GSMNP thru-hiker definition

imported
#1

I am planning on finishing up my 2005 thru hike up north, which consists of me walking about 350 miles. Since I have about 3-4 extra weeks, I want to hike from Hot Springs to Springer before returning home. (I really enjoyed the southern end of the trail.)

My question is - By GSMNP definitition, a thru-hiker starts and finishes their hike 50 miles on each side of the park. The south side is no problem. But Hot Springs is only about 35 miles north of the park boundary. I know some think that the reservation system is a joke, and maybe it is, but regardless, I don’t want to break any rules. Would it be ok to consider myself a thru-hiker starting in Hot Springs, seeing I have already done a significant amount of hiking, or do I need to backtrack 15 miles up the trail to meet the 50 mile requirement? I will do so if I must, but I am not too fond of the idea, honestly.

Flying Turtle

#2

I’d rather make reservations… if you know when you are coming through, its not a big deal. Conversely, I wouldn’t have any problem calling myself a thru hiker given your current circumstances.

bruchko

#3

There are a few spots where a cell phone signal can be caught, if you need to make a change in your reservations. I was with a group making a thru-hike of the Smokies a couple weeks ago. We decided we wanted to go on to Derrick Knob instead of stopping at Spence Field, where we had reservations. We just found a spot with a signal and called the backcountry office to change the reservation. Still, when we got to Derrick Knob there were 17 people in the 12-person shelter, thanks to the fact that some people DIDN’T make reservations.

cutter