BENTON MACKAYE TRAIL

I spent the beginning of the New Year thru hiking 150 miles with on the Benton Mackaye Trail. Before setting out on the trail, we researched the historical weather data and packed our backpacks accordingly for the gear. We did not know what was ahead of us, unfortunately outside of our control.

 

We wanted to continue hiking north for the remaining 150 miles into the Great Smoky Mountains….but Mother Nature had other plans for us. A cold front brought in 10 inches of snow, closing down Newfound Gap Road, which was crucial to our thru-hike as that road was needed to access Gatlinburg to retrieve our resupply boxes and finish the trail.

 

The sub-zero temps (dipping down to -12*F) froze our water bottles into ice cubes. We were significantly pushing the limits of our 3-season gear. Not ideal conditions, but we made it a long way over 9 days of hiking after deciding to get off the trail. We thoroughly enjoyed the "Big Winter Hiking Expedition" as we dubbed it. This was the furthest I have pushed myself into winter hiking and I learned an exponential amount of hiking knowledge to add to my arsenal of expertise. 

​

To reach the end of the trail, we would have needed zero-degree sleeping bags & waterproof boots with snow gators. Unfortunately, we did not anticipate needing that gear. I will be finishing the trail in March.