Hiking the Great Smoky Mountains – Backpacking Trip – 3 Days

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Sintax77

Join me for a 3 day, 57 mile backpacking loop through the Smokies.

Trailhead: Lakeview Drive, +35° 27′ 26.32″, -83° 31′ 35.75″

Trails Used, in order:

Day 1 (20.5 miles)
Begin at Lakeview Tunnel at the end of the “Road to Nowhere”
Benton MacKaye Trail / Lakeshore Trail
Bear Creek Trail
Welch Ridge Trail
High Rocks Vista – Great views of Fontana Lake!
Cold Spring Gap Trail
Hazel Creek Trail
End at Backcountry Campsite 82

Day 2 (24.5 Miles)
Hazel Creek Trail
Lakeshore Trail / Benton MacKaye Trail
End at Backcountry Campsite 76

Day 3 (12 Miles)
Lake Shore Trail / Benton MacKaye Trail
End at Lakeview Drive (Road to Nowhere) Trailhead and the Car!

Downloadable GPS Data

Season: Early Summer (First week of June)

Detailed Gear List to follow in separate video,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9p6bCC8RuE
but here’s the major items:

Osprey Hornet 46 Backpack
Hennessey Hammock – Expedition A-Sym
Sea to Summit Toaster – Fleece Sleeping Bag Liner (used as primary bag)
Klymit Inertia X-Frame Sleeping Pad

11 pounds Base Weight + extra filming gear and electronics that the average person probably won’t need. I was actually carrying closer to 13 lbs while filming. See the full Ultralight Gear List Video for a detailed look at the 11 pound system, plus tips for going sub-10-pounds if desired.

Link to official trail map from National Parks Service, as seen in video: http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/upload/GSMNP-Map_JUNE14-complete4-2.pdf

All content, including video, music and sound effects, are original works created by myself, Sintax77.

Backpacking Tips – Easy Route Planning – The String Method

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Sintax77

In this video, we’ll take a look at how to find custom Backpacking loop hikes… fast.

There are plenty of high tech route planning methods out there for hiking and backpacking, and trust me, I love them. But sometimes it’s nice to just keep things simple.

In preparation for an upcoming overnight trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I began tinkering with various methods to find an ideal 3 day, 2 night loop. Several futile afternoons later, I was less than successful in my pursuit of Tennessee adventure. But then I broke out the method seen in the video. Within a short amount of time I suddenly had a loop hike that I was excited about. Score 1 for low tech.

Feedback! Smoky Mountains Backpacking Trip Ideas – 2 Nights, 3 Days Hiking

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Sintax77

Planning for an upcoming backpacking trip to Smoky Mountains National Park.

Nothing like hanging out in the backyard on a beautiful Spring day with a map, a camera, and a mission to find a good Spring Smoky Mountains Backpacking route.

My plan is to do a 3 day, 2 night loop hike somewhere in the Smokies, hiking around 10 – 15 miles per day, depending what kind of trails and camping spots I come up with.

This will be my first backpacking trip to the Smokies, so I’m looking for feedback and ideas if you’ve got ’em!

Spring Hunting Cabin Trip – ‘Go Time Camp’ 2013

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Sintax77

A Spring visit to the hunting cabin for some shooting, fishing, turkey hunting, good friends and good times. We usually head up at either the tail end of April or very beginning of May. It happened to be Turkey Season in Pennsylvania this week, so we gave that a try for the first time in PA, since my dad (WhiteRook85), had just successfully bagged a a turkey down in Delaware a couple of weeks prior.

Cabin is located in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, not too far from the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. The nearest town is Wellsboro, PA.

Special thanks to CampCook, Medical_Man, and Whiterook85.

All content, including music and video, are original works, created by Sintax77.

Snowshoeing the Presidential Range – Backpacking the White Mountains in Spring

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Sintax77

Taking the snowshoes out for an overnight backpacking trip to New Hampshire’s Presidential Range in the White Mountains. http://www.sintax77.com

Trail Head Parking GPS: Mt. Clinton Road off of U.S. Route 302 East – just prior to the AMC’s Highland Center at Crawford Notch State Park. 44.22361, -71.4115

Trails Used in order:

Crawford Connector
Crawford Path / Appalachian Trail
Webster Cliff Trail
Webster Branch to Webster-Jackson Trail (Through Crawford Notch State Park)
Ending at Webster-Jackson Trailhead on 302, right near Saco Lake Trail

Nearby Designated Camp Sites:
AMC Mizpah Spring Hut
Nauman Tentsite
Or, as seen in the video, stealth camp at least 200 feet from the trail.

For Full Gear List: See my previous post “Winter Backpacking Gear List for 15 Degrees – Snow Camping and Clothing Options”

Sintax77 on YouTube – Why should YOU Subscribe?

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Sintax77

An introduction to Sintax77 – Backpacking, Hiking, Firearms, Gear, Road-trips and the Great Outdoors.

This video is an introduction for new viewers to see what the Sintax77 channel is all about, as well as an invitation for current subscribers to check out the new YouTube One Channel Layout for 2013.