my original plan was to hike straight through, taking no zeroes, and staying in the woods as much as possible. i had figured on taking 21 days, as i did it last year in 23, but ended up finishing in 30. i took 3 zero days, and slept in a bed or a cot 11 nights out of the 30.my longest day was 16.3 miles from mill creek to newton bald.my shortest nero was a 4 mile slackpack from lost creek campground to hiawassee outfitters in pouring rain.

--i'm loving the new arcblast50 pack i got, it performed well, kept my gear bone dry without using a liner, and carries well up to around 25 lbs. there were times i carried close to 30# which may be pushing the limit a bit. the pack carried better in the 25# range.
-im still in love with my la sportiva ultra raptor trail runners, hope they never change the design.

the rainfly zipper on my solong6 again failed, and bearpaw lent me one of his tents, a sixmoon design solo, to use for the remainder of my trip.i my be in the market for a new tent, not sure i want to go back to the lightheart after the second failure, although its possible ive kept the awning too taut.i love the tent with the exception of this issue, so im not sure whether ill make a change. ive since repaired the zipper.

on the trail, for breakfast i had a coffee spiked nido/instant breakfast shake, along with a pkg of belvita biscuits. lunch was generally a packet of tuna with tartar sauce ,along with a six pack of ritz crackers with cheese, i brought microwave bacon to eat as a snack and to add to a steady diet of ramen, which i ate virtually every night on the trail,along with mashed potatoes or stove top stuffing.
snacks included roasted salted cashews, chewy jolly rancher candies, and more cracker packs, fritos.

i treated my water with a sawyer mini around 10 times during the trip, drank it straight the rest of the time. water was plentiful, and springs running strong, due to all the rain.
i hung my food on cables in the smokies, slept with it the rest of the trip.
i saw 3 bears, 4 boars, including one had to weigh 300# easy that scared the shot out of me one morning. also saw some deer, a copperhead, 3 rattlesnakes, and a couple of black rat snakes.
the first night i camped at toccoa bridge, where trebor met me with steaks and beer!!!awesome!!, there were several other overnighters camped as well. after that i camped alone until i ran into sheepdog and superman in blue ridge.we stayed together from 4/11 till they got off at green cove on 4/21.while hiking with them we also met ned from maine, who camped with us 2 or 3 times, and i camped with later in the smokies 3 times. we met a young couple hiking nobo, dont know tthier names, but then saw noone else on the trail till after sheepdog and supe got off. the only other person i came across was tipi walter, who i ran into between cold spring gap and haoe peak.aside from ned, i camped alone every night until mt sterling my last night, where i met 2 overnighters out for their first multi day hike.

recommended places to stay-

blue ridge,ga- days inn $60/night, stayed there last year, gave me,sheepdog and superman a free shuttle back to the trail, good location for eats and resupply.

reliance fly and tackle, cabin $100/night sleeps 3 , limited st resupply, some snacks and deli meats,beer.

tapoco lodge-$179/night ++ expensive, but outstanding food and service. no current resupply, but i was able to do my laundry. although wifi is extremely limited, there is a computer available for guest use, and i got my smokies permits here.

cherokee- microtel. $69/night, laundry, close to shopping,free shuttle to casino, gave me a free shuttle back to the trail as well, 2nd yr ive stayed there

i also stayed at fontana inn for $129, but it was nothing notable.

standing bear farms hostel- lumpys running the place for maria after curtis' passing, had fun decompressing for a day and a half before they shuttled me to asheville ($80).
it was a great trip planned on hiking alone, did that for 20 days, the rest with sheepdog, superman and ned.


those are the highlights, i'll file a full diary as i find time.

not really. theres quite a bit of blowdown in that area. its doable but i would do it in two.
the day before cherokee, ned and i camped at newton bald, which was windy rainy and cold. from there its 5 miles to smokemont campground. ned had phone service, so we made reservations at microtel, and called a taxi to pick us up in smokemont. the following morning it was cold and windy, we packed quickly and took off down the trail. i inadvertently took the mingus creek trail down to 441, didnt realize my mistake until i hit the parking area which looked totally unfamiliar from last year. i looked at my map, realized i was 2 miles south of where i should have been. i didnt mind, as it was a beautiful trail, and i had done the actual trail segment last year anyway, but it did mean walking up to smokemont to meet ned and the taxi. i started walking up 441 and an suv going sobo, honked pulled over, and ned got out of the passenger seat called to me. we hitched into cherokee with a guy from germany in the us for a convention that had hiked overnight to clingmans dome, gave us a ride right into town, and we cancelled the cab.
the best plan is no plan.

4/5/15 i arrive in gainesville,ga, get picked up by hiker hostel, and shuttled to the hostel to stay overnight. i got to meet some of the prospective thrus including 2 french canadians who told me they were from quebec. when i asked what part of france that was, they seemed confused.
noone knew about the benton mackaye trail, and didnt know who benton mackaye was.


hiker hostel is a very nice, clean place.its the second time ive stayed there , and they're really nice people.

1. 
   

4/6/14- 12.5 miles

hiker hostel shuttles us up to fs42 parking lot. i decided to forego my third trip back to the summit of springer and save myself a couple of miles. i had heard from trebor, who wanted to come meet me my first night and camp overnight at toccoa river bridge.its 14.7 miles from the terminus,with an extra .8 to get to the terminus from the lot.as it was rainy as well, i didnt think it wise to be doing a 16 mile first day.
so i decided to head north straight from the parking lot stay on the at till the final crossing and save myself about 3 miles. i got back on the bmt at long creek falls. i saw no one at all on the trail until i got closer to the river, where i heard some voices.although i had never met him before, i knew trebor as soon as i saw him.we laughed, he told me the fishing was great, but we had meat tonight.he had brought out steaks and beer. as it was now steadily raining, we headed to his truck, parked in the lot nearby, cooked in the back of the truck, and ate inside.the steaks were awesome, and the conversation even better.
we headed back to our tents in the rain and said our goodnights. it was a really great way for me to begin my hike. thank you soooo much for coming out trebor.
and steak became a regular part of my diet after that.

4/7/15 toccoa river bridge to payne gap

we got up the next morning to some light sprinkles and cloudy skies, i walked with trebor back to his truck,i thanked him for his kindness, and headed up the trail. i had thought this was gonna be an easy 12 miles but made a mistake by not bringing enough water from the spring by the river. soon after i started hiking, the clouds began to break p, the sun came out,, and it became rather warm. i remebered water being plentiful last year, but as it turns out, this is one of the driest sections of the trail. it also included to modest climbs up wallallah and licklog mtns, so i was spent by the time i got to the gap. had a dinner of ramen, nido and bacon.drank as much as i could.

4/8/15 payne gap to fall branch falls 14.5 miles

this was another day i had planned on being easy. i remembered the 4 mile road walk late in the day last year was brutal, so i planned on camping at shallowford bridge, but when i got there i really couldnt find any place suitable to tent, so i ended up doing the road walk, although i had taken my time anticipating a lo miles day, but now had to push a bit to get to the falls by dark. i stopped at toccoa riverside restaurant and got a soda, and then walked the rest of the way to the falls. this was one of the few sites this year that i stayed at last year.
its a pretty site right next to a stream almost directly above the falls.

4/9/15 falls branch falls to hwy 76 blue ridge 8.4 miles

another beautiful sunny day. originally i had planned on getting in and out of blue ridge for resupply on the same day, but i didnt reach the hwy till 1:30 and decided id stay the night. i got a hitch from a local couple who took me right to days inn,. when i asked about the weather, he said they were predicting heavy storms the next day. being it was my birthday friday, i booked the room for 2 nights, decided not to hike in the rain on my birthday and eat well.
after checking in , i noticed a guy with a backpack looking for his own room, asked him if he was hiking the benton mackaye, he told me he was. i introduced myself, and he smiled , told me he was sheepdog, and he was with superman, both of whom i knew from sgt rocks hiking hq.
went to dinner that night with superman, and got a nice piece of prime rib at the village restaurant.they were staying out of the rain the following day, as well, and heading out on saturday.

4/10/15 blue ridge 0 miles

it rained.
i ate and slept.
planned on shuttling back to the trail with sheepdog and superman.
ate and slept.

4/11/15 us hwy 76 to hatley gap 11.1 miles

days inn shuttled me, superman and sheepdog back to the trailhead. it was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for hiking, we passed through upper cherry log as well as indian rock shleter, one of 2 shelters on the entire bmt.superman and sheepdog had never met before this hike, and we joked pretty much through the day. we were following superman's slower pace, but i didnt mind the company and i was in no hurry,and so decided to camp with them at hatley gap.

4/12/15 hatley gap to dyer gap fs64 8.0 miles

a short day. superman was taking a break every 20 minutes, and i didn't mind slowing down somewhat, i was in no hurry this trip, and we were having some hysterical conversations, supeerman was a bit upset with his phone only working in spanish. we ran into the few other hikers on the bmt, a young couple from europe who we never saw again, and ned from maine, who i would run into several times before my hike was through. he camped with us that night
we camped at a stream a little after dyer gap.

4/13/15 dyer gap to double spring gap. 12.3 miles

relatively flat section, its a nice stretch that runs through mostly rhododendron forests with mossy boulders and streams. we had thought about heading down at watson gap to jacks river country store, but when we called them, we found out it was closed, so we hiked on. nedtrailnamened hiked with us and again we camped together at double spring gap. it was here i had an incident with the zipper on my rainfly. i was able to tape the fly closed, but decided to go into ducktown after thunder rock the next day and see if i could fix it.

4/14/15 double spring gap to thunder rock campground 10.9 miles

this is a beautiful section of the trail that also has its first steep climb, from double spring gap, 900 feet up in the first mile over big frog. everything is lush and green with pine duff trails to hike on. sky is overcast and we here theres rain moving into the area. sheepdog and superman are going to get a room in ducktown for the night, and he calls to see if he can get a hold of bearpaw for a shuttle. bearpaw, a marine who lives nearby in benton, picks us up, asks our plan, and then tells us he'll put us up at his place until the rain moves through and slackpack us every day in the interim. its an offer we cant refuse, so he takes us to hardees for burgers and shakes, then piggly wiggly, and finally to his home, where we meet his wife and beautiful 3 yr old daughter, who reminds me a lot of my own granddaughter. we go out for dinner at a local steakhouse, the ribeye was great.
bearpaw sets up a couple of cots and a hammock for us in the basement, we shower, and are thankful to be out of the rain, well fed and warm.

4/15/15 thunder rock to lost creek campground 13.3 miles

bearpaw drops us off at the trailhead and we slackpack the next 13 miles. this is a really pretty stretch of trail,it was raining lightly when we started but the rest of the day was simply overcast with some drizzle.
we got to lost creek around 4:30, with bearpaw there to meet us and bring us back home. he cooked up some steaks and potatoes when we got back, and listened to he and superman trade war stories.
bearpaw offers to lend me one of his tents,six moons design, so i wouldnt have to worry about mine. as it was gonna rain for the next week or so, i thanked him for it.although smaller than my own, it was enough to keep me and my gear dry, even in a windy rainstorm on newton bald.
the next day, heavy storms were forecast, so we planned a short slackpack

4/16/15 lost creek campgraound to hiawassee fly and tackle 4.1 iles.
superman decided he needed a rest, so bearpaw dropped me and sheepdog off at lost creek.the stretch from lost creek to reliance imho is one f the prettiest of the etire trail. it runs alongside a stream that flows through a limestone gorge, plush with mossy buolders and ferns, a scene out of avatar. sheepdog stepped right over a copperhead he didnt see,sitting right in the middle of the trail.it didnt pay us any mind and we continued down the lush forest trail. it started raining more heavily and by the time we got to reliance, it was pouring and we were wetter than swimming.the last forest droad crossing had 2 ft of water, we didnt either taking our shoes off, just stomped right throguh. we got to hiawassee outfitters before 1pm, superman and bearpaw's wife and superman were to pick us up at 1:3o but didnt show up till 2:30. we took refuge in the bunkroom, which was left open and unlocked, where we zqueezed the water out of our clothes, and waited. we stopped at reliance fly and tackle to pick up my only maildrop(which is=t turned out ws unnecessary), and headed back to bearpaw's.after hot showers, me supe and sheepdog treated bearpaws family to dinner. bearpaw told us it was supposed to be heavy storms for 3 more days and told us to just stay with him, but i insisteted we couldnt impose any longer, that we'd be moving on.superman and sheepdog agreed, and the next day we would head back to reliance.

4/17/15 -4/18/15 reliance to hwy 68 12 miles
bearpaw dropped us off at reliance fly and tackle. as it was gonna continue to rain for the next few days, we booked the cabin for friday and saturday, intending to hike out sunday.we ran into nedtrailnamened who had stayed at the cabin the night before.we took a zero for the day and settled in.
the next day,another leisurely slackpack over a tough stretch of trail the same stretch that was kicking rasty's butt last year his first day out with me, but a heck of a lot easier without a full pack. it rained all day, and when bearpaw picked us up, he shuttled us back into town so we could get some food for the cabin. we heard the forecast called for heavy storms again that sunday, so we decided to just book the cabin for sunday, when we would just zero before continuing.we had steaks,bacon, eggs, snacks, coffee, beer, and good company.
but not really what i originally had in mind.

reliance fly&tackle. The cabin has a bunk and a queen bed cable tv full kitchen and shower.limited wifi near the store

TrafficJam wrote:

hikerboy wrote:

4/17/15 reliance to hwy 68 12 miles


bearpaw dropped us off at reliance fly and tackle. as it was gonna continue to rain for the next few days, we booked the cabin for friday and saturday, intending to hike out sunday.we ran into nedtrailnamened who had stayed at the cabin the night before.
another leisurely slackpack over a tough stretch of trail the same stretch that was kicking rasty's butt last year his first day out with me, but a heck of a lot easier without a full pack. it rained all day, and when bearpaw picked us up, he shuttled us back into town so we could get some food for the cabin. we heard the forecast called for heavy storms again that sunday, so we decided to just book the cabin for sunday, when we would just zero before continuing.we had steaks,bacon, eggs, snacks, coffee, beer, and good company.
but not really what i originally had in mind.

Why is that stretch tough? Just curious, it's on my list for a potential June hike.

a lot of steep ups and downs on the john muir trail. the profiles dont do it justice.and the occasional wayward marshmallow.

I managed to step on one at coker creek last year with rasty

the same day i had a can of mountain dew leak in my pack..i felt like bear candy that night

not according to e e cummings

4/18 hwy 68 to unicoi gap

bearpaw met us and drove us to buck bald for some nice 360 views,then we drove down the toccoa river to watch kayakers, then headed back to the cabin

4/19/15 reliance 0 miles.
Heavy rain all day.eat sleep tv

4/20/15 unicoi gap to ambulance 3.6 miles

the weather was finally breaking and it was moving day. bearpaw couldnt pick us up till after work, so we just hung out at the cabin till he arrived. he came around 3:30 and drove us back up to unicoi gap. we thanked him for all his kindness and hospitality and headed up the trail to an old forest road where theres an abandoned ambulance with a spring box near the ruins of an old two story rock home, and camped for the night.

4/21/15 ambulance to brookshire creek. 13.0 miles

this was a tough day, as the area has a lot of blowdown,very few blazes,stream fords, and a trail that in some places was nothing more than a faint trace of matted leaves.we got to brookshire creek around 5;30pm but i wasnt crazy about the site, told them i was gonna head down the trail a bit more to find a flat spot, which i did in another miles. that night, i knew that our hike together was coming to an end. sheepdog was going home the next weekend, and superman was hiking a bit too slow for my liking.i cooked up some ramen and hit the hay early.

4/22/15 brookshire creek to "secret campsite" 10.8 miles

i woke to another sunny, beautiful dawn, and lingered tll the guys caught up with me. sheepdog mentioned to me superman and he were going to stay at green cove motel overnight. i told him i didnt know if i would as well, would wait till we got there, so we hiked on to tellico river road, it was early in the day, and with the weather so nice, i wanted to take advantage, so we snacked at the picnic tables at the parking turnout, then we said our goodbyes, and they walked down the road towards the motel.
i hiked on till i came to a campsite about .1 off the trail that me and rasty had lunched at. its a pretty sight with a beautiful stream that falls over giant mossy boulders.i washed up, cooked dinner, and felt raindrops. a brief while later the heavens opened once again and it poured hard for about an hour. i started to wonder if i should ve stayed with the guys when it abruptly ended, and a little while later the skies once again cleared.