Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Day 5


In relation to the previous few days, Day 5 would be a relatively short day of hiking. We would follow the Forney Creek Trail from Campsite 70 to Campsite 68. While this would be a shorter day, in terms of mileage, we would be traveling uphill and would have to cross Forney Creek several times. With that said, the uphill grade would be relatively mild compared to the end of Day 4's hike.

We crossed the footbridge back to the Forney Creek Trail and almost immediately encountered a tree blown down across the trail. While the trails throughout our trip were in pretty good condition, we did inevitably have to deal with a few of these types of situations. For the most part, they were easier to navigate than the water crossings. 


Tom was able to stay relatively dry today, using stepping stones and conveniently-placed logs to avoid stepping in the water. Mike generally took the more direct route -- no longer phased by hiking with wet feet. There was, however, one crossing where the creek was flowing very quickly and the water level was quite high. We would definitely recommend consulting your maps to be aware of the locations of the high water crossings. While any water crossing can potentially be dangerous, extra care should be given to crossing in these locations.



 


We completed the requisite mileage and arrived at Campsite 68 by early afternoon. Tom fashioned a clothesline, upon which we could hang some of our wet items, and we enjoyed a lunch of chicken alfredo pastas (taste test results in a separate post). Later in the afternoon, we would be joined by a group of Marquette University students, who would share the campsite with us. We learned that all four of our companions were members of the Marquette University Rock Climbing Club and that they were celebrating the recent graduation of one of their party's members (Congratulations, Josh!).

We enjoyed a second consecutive evening of trading stories around the campfire with new friends, and Tom even provided some pack-fitting advice and an impromptu demonstration on making adjustments in the field. Eventually, we retired for the evening, looking forward to our final ascent and the completion of our journey. 



Check out the YouTube video!


 

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