’s dictum, “If you’re on a trail, you’re not on a hike.” For many years Charlie Klabunde was the Club’s Search Team Coordinator. We will begin our ascent into this wild and woolly country by hopping up Laurel Branch, flanked with thickets of rhododendron and massive rock formations, until reaching its upper split and venturing boldly up the right fork. Approaching the fortress wall, we will be rewarded with a challenging climb up the slick tangles of the sheer rock escarpment and a liberating release to the mossy boulder fields of the upper mountain territory. There we will search for the skeletal frame remains of the Beechcraft Staggerwing airplane that has been scattered about the mountaintop since 1944. Our descent route entails a rhodo-dense spur ridge sometimes following a capricious bear trail that ebbs and flows without regard for the desires of human linearity; eventually finding a way to enchanting Kalanu Prong and its towering trees where we can intercept the well-worn False Gap Prong manway to ease us gently towards our exit. This will be a robust, strenuous hike of around six to seven miles depending on the vagaries of the route and the exploratory notions of the group. Bring a flashlight, canteen, and – if you want to play it safe – food for a week. Rated very difficult.

  Leaders: Kindel Page and Todd Long

  To register, contact the leaders directly. You can find contact information in the May 2024 newsletter writeup for this hike.

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• New Member Hike: Middle Prong to Indian Flats Falls

  • When
    05/25/2024
  •  
    9:00 AM
  • Location
    End of Tremont Road, GSMNP

  Register

  We will hike on the Middle Prong Trail (an old railway line) up to the manway that cuts over to Indian Flats Falls. Along the way we will see a cascade and an old car in the woods. Around the 4-mile mark we will follow a switchback over to Indian Flats to see the waterfall. The hike is 7.8 miles round trip. Hike rated moderate. Carpool from Kroger, 244 S Hall Road, Alcoa. Park on the side near KARM. Be ready to leave at 8:00 a.m. drive 52 miles round trip. At $0.07/ mile = $3.64 cash to the driver (O.K. to round to $4). Or meet at 9:00 at the top of the gravel road above Tremont. The leaders will be at the trailhead. To get there, turn right at the Wye then left on the Tremont Road and follow it to the end.

  Leader: Steve Dunkin

  Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.

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• National Trails Day

  • When
    06/01/2024
  •  
    7:00 AM
  • Location
    Sugarlands Visitors Center, Gatlinburg, GSMNP

  Join us on Saturday, June 1, as we celebrate our club’s 27th National Trails Day event on sections of the Appalachian Trail in the National Park! Each year, nearly 100 volunteers come out help rehab the 12-mile long, high-use trail sections between Double Springs and Icewater Springs shelters. Volunteers will gather that morning at 7AM the Sugarlands Visitor Center to meet up with crew leaders and travel to sections where they will do various maintenance activities on the trail, tailored to their abilities. At the end of the workday, volunteers will receive a commemorative t-shirt and enjoy a picnic, a crew-leader bragging session, and a raffle for door prizes. Come join the fun! For more information and to reserve your spot, visit the National Trails Day registration page. The deadline to register is Wednesday, May 15.

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• AT Work Trip

  • When
    07/13/2024
  • Location
    Nantahala National Forest

  This work trip will focus on treadway rehab in the Nantahala National Forest between The Nantahala Outdoor Rafting Center and Fontana Dam. Specific locations of work will be based on prioritization of work needed. The SMHC Newsletter will provide details on what to bring and where we will meet.

  Leaders: Franklin LaFond
  Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.

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• AT Work Trip

  • When
    08/03/2024
  • Location
    GSMNP

  Each season, several hundred pounds of hardwood mulch are used at each of our backcountry privies to aid in proper composting. This work trip will focus on packing mulch to one or more of our backcountry privy locations that is less than 5 miles from the trailhead. Mulch is put in 20 lb. bags for carrying. The club has extra backpacking-style backpacks if needed. The SMHC Newsletter will provide details on what to bring and where we will meet.

  Leader: Franklin LaFond
  Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.

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• AT Work Trip

  • When
    09/07/2024
  • Location
    Cosby Campground

  This work trip will focus on treadway rehab in the section between Mt Cammerer Fire Tower and Camel Gap. Access to the work area will be via the 2.5 mile Low Gap Trail, starting at the Cosby Campground. Specific locations of work will be based on prioritization of work needed. The SMHC Newsletter will provide details on what to bring and where we will meet.

  Leader: Mark Shipley
  Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.

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• AT Work Trip

  • When
    10/12/2024
  • Location
    Newfound Gap, GSMNP

  This work trip will focus on treadway rehab in the section between Newfound Gap to Icewater Springs. This is our most heavily used section of trail, and it sees a lot of wear each season. Specific locations of work will be based on prioritization of work needed. The SMHC Newsletter will provide details on what to bring and where we will meet.

  Leader: Franklin LaFond
  Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.

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• AT Work Trip

  • When
    11/02/2024
  • Location
    GSMNP

  November is time to start winding down the trail maintenance season. This work day will be focused on cleaning, sharpening, repairing, inventorying, and storing the club’s tools for the winter. The SMHC Newsletter will provide details on what to bring and where we will meet.

  Leader: Franklin LaFond
  Leader contact information is included under Additional Information in the email you receive after registration.

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