This was an outstanding day hike and according to several local sources in the top 4 of the most difficult hikes in the Smoky Mountains.

 

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For this hike we stayed in Gatlinburg and drove to Cosby to start our hike.  Cosby is somewhat of a hidden jewel and unless you’re a hiker you really wouldn’t have a reason to be there.  It’s rather secluded and doesn’t see nearly the foot traffic that Gatlinburg sees.

We started our hike at the Low Gap trail to the Appalachian Trail.  The Low Gap section is approximately 2.5 miles when you factor in the .4 mile walk from the vehicle.  And the A.T. section is about 2.1 miles plus the .6 mile Mt. Cammerer trail which brings the one way total roughly to about 5.2 miles.  However, I’ve seen round-trip estimates of approximately 11.2 miles from better sources than myself.

According to the map, Mt. Cammerer is approximately 4,928 feet and at that altitude there was still snow in the shady areas. I intended to look for survey marker once we got there but my legs were so pumped that I abandoned it. Plus, once you climb up in the tower it’s just overpowering and you kind of forget about everything else. I will get a pic of the marker next time.

The last time I based a hike out of Cosby it happened to be a backpack trip back in 2015, see here.  It was a great trip, although a brutal hike in of itself.  I had underestimated this region of the Smoky Mountains.  The trails in this section are very steep and very rugged.   And apparently I hadn’t learned my lesson from my last hike here because I planned to hike up the Low Gap or Lower Mount Cammerer trail to Mt. Cammerer and back down the opposite trail as a decent day hike.  This would have made this trip about 14+ miles which coming out of winter was just too ambitious.  If I had my legs and it was further on in the year, maybe but not now.  I didn’t realize at the time that Low Gap to Mt. Cammerer is considered the 4th toughest day hike in the Smoky Mountains, ahhhh yes!

I wore my Merrell Moab Ventilator hiking shoes on this hike. The weather was warm enough that they were comfortable for me and they’ve never let me down. The soles are Vibram and they are just the right softness to give great grip; good cushion and good durability. The uppers are strong mesh and suede for durability. I have yet to see any holes in the mesh and the suede wears like iron. The midsole is just starting to collapse to wear they don’t quite have the cushioning they used to so I bought another pair for a backup.

Considering it’s spring time in the Smoky’s, it’s not a bad idea to carry along a little bear deterrent as well. So, I took a miniature SABRE Compact Sport & Safety Horn –Audible to ½ Mile (805 M) — Personal Safety, Hiking, Boating, or Sporting Events air horn to give them a little loud noise to scare them(works sometimes). But, if that doesn’t work they get doused with the bear spray. And if neither of those work…well, they better work.

 

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