From the desk of sgt rock:
"In 1979 GATC members start working on an alternate route for the AT because they saw the AT getting too crowded. The initial idea was it would be a more remote wilderness trail and I got the idea that it was supposed to be without any shelters.
In 1980 the BMTA was formed mostly from GATC members and one of the early members is now the director of the ATC. The original concept was to get hikers to the Smokies and go over Gregory Bald and hook up with the AT using the original AT route into the park.
At some point in the 1980s the back country director of the GSMNP wanted the BMT to go through the park on a lower route as an alternative for hikers to use in drought or high snow years. So it was the park services idea in the first place LOL (remember that for later). Some old time hikers told me that back then even AT hikers were supposed to put an literary on the permit and there wasn't necessarily the thru-hiker system that existed up to the new pay system. Lone Wolf told me of a conversation with a park ranger sometime in the 1990's I think and at that time their opinion was if you got off the trail to go into Gatlinburg you were no longer a thru-hiker.
Between 1980 and 1985 the GATC built the BMT from Springer to Ocoee River by linking some existing trails and building trail. They had a route proposal up to Whigg Meadow but were negotiating with different land mangers for routes. Some trail had to be built, but the general rule is to use existing trail whenever was possible and they were working the process to get that built.
1986 the NEPA act was amended and now the entire process of getting trail built changed. It became a lot harder to get approval for anything other than minor changes. This basically reset any trail construction north of the Ocoee River and it looked like the BMT would forever end at that point and never fulfill it's initial role of an AT alternative. But the BMTA didn't give up. During this period the GSMNP implemented its "no new trail" rule where if you wanted to open trail somewhere, you had to close equal miles of trail somewhere else. The old AT to Gregory Bald is closed and that basically killed that link forever.
1990's At some point in the 1990s the rules change for thru-hiker permits to allow hikers to simply write thru-hiker on their permit if they were an AT thru-hiker. The Park Service seems to have generally stopped worrying about AT thru-hikers.
1996 A Walk in the Woods came out and thru-hike starting numbers jumped by 60% over the next two years (according to the ATC).
2000's With diligence and work of the BMTA the NEPA process started from scratch and routes were negotiated. Up until 2004 the last link between the park and Cherokee National Forest was in doubt, but though a couple of last minute compromises with the Park Service, the Forest Service, and private land owners, a connection was created between Tapoco and Twentymile ranger station. The trail was "completed" and opened in 2005 at Mudd Gap and one of the parties represented was the ATC and it was even mentioned in his speech that now we would look at making the BMT an alternative for AT hikers.
2006 and 2007 big droughts, some hikers considered the BMT alternative in the park. I don't know that any actually used it. But it was there.
2008 I do my hike and start working on what would become the thru-hikers guide. 2008-2009 it was a free download. 2010 it became a book.
2011 big snow hits the AT in the park. The park service recommends using the BMT alternative. Many hikers skip the Smokys. I was told by Fontana Village that the ATC was telling hikers if they use the BMT alternative they will recognize it but I have no first hand knowledge of it.
Summer 2011 they start talking about the new reservation system. The original system was so FUBAR they had to scrap it, much credit was giving to a couple of hikers who shall remain anonymous but they were BMTA members. We also vigorously started trying to change how the BMT and MST were going to be viewed by the Park Service. I got the feeling that they would like to limit AT hikers too, but had put that rule in back in the 1990s and sort of got pigeonholed into the system they have now.
2012 the new permit system is implemented. The AT hiker has multiple approved ways to get a permit and a trail service infrastructure to support NoBo at hikers. The NoBo BMT hiker doesn't have any way on the trail to get a permit and it becomes a huge hassle for NoBo BMT hikers to meet the requirement.
Late 2013 the Forest Service decides that the Yellow Creek Mountain Trail (old AT) might be a better option than getting a BMT hiker run over on the Dragon. Trail reconnaissance begins.
2014 Trail construction begins on the YCMT reroute and Fontana Village becomes the a viable option for BMT thru-hikers to get a permit, even though it is on the standard reservation system. My personal opinion is this is a great fix for the BMT thru-hikers and may be one of our ways to keep the general novice hiker off the BMT, but in my gut I still want them to recognize thru-hikers for the BMT and give them the same privileges as an AT thru-hiker.
Late 2014 the Forest Service gets the idea that the ridge trail with the balds on it might be safer than the Slickrock Creek Crossing and recommends we move there. It was our original route request anyway, so we start route reconnaissance. Now the Tapoco Lodge is also under new management and they want to help out hikers. Another way to get a permit before hitting the Smokys becomes available.
Late 2014 the ATC approaches the BMTA to find out what their position is on the BMT serving as an official alternate to the AT is. I give my input through the BMTA. Sticking point appears to be the GSMNP which now seems to think that half the AT traffic is going to start using the BMT and doesn't think that is sustainable despite the fact that the BMT in the park has 163% of the AT's campsite capacity with ~10% of the usage.
2015 route recon complete and new trail is built for the Slickrock reroute.
2015 AT Kick off Morgan Somerville addresses the crowed on upcoming AT issues with overuse. Reports are already of 30+ people in shelter areas during the thru-hiker bubble. They forecast 5K to 6K starters by 2017 based on the jump they saw after the 1996 release of the book. At that meeting it is specifically addressed that they are working with all land managers and trail clubs involved to explore naming the BMT an alternative route. Decisions not to be made until later after all stakeholders have time for comment.
Future: I think this will happen but I doubt we will get thru-hiker status from the GSMNP and maybe that is a good thing. In the distant future I would be the GSMNP gets tired of a bunch of AT hikers and makes it a total hassle for them as well, possibly even going as far as limiting thru-hiker starts through the park to so many per day. This will probably cause people to skip the Smokys or use an alternative trail or connection of trails. The AT and the BMT are not the only routes one could take. I also know the ATC is going to recommend more alternative forms of Thru-hiking like flip-flop, SoBo, etc so skipping the park and possibly coming back to it would fit in with their vision."
"In 1979 GATC members start working on an alternate route for the AT because they saw the AT getting too crowded. The initial idea was it would be a more remote wilderness trail and I got the idea that it was supposed to be without any shelters.
In 1980 the BMTA was formed mostly from GATC members and one of the early members is now the director of the ATC. The original concept was to get hikers to the Smokies and go over Gregory Bald and hook up with the AT using the original AT route into the park.
At some point in the 1980s the back country director of the GSMNP wanted the BMT to go through the park on a lower route as an alternative for hikers to use in drought or high snow years. So it was the park services idea in the first place LOL (remember that for later). Some old time hikers told me that back then even AT hikers were supposed to put an literary on the permit and there wasn't necessarily the thru-hiker system that existed up to the new pay system. Lone Wolf told me of a conversation with a park ranger sometime in the 1990's I think and at that time their opinion was if you got off the trail to go into Gatlinburg you were no longer a thru-hiker.
Between 1980 and 1985 the GATC built the BMT from Springer to Ocoee River by linking some existing trails and building trail. They had a route proposal up to Whigg Meadow but were negotiating with different land mangers for routes. Some trail had to be built, but the general rule is to use existing trail whenever was possible and they were working the process to get that built.
1986 the NEPA act was amended and now the entire process of getting trail built changed. It became a lot harder to get approval for anything other than minor changes. This basically reset any trail construction north of the Ocoee River and it looked like the BMT would forever end at that point and never fulfill it's initial role of an AT alternative. But the BMTA didn't give up. During this period the GSMNP implemented its "no new trail" rule where if you wanted to open trail somewhere, you had to close equal miles of trail somewhere else. The old AT to Gregory Bald is closed and that basically killed that link forever.
1990's At some point in the 1990s the rules change for thru-hiker permits to allow hikers to simply write thru-hiker on their permit if they were an AT thru-hiker. The Park Service seems to have generally stopped worrying about AT thru-hikers.
1996 A Walk in the Woods came out and thru-hike starting numbers jumped by 60% over the next two years (according to the ATC).
2000's With diligence and work of the BMTA the NEPA process started from scratch and routes were negotiated. Up until 2004 the last link between the park and Cherokee National Forest was in doubt, but though a couple of last minute compromises with the Park Service, the Forest Service, and private land owners, a connection was created between Tapoco and Twentymile ranger station. The trail was "completed" and opened in 2005 at Mudd Gap and one of the parties represented was the ATC and it was even mentioned in his speech that now we would look at making the BMT an alternative for AT hikers.
2006 and 2007 big droughts, some hikers considered the BMT alternative in the park. I don't know that any actually used it. But it was there.
2008 I do my hike and start working on what would become the thru-hikers guide. 2008-2009 it was a free download. 2010 it became a book.
2011 big snow hits the AT in the park. The park service recommends using the BMT alternative. Many hikers skip the Smokys. I was told by Fontana Village that the ATC was telling hikers if they use the BMT alternative they will recognize it but I have no first hand knowledge of it.
Summer 2011 they start talking about the new reservation system. The original system was so FUBAR they had to scrap it, much credit was giving to a couple of hikers who shall remain anonymous but they were BMTA members. We also vigorously started trying to change how the BMT and MST were going to be viewed by the Park Service. I got the feeling that they would like to limit AT hikers too, but had put that rule in back in the 1990s and sort of got pigeonholed into the system they have now.
2012 the new permit system is implemented. The AT hiker has multiple approved ways to get a permit and a trail service infrastructure to support NoBo at hikers. The NoBo BMT hiker doesn't have any way on the trail to get a permit and it becomes a huge hassle for NoBo BMT hikers to meet the requirement.
Late 2013 the Forest Service decides that the Yellow Creek Mountain Trail (old AT) might be a better option than getting a BMT hiker run over on the Dragon. Trail reconnaissance begins.
2014 Trail construction begins on the YCMT reroute and Fontana Village becomes the a viable option for BMT thru-hikers to get a permit, even though it is on the standard reservation system. My personal opinion is this is a great fix for the BMT thru-hikers and may be one of our ways to keep the general novice hiker off the BMT, but in my gut I still want them to recognize thru-hikers for the BMT and give them the same privileges as an AT thru-hiker.
Late 2014 the Forest Service gets the idea that the ridge trail with the balds on it might be safer than the Slickrock Creek Crossing and recommends we move there. It was our original route request anyway, so we start route reconnaissance. Now the Tapoco Lodge is also under new management and they want to help out hikers. Another way to get a permit before hitting the Smokys becomes available.
Late 2014 the ATC approaches the BMTA to find out what their position is on the BMT serving as an official alternate to the AT is. I give my input through the BMTA. Sticking point appears to be the GSMNP which now seems to think that half the AT traffic is going to start using the BMT and doesn't think that is sustainable despite the fact that the BMT in the park has 163% of the AT's campsite capacity with ~10% of the usage.
2015 route recon complete and new trail is built for the Slickrock reroute.
2015 AT Kick off Morgan Somerville addresses the crowed on upcoming AT issues with overuse. Reports are already of 30+ people in shelter areas during the thru-hiker bubble. They forecast 5K to 6K starters by 2017 based on the jump they saw after the 1996 release of the book. At that meeting it is specifically addressed that they are working with all land managers and trail clubs involved to explore naming the BMT an alternative route. Decisions not to be made until later after all stakeholders have time for comment.
Future: I think this will happen but I doubt we will get thru-hiker status from the GSMNP and maybe that is a good thing. In the distant future I would be the GSMNP gets tired of a bunch of AT hikers and makes it a total hassle for them as well, possibly even going as far as limiting thru-hiker starts through the park to so many per day. This will probably cause people to skip the Smokys or use an alternative trail or connection of trails. The AT and the BMT are not the only routes one could take. I also know the ATC is going to recommend more alternative forms of Thru-hiking like flip-flop, SoBo, etc so skipping the park and possibly coming back to it would fit in with their vision."
its all good