GSMNP: Twentymile Ranger Station and the Dragon’s Tail

After a long night of driving, we arrived at Twentymile Ranger Station around noon.  We opened our doors  and heard a rush of water roaring down of Twentymile Creek past the ranger station.

We were surprised by the sparse amenities.  All they had for us was parking.  There was no ranger when we were there, no bathrooms or trash receptacles.  I drove out to locate a trash can to avoid any encounters with our car and a bear.  We waited until we went to the backcountry to relieve ourselves.  We geared up, got our backcountry camping permits, took a few photos, and headed out.

We were happy to stretch our legs and start moving.  Hiking to campground 95 was a breeze.  A log bridge spanned any major stream crossings that we faced.  Our boots finally got wet near a small trickle that crossed the trail to the campsite.

Two groups were already at the site and we were left with a less desirable spot.  Crude campfire rings and partially burned logs at site 95 surprised us.  We thought the Park Service wanted us to leave as little trace as possible.  Adhering to Leave No Trace principles, we decided to NOT build a campfire until we found ourselves at Elkmont on Day 5.  The rings were nearly full of partially burned wood and coal, we knew someone else will use these rings, we weren’t sure if we can completely burn the wood and coals, and we didn’t want to contribute to a negative impact the site.  We cooked our food, set up the tent, and ate dinner.  The clouds rolled in and decided to pour.  Rain provided a bit of fun.  We brought out the rain gear to finish up for the night.  We washed our plates and pot, filtered fresh water from a stream a few yards away, and hung our food.

It continued to rain all night. Our entire site was on a slope and my side of the tent had a small pool of water in the morning.  We shook the water off our gear and continued to campsite 13 and Gregory Bald.

Dragon’s Tail

Lucky Foot was fortunate enough to be the driver to experience the Dragon’s Tail, a world renown stretch of US 129 for driving enthusiasts. The tail stretches 11 miles between Tennessee and North Carolina.  It’s seemingly endless twists and turns challenges the best in us.  I look forward to visiting the tail on my next backpacking trip with Justine to test her capabilities as well as mine.