Hi and Welcome ! I took this trip 4 summers ago and finally scanned in some of my pictures so that I could share with everyone. My pictures are not as numerous as some of the western trips but the scenery was spectacular none the less, just totally different. On this trip we backpacked about 45 miles of the Appalacian Trail through the Nantahala Mountains just west of Franklin, North Carolina. As a base we used the Rainbow Springs Campground nearby which is one of the few places that I could find that would shuttle us around and pick us up when we were finished. We stayed there our first and last nights on the trip. If you have read the book "A Hike in the Woods" by Bill Bryson then you might remember Rainbow Springs Campground as the refuge that Bill and his partner hiked to when they were caught in several feet of snow. Our last day before returning home was spent rafting down the Chattooga River of the movie 'Deliverance' fame.
We hiked from north to south beginning at Tellico Gap and getting off the trail at Standing Indian Mountain where we headed off the trail into Standing Indian Campground to use the pay phone to call our shuttle. Almost everything you are going to see is green, lots of clouds and it was damp too. It had been pretty dry before we arrived but it sure wasn't dry during our backpack trip. I really missed having my gortex boots with me ! According to the Appalachian Trail Guide that we used we covered 43.8 miles of the AT plus our hike down off the side of Standing Indian Mountain to the campground was another 4 miles.
I have scanned some of our better photos and hope you will enjoy them. As in most trips the pictures don't do justice to seeing it in person.
Some learning experiences from our trip: 1) I should have wore my gortex boots !
2) I had my rainsuit with me but it was too much for the mild weather in June and the rain - too much humidity. Most people we saw were using their poncho and a pair of gaitors all of which I had but not with me - they looked much more comfortable then I felt - the trails were worn and when it rained we were walking in a creek.
3) We saw no bears on the trail but did see their signs. After our hike was over we were driving a side road to return the knee brace that I had borrowed, came around a curve, and there was a very large black bear, probably a male, sitting right in the middle of the road. He quickly scampered up the hill and out of site. I bet he was pushing 400 pounds! - and our cameras were back in camp of course !
4) This section of the trail also had a lot of trees that had been downed during a recent hurricane and that provided a lot of obstacles to cross, especially on steep portions of the trail where it was difficult to go over, around or under the tree. With the knee problem that I had it became very difficult but I made it and had my knee operated on 11 months later - almost good as new now.
Our hiking group consisted of us five guys and none of us had been on the AT before. Eventually I held the group back with a knee problem and had to lag back but in doing so met some other backpackers and borrowed a knee brace which helped me out some. I still keep in contact with one of the people that I met.
One thing we found out about the shelters along the AT - the mice and packrats are waiting for you ! I think it is much better to sleep in a tent which we did all of the other nights on the trail even if a shelter was nearby.