Backpacking Mount Sterling Ridge and Little Cataloochee - Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC

Описание: A two-day weekend backpacking trip August 25-26 along the northern perimeter of Cataloochee Valley. The weather was perfect for backpacking, mid 50-60s after a front came through with almost zero chance of rain. I started the loop at the Pretty Hollow Gap Trailhead and then picked up the Palmer Creek Trail heading up and west towards Balsam Mountain. Nothing too exciting with Palmer Creek, the trail generally stayed above the water. I hiked a short distance on Balsam Mountain Rd. This one-way road is open seasonally and has low traffic. Then I picked up the Balsam Mountain Trail and once I climbed above 5,000 ft near Ledge Bald I would stay above 5,000 ft for the next ~10 miles. I reached the Laurel Gap Shelter just past 6:00 PM, and had it to myself on a Saturday night. Pretty crazy considering the weather and time of year. The water source is well below the shelter but flowed well. I ate and read my Kindle until dark, and had a decent night's sleep. On the first day I covered 10 miles in 4.5 hours.

On my way to fill up in the morning I woke up a big bear about 300 ft from the shelter, I guess he couldn't get to those bear cables. Immediately above Laurel Gap I headed east on the Mount Sterling Ridge Trail, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite high-elevation trails in the state. There are no views until Mt. Sterling, but the forest is awesome. I reached Mt. Sterling around noon and took a long break, enjoying the cool breezes from the tower. Unfortunately it was pretty cloudy, so the views weren't great. Next I hiked down the super rocky Mount Sterling Trail and then the Long Bunk Trail. This section was uneventful. When I finally got to Little Cataloochee Creek I filled up for the last time in this remote valley. Next up was the Little Cataloochee Baptist Church and Cook Cabin, both in excellent condition. The last major climb began immediately after Cook Cabin up to Davidson Gap. This was rough coming towards the ends of a big hike. Below the gap the Little Cataloochee Trail crossed Davidson Branch 4 times before reconnecting with the Pretty Hollow Gap Trail. On Day 2 I covered 17.5 miles in 7.75 hours.

Hike was 27.5 miles with 5,631 feet elevation gain in 12 hours and 15 minutes.

Hike location
https://goo.gl/maps/oGYEAhw4Vy42