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Cabin Flats - Charlies Bunion Backpacking Trip

When:

Friday, Sep 05, 2008
through Tuesday, Dec 07, 1999

Details:

The heat of July and August will be gone, it is time to return to the woods.

Charlies Bunion may lack the fame of other Smoky Mountain hikes but is a destination worth going to and one on my to-do list for a long time.  A 1925 wildfire incinerated the slopes of this 5,565 foot knob that rises more than 1000 sheer feet above the valley.  The reward is a panorama stretching from Mt. LeConte to the Sawteeth range with Mts. Chapman and Guyot to the northeast.

The route and base camp I have chosen will avoid the crowds on the AT and at Icewater and Kephart Shelters, where one is required to use the shelter (I refuse to sleep in an outhouse) and prohibited from tenting in the area.  We will use the Bradley Fork trailhead out of Smokemont and then follow Cabin Flats Trail to base camp (#49 on the GSMNP Map).  Saturday we will day hike .6 miles back to the Bradley Fork Trail, up Dry Sluice Gap to the AT and then west to Charlies Bunion.  Return will be the same route.  Approximately 10 miles.

I rate the trip strenuous, for me at least, for the 5 mile+ distance from Smokemont to base camp under full pack; and for the 2000 ft of elevation change on Saturday climbing to and back from Charlies Bunion.

To participate: (1) Fitness and experience to cover the distances and proper gear.  This area receives in excess of 100 inches of precipitation per year and September temperatures can drop into the 30’s or below.  (2) Other terms and conditions at the top of the main NC Chapter Outings page for more details. (www.nc.sierraclub.org/outings).  Leader pre-approval plus $25 refundable at the trailhead deposit required.

Contact Information:

Piedmont Plateau
Jerry Weston
tel: 336-856-1431 before 9:00 pm.
takeahike@earthlink.net