David Gray's video: Big South Fork NRRA Tennessee Backpacking - May 2019

The dogs and I teamed up with Carl and Travis for the 3rd trip of the 2019 backpacking season, and headed down to Tennessee for a return trip to Big South Fork National River Recreation Area. In 2015 I’d done what amounted to a ‘recon’ trip to Big South Fork, where I discovered the amazing Charit Creek Lodge. I’d always wanted to return to the area, and Charit Creek Lodge. After mentioning the gourmet food that was included in the price, real beds, and even hot showers, it didn’t take much convincing to get Carl and Travis onboard with the plan to spend the last night at the Lodge. It was only later that we discovered they’d added beer and wine to their offerings since my last stay – bonus! We agreed upon a 3-day, 25-mile point-to-point hike starting near the Big Creek Trailhead and ending at the Charit Creek Trailhead. Travis and I ended up staying at the same luxurious Super 8 motel in Caryville, TN, while Carl came up from down south. With three of us driving separately there were plenty of cars for various shuttle options, which is a nice thing to have in a place like Big South Fork where multi-day loop hike options are limited. Keeping with the ‘good weather’ theme I’ve been fortunate to have in 2019, the weather for our hike was forecast to be near perfect – weather in the 70’s and little chance of rain. The forecast was particularly fortuitous because in the weeks before our trip the weather had been in the 90’s and humid, and hot/humid weather moved in right after our hike. Lucky! But all was not nirvana for us. We discovered early on in day that the woods were crawling (literally) with ticks in numbers that vastly exceeded anything any of us had ever experienced. In addition, we discovered that established backcountry campsites were few and far between on our route, which made for an extra mile or two of hiking on day as we hiked around an area of ‘known campsites’ looking for one of them. Finally, as we sat at Charit Creek Lodge sipping our cold microbrews all of us found small bug-bites in the hundreds covering any area of skin that had been exposed. We’re still debating what caused those – Carl votes for chiggers, but I’m convinced it was No-See-Ums (since none of us ever saw ‘Um). Bring, and use, your bug stuff if you head to Big South Fork! The hike itself was a ‘deep woods Off’ sort of experience, with the trees fully leafed out and few views to be had. But we did get one fantastic view at the John Muir Overlook, along with the heart-racing sheer clffs. The route we chose spent much of its length running right beside streams and the Big South Fork River, but we discovered the trail was far enough away from the water, and the vegetation thick enough, that there were few views. However, the trails themselves were fairly easy and generally well-maintained which made for an enjoyable three days of hiking together. The experience at the Lodge was just what I remembered – a relaxing throwback in time, with no electricity and no connection to the outside world. But you did get a gourmet breakfast and dinner, comfortable room and bed, hot showers, and cold beer. It was certainly the highlight of the hike, and a must-stay place if you’re ever hiking in the area. For those who have watched my other videos this one is done in the same style - about 45 minutes in length, intended to bring the audience along for the 'ride', and with a still picture slide show with music at the end. If you just have a few minutes skip to the end and enjoy the pictures. Equipment / Gear List: Still and Video Camera: Nikon Z6 with Nikkor 20mm f1.8 lens and FTZ Adapter Video Editing Software: Vegas Pro 16 Pack: ZPacks Arc Blast 52L Shelter: Nemo Meta2P Slide show music - Acoustic Guitar 1 and Fold Bed by Jason Shaw, AudioNautix. www.audionautix.com