Hike Name: | Great Smoky Mountain National Park - Charlies Bunion |
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Country: | United States |
State: | North Carolina |
Trip Rating: | ![]() |
Trip Date: | February 22, 2008 |
Duration: | 2 days |
Trail Conditions: | Good |
Trail Traffic: | Light |
Trip Weather: | Sunny, Partly Sunny, Partly Cloudy |
Trip Winds: | Light |
Trip Precipitation: | None |
Trip Temperature: | High: 21-30, Low: 51-60 degrees Fahrenheit |
Trip Report: | Friday (2/22/08) – Left the house at 5pm for the 45 minute drive in town to McKinney's and picked he and Brunn up at his house. Porter lives nearby, so we all convened at a nearby Mexican restaurant then hit the road around 7pm after a brief stop at the grocery and liquor store in the shopping complex. McKinney was nice enough to drive my truck, while Brunn and I enjoyed some brews and listened to the disc he burned for the ride to N.C. Porter took his SUV and beat us to Cherokee with the rest of the group as we made frequent stops to empty the bladder. Drove to Harrahs by 10:30pm and were turned away due to no vacancy this evening. So stayed at a nearby Econo Lodge and returned an hour later to try our luck on the tables. Moelich got cleaned of $60 in about 15 minutes while the rest of us went in search of beverages. Apparently no alcohol is served on the premises. That coupled with a 60+ chain-smoking crowd, video blackjack tables, and no craps in the casino sent us scrambling for the door. We were back at the Econo Lodge within 45 minutes - although I give high marks to the chili dog that I devoured before we left. Sacked out by midnight which is a rarity for this group. Usually someone is packing until 2am. Saturday (2/23/08) – McKinney took the 7am wake-up call from Miller this morning and had him convinced he called the wrong room. Within 45 minutes, we were in the trucks and in search of breakfast. Cherokee was deserted, and all we could find was a Burger King that was serving food. Finished breakfast, got permits at the Oconoluftee visitor's center, then made it to Smokemont campground by 9am. It was closed due to sewer repairs, so we parked on US 441 and the majority of the group hit the trail - a bonus two miles to the weekend mileage. McKinney and I shuttled my truck to Newfound Gap which allowed us to bail a day early on the itinerary, then returned in Porter's SUV to start the hike by 10:05am. We opted for the Bradley Fork Trail with plans to close the 50 minute gap and catch up with the group that was on the Chasteen Creek Trail. After hiking 3000 feet and 8 miles (including one mile through the closed campground), we took a 30 minute break at the Hughes Ridge Trail. The sun was still out and it was really warm at this elevation for February - probably 60 degrees. The group never showed, however, and McKinney and I assumed we were in the back of the pack. Hiked to the Peck's Corner shelter by 4pm, but surpringly it was empty. The rest of the group had taken lengthy breaks and gradually rolled into the shelter over the next 45 minutes. A guy from Nashville, and AT maintainer also showed but the later opted for an ATC/NPS cabin 0.3 miles up the Hughes Ridge Trail. In the evening, used vasaline balls to start a fire but the wood was wet and it required too much maintenance. So we settled into some dinner and drinks and watched Brunn do a backflip down the hill in front of the shelter. Sacked out around 9pm when the temps hit the 20's. |
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