Great Smoky Mountains National Park Backpacking (TN) - March 2022

View and purchase my photos at: davidcgray.smugmug.com/
To start the 2022 hiking season I once again got together with Carl and Travis to do a spring-time hike in iconic Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
I have hiked in the Smokies multiple times in the past but I had never done a hike there in early Spring, and it was fantastic to experience the park reawakening from the winter and without the normal summer/fall jungle-like leaf canopy. Green shoots of new growth and spring flowers covered the forest floor, views were abundant, and sunshine blanketed the trails.
This trip was in the western part of GSMNP, and the intent was to experience the many streams, creeks, and waterfalls in that area of the Park, as well as immerse ourselves in the unique 'primordial' forests you find in the backcountry of the Smokies.
We started and ended at the Elkmont Campground, hiking the Jake's Creek, Cucumber Gap, Little River, and Goshen Prong trails and spending nights in campsites 23 and 30. It was a relatively tame 3-day, 2-night, 22 mile hike, with the biggest challenges being a few sketchy stream crossings in the vicinity of campground 30.
For those who have watched my other videos this one is done in the same style - a bit under an hour 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 amzn.to/3dHJvni
Lens: Nikkor 24mm f1.8 Z-mount lens amzn.to/2QZqNOo
Tripod: Sirui T-025X carbon fiber tripod amzn.to/3bH3Rvg
Camera shoulder clip: Peak Designs Capture clip system amzn.to/2wRdusp
Video Editing Software: Vegas Pro 16 amzn.to/2X5dKyu
Pack: Zpacks Arc Blast 55L
Tent: Zpacks Triplex
Sleeping Bag: Zpacks 20degF Sleeping Bag
Sleeping Pad: Therm-A-Rest NeoAir X-Therm amzn.to/2yjrUlj
Sleeping Pad: Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XLite amzn.to/39zju6v
Pillow: Exped Air Pillow UL amzn.to/2WYE5hZ
Stove: JetBoil Flash amzn.to/3azKRi7
Stove: MSR PocketRocket 2 amzn.to/3dPtOL5
Pot: MSR Titan titanium 0.9L kettle amzn.to/3bF1RDB
Headlamp: Black Diamond Spot amzn.to/2R0JvoW
Buff: Merino wool Buff amzn.to/3dCYHSC
Recharging Battery: Anker 3500mAH ‘lipstick’ charger amzn.to/2URI7G3
Camp Chair: Helonix Chair Zero amzn.to/2xzbwgh
Camp Shoes: Xero Shoes Z-Trek amzn.to/3bA3X7I
Wet Wipes: Survivorware Wet Wipes amzn.to/2JwbQ2e

[@Thechristianremnantnomad]

Waking up to your video to watch your trips is a blessed morning for me

[@donsurdej7824]

Excellent work on this video. I feel like I was there while watching, thanks

[@cconstancemarie]

I’m sorry but that was so funny when your baffle blew and you had feathers everywhere. I’m sharing your video will all my backpacking friends. We are in your age group and enjoy backpacking too. Love your videos.

[@DrJohn493]

Enjoyable area of the park. Nice fly fishing too along Little River as I recall. The older I get, the more I really like those stream hikes. Carl warned me about that Livermush. Ain't enuff onions in the world to cover up that taste for me 😝. But Spam's always a good camp staple and bacon substitute.

[@sekhmetofsurvival6805]

Tennessee is sooo beautiful, love hiking there

[@mikecarrington4297]

Loved it!

[@eakinj]

I always enjoy these videos, thank you for sharing.

[@cottonballs2776]

Great trip Dave, thanks for sharing it with all of us

[@kevinseversonandhisvizslas8287]

Thank you David! Great to see you!

[@Hikergy16]

Another great one David, glad to see you back out there! 🤙🏼

[@todddrake1723]

Great to see you back on trail, David! Always enjoy your videos.

[@CaliKid87]

Welcome to the 2022 backpacking season! Looking forward to it.

[@jasonmears4393]

Good to see you back on the trail making videos. Enjoyed watching.

[@tinawache2021]

So happy to have you back . Watching your video while working nightshirt tonight definitely brightening up the night 😍

[@jeffharwood7314]

So enjoy your video’s, when I can’t be out there myself your videos are the next best thing!

[@ridiculousfishr9812]

The king of backpacking!

[@oldguyinthewoods]

Great trip and video. As usual. I’m looking forward to a lot more. Missed seeing your dogs. Take care.

[@georgereimuth3382]

IT is always nice to watch your backpacking videos and the challenges that await you along the way , get a new sleeping for the next trip I will be waiting .

[@iansaylor1955]

Thanks for posting! Haven’t done this hike before, looks like a good one.

[@germanshepherd2579]

Good to see another video... Also good timing! Snowy and in the 30's this weekend

[@Mike-cj3nw]

In Idaho the combination of the selway Bitterroot, Gospel Hump wilderness and the River of no return wilderness areas equals 5 1/2 million acres of national forest set aside as wilderness. It awesome country and void of people. Possibly a few grizzly bears 🐻 but I've only seen moose back there, love Idaho.

[@austin6859]

Would love to see a desert episode!

[@Sturmer69]

I really enjoyed this adventure.. Keep it up!!

[@All_Things_Out_Doors]

Great trip David! It was good to see the crew back on trail. Those water crossing looked a bit intense, good to see everyone stayed dry. Campsite 30 looked amazing! Hope you and family have a happy Easter.

[@ozarklife9996]

I camped at elkmont last autumn. and your right. the rivers are just as epic as the mountain views. slide show at the end never disappoints. Ozark trail still waiting for you!!

[@rockytopwrangler2069]

... It's a great morning to see a David Grey video in the link ,,, Looked like a good time with trail friends as always .... beautiful terrain and reasonable conditions for this time of year ... thanks for sharing all the fine dining too ,, Liver Mush ?? ,, Well ,, Most of them ... Will be watching for what's to come .....Stay Safe .....

[@scottburleson7215]

the arc blast is back!

[@andreabritz4572]

Thank you for sharing another adventure. I am looking forward to finding out where else you've been hiking.

[@timothyh.1460]

So glad you found Jack Huff's Motor Lodge. We have going to Jack Huff's for over 25 years. In my opinion, it is the best value of any motor Lodge in Gatlinburg, and you can't beat the location. Any place within steps of the Village and the Donut Friar is a winner in my book. It is great to see you are kicking off the 2022 backpacking season in style.

[@zachcherry8221]

I took my kids there the weekend before that. They got a kick seeing every landmark on your video that they saw!

[@Hefmier]

Another great video, David!! Looking forward to seeing the Great Smoky Mountains again in the foreseeable future myself. By the way, I just returned from a trip to Indiana. Beautiful state!! Turkey Run State Park was fabulous!! Looking forward to your next video!! Greetings from Washington state!! :)

[@naoh4213]

Great look with the feathers all over ya lol I was laughing my butt off. Keeping it positive and staying real man i love it!Hope all is well!

[@Flo76man]

Awesome video! Glad those fires are done.

[@srameypr]

Yay! Just when I was wishing you would post a video ... 🙂

[@Oldsparkey]

Always enjoyed the Smoky National Park. Lots of off the main drag places to hike and camp. I was happy to see at lease one of the crew was hanging in a Hammock. My preferred camping style up there. Sometimes the biggest problem is to many trees. lol

[@timgrogan883]

I was up at Jack Huff motor inn during Easter I asked the lady at the desk if she remembered you guys. She said yes that she remembered the 3 guys who were hikers . He actually stay Thursday night and then hiked to back country # 24 Friday night and back to Jack huff Saturday night. . Hope to met you guys on trail sometime.

[@liviaramirez4813]

Thank you for such a nice video. It looks beautiful. I am making plans to do hiking in the fall this year. 😊

[@susangunn5866]

Great Hike. When you cross streams use your poles for balance - one at each side.

[@HikerGal1]

Great video! You really lucked out on getting in the park. Next time around have Carl bring you over for a meal! Unfortunately, we were out of town and missed you three. Thanks for sharing the adventures!

[@craigsmith6446]

Another great one, glad you are back and well! I've got the golden ticket this year, Happy Isles to Whitney in late June! I'm going to take a shot at making a video too.

[@NickandRachel]

Really enjoyed the video! Did Jake's creek trail not too long ago so this was kind of fresh on my mind. Looking to plan a backpacking trip soon thanks for the ideas 💡

[@tommybewick]

He is back!! David F...ing Gray! Sorry, but I got that from the Schill Brothers Outdoors. I love your videos, and I love the Schill brothers! You have to go on another hike with them!

[@freddonelson5505]

Great trip ... well, except for the liver!! Thanks for sharing!

[@fernwogteveril6935]

I have not done a hike in the Elkmont area, I need to check it out! Just did a trip near Abrahams Campground area..... it was awesome! I love the Smokeys!!

[@paulao7022]

Beautiful country. Thanks for sharing! Have you ever tried those Seychille water, filter bottles? You can get water from anywhere, with those and they have a filter inside the bottle, it purifies even muddy water and the bottle and filter inside, can be used over and over again, many times. Seychille, has bottle filters, that can be replaced in the bottle. Save from packing a lot of water!

[@mikejordan9220]

This looks like a good hike for a long weekend. A friend and I are planning to do the entire Smokies in June if we can get permits. It will be a challenging hike. I was in Gatlinburg 3-26 to 3-29. It was quite a bit warmer there than where I’m from in Ohio. I was staying in an RV in Pigeon Forge and almost had to leave due to the forest fires.

[@ChrisfromFL]

I stayed at both of those sites last March thanks to Bryan Delay's suggestion! You videos are the reson we didn't post ours, no where near as entertainiing!

[@jefferybyard8429]

After watching your Cranberry trip in West Virginia, I believe last year, you should definitely check out Otter Creek Wilderness for some loop hikes or do one of the sections of the Allegheny Trail. The Glady or Shavers Mountain section of the Allegheny, on Section 2 of the ALT. is awesome.

[@delvinmorales9458]

2022 season!

[@feltsfamfive1887]

Hey David if you ever need a second for one of your trips around KY, TN, VA or IN area let me know. Keep up the great content man

[@CindyHikes]

Jack Huffs Motor Lodge has been a favorite of ours for years. Good people & great history. I've camped at CS23 before. Set up camp in the pitch dark pouring rain. Had no idea until the next morning we were in a depression, and therefore our own little lake. Haha!! I also had no idea the campsite was so big because it was pouring when we packed up the next morning. Awesome video. Thanks & glad you guys had a great trip!

[@markstreckert7912]

I like your videos David. Liver mush? You’re braver than I! Have you ever gone to Isle Royale? It’s fantastic!

[@OldBlindDougArtist]

Great video, but you can have my liver mush. Lol. I did not know you were getting to be an old man like me. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣stay safe and keep on hiking.

[@christinerolle3876]

Oh No!! Sorry about your sleeping bag.!😔

[@garys_shave]

I don't mess around with any one tough enough to eat liver mush!

[@shredhiker6209]

Looks like you missed the second coming of winter, here in the Smoky’s by about a week!

[@davidcolinstillman5585]

GORGEOUS TRAIL WEATHER FOOTAGE VIDEO CAMPSITES 📹 ! LITTLE BIT TRICKY CROSSING THE CREEK / STREAMS . NICE TO HAVE THE ROPE TO HELP BUT STILL BE CAREFUL TOO.

[@lonnierobin7347]

Great video, enjoy the stills as well. Mind sharing your pack weight? On my backpacking trips, I want to bring my camera but it’s a Nikon D600, not light by any means. Would like to know how you manage to hike and do photography stills. Must take what I lack… patience.

[@KevinFryAdventures]

Great video David! A couple of those water crossings looked sketchy. I wonder if Liver Mush is like goetta which is a Cincinnati thing.

[@davidgrayin]

Yes, exactly (Liver Mush / Goetta). In fact after the trip Travis sent us pictures of Goetta from a store in Cincinnati and suggested we try it on the next trip. I had never heard of Goetta, and it is certainly not readily available in central Indiana. based on the ingredients list I think Liver Mush may be a step up on the 'adventurous' side, but Goetta is certainly similar. Can't wait to try it.

[@davidpragerhiking]

I spent my first 28 years in Cincinnati, though I live in SC now. Goetta and liver mush are very similar. Neither of them have a lot of flavor unless you add spices. I like them both. 👍

[@thegreatrandal]

Great start to the 2022 season. I like the way you put just the right amount of silking in the water photos. What happened to your sleeping bag? I have never seen that before.

[@davidgrayin]

Thank you on the pictures. Found myself with a little solo hiking time and decided to put the tripod and ND filter to use. The shutter speed is a bit of a matter of personal preference, but having done quite a few of those longer exposures I've found a 1 second exposure time to be just about right for me. I've used 0.5 sec and 1.0 sec often but not so much 2.0 seconds or longer - might try a few of those on the next opportunity but I'm guessing you get that long and you'll lose any detail in the water. I have no idea what happened to the sleeping bag - I had literally just climbed in it for the night without anything 'strange' happening (snagged zipper, excessive tugging, etc.) and started seeing a ton of feathers flying around the tent. I looked down to the bottom of the bag and one whole stitched seem of a baffle had separated (about an 8-inch tear). That one is going to always be a 'head scratcher'

[@chrisadventures77]

Needed some grits and eggs to mix in with the liver pudding. Just mix it all together with a little black pepper.

[@jogger1987]

For the hot dogs did you guys just freeze them the night before, and then ate them at camp after they had thawed ?

[@zachcherry8221]

That first pic of Jaden just broke my heart

[@annaputnam5389]

Glad to see you hiking again David. And the Smoky Mountains are beautiful! One thing though... We live in southern Indiana, the French Lick/West Baden area. Carmel is in Indiana; we live in *southern* Indiana. Indiana is not all flat and cornfields, as one might think from a comment or two you made here. If you spent more time down this way you would find many pleasant wooded hills between Bedford and Louisville. Enjoyed the video!

[@davidgrayin]

I agree with you on the distinction between flat-land Indiana and southern Indiana, and I have spent quite a bit of time hiking in southern Indiana (Knobstone Trail, Two Lakes Trail, Tecumseh Trail, Low Gap, Three Lakes, Deam Wilderness, etc.).

[@Humppakarajat]

"exceptionally long winter"... Punxsutawney Phil was right!!!

[@guwop2234]

90 mph winds???

[@timgrogan883]

You stayed at our favorite hotel The Jack Huff motor inn .

[@davidgrayin]

Yes, it is my favorite place now too. Great place, afforable, good location, and cool history - my kind of place! I have to thank Carl for pointing that one out to us.

[@GenX...MCMLXV]

fried Spam on white bread over liver-mush anyday.......... I'm from AVL and Shug & Hickrey were always eating something crazy

[@davidgrayin]

I agree with you on that one. Love Spam... liver mush, not so much. But I'm glad I tried it - not as bad as I thought it might be, but nothing I will ever crave like Spam (or hot dogs... or pizza... or steak!). Next time we're going to try Goetta which seems to be a regional-Cincinnati sort of meat-loaf concoction.

[@Mike-cj3nw]

I love your videos but I relate since I can't bring Boomer into Saguaro and Chiricahua national parks in Arizona plenty of national forest land here.

[@Thechristianremnantnomad]

I been talking about wanting to go back to the smokey mountains

[@davidcolinstillman5585]

HI DAVID 👋 LOVE SOME SCRAPPLE & MAPLE 🍁 SYRUP EGGS 🥚 SAUSAGE 😋 BEAUTIFUL HIKE . NICE LODGE , LOOKS CLEAN FRIENDLY 👌 CLOSE TO PLACES TO EAT & IF NEED EXTRAS FOR HIKING . THANK YOU 🙏 BE SAFE ! HAVE FUN ! ENJOYED 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 YOU'LL WERE MISSED GLAD YOU'LL ARE SAFE & FAMILY / FRIENDS TOO 😀

[@teddysmith457]

You should save your cheddar cheese spread to have with your spam

[@cooper4205]

That bridge at the beginning of Goshen Prong is the site of the only fatal bear attack in the history of the GSMNP

[@davidgrayin]

I did not know that. (And also a little glad I didn't know that!). Very interesting bit of history.

[@derekk6906]

Last year a hiker from Illinois hiking alone was found dead by other hikers, Hazel Creek area campsite 80 I believe. They went for help. When rangers arrived the bear was there. They put the Bear down, did an autopsy on Bear. This past fall the results from autopsy determined the hiker in fact died due to an attack from Bear. The story can still be found on line Knoxville news stations.

[@stephenhall5421]

Liver Mush? Sounds like Scrapple??? Everything but the “oink” goes in it…

[@davidgrayin]

Yeah, it seems to be a sort of 'everything that's left' after the good part of the pig is used. Glad I didn't read the ingredient list before we tried it! (They don't sugar-coat the ingredient list). There is a close-up picture of the package in the still photos.

[@davidallen6970]

pizzi i call it mussolinis revenge for italy losing the second world war. people forced io eat a culinary disaster, eating rubbish. love you david why so infrequent up loads. hot dogs wonderful.true american food is brilliant.

[@davidlounsberry4127]

I felt so bad for you, David, with your exploded sleeping bag! But I couldn’t help but chuckle about it too because of the feathers on your chin, crotch, and backside in the morning 😂

[@teddysmith457]

You should save your cheddar cheese Spread to have with your spam

[@santiagohills3997]

Generic hot sauce instead of Tapatio on the eggs? That earns a thumbs down.👎 😀 J/k…thanks for posting!

[@davidgrayin]

Yeah, I know, sorry about that. My intent was to take Tapatio, and a year or two back I bought 100 packets of it on Amazon, but I couldn't find them before the trip. Very frustrating. Had to dig deep into the drawer to find the other packet of hot sauce.