Bandit Camp

Every year or so I feel this burning desire to escape from the boundaries of civilization and plunge headfirst into the great wilderness of the Great Smokey Mountains. I was able to satisfy this desire over this past weekend, as me and my always lovely ladyfriend Amber perpetrated the back country of Tennessee for a 5 day camping extravaganza! We arrived late Thursday night to a rather cold Gatlinburg, and by the time we had driven into the Great Smokey Mountains National Park and found our way to the end of the road past Elkmont and the decrepit remains of the once great Appalachian Club, it was roughly 2AM (technically Friday at this point).

Now the hike from the car to our secret, illegal backwoods campsite isn't necessarily the most intense and long hike in the world. It is about a 45 minute hike up the side of a mountain, and with a framed backpack with all sort of other bags and gear tied to it strapped to your body and a big cooler stuffed to the brim with food, that 45 minute hike can become a grueling lugfest. It's an incredibly steep path that is always winding up the mountainside - and once it levels out it's time to plummet down off the trail, into the untamed smokies, until you reach the river valley bellow. And that is where you will find bandit camp.

Plenty of rocks for smashing lumber (no hatchet required), a nice clear space for the tent, and a fire pit that has been slowly getting deeper and deeper over the years of use are but a few of the rugged convinces of this magical place. You're just up a little incline from the rushing river which provides us with drinking water (via a hand pump purifier), a place to wash ourselves and our dishes, a place to cool our beverages, and a constant stream of white noise to relax us at night, and mask the sounds of our activities during the day. It's a little slice of mountain paradise.

Days were spent on the trails, exploring the various mountains surrounding bandit camp. As this was my 5th or 6th visit to the spot I didn't really tred any new ground, but this was Amber's first camping experience - I wanted to show her everything I already knew was wonderful in the mountains. The 'fairy tale' trail past the babbling waterfalls and ivy covered grounds, Avent Cabin and it's tattered blood red curtains, the ruins of the Appellation Club cabins, the rock quarry valley by the horse ranch, the rolling meadows of Cade's Cove caught in afternoon sunlight... it felt great returning to all the places that made me fall in love with the Smokey Mountains years ago.

And it was over all too soon. Now I look ahead to another camping adventure hopefully at the end of April. The original Smokey Mountain Bandits (me, Mike Z, and Corkey McGarvin) are planning to infiltrate some new area, as the wild calls once again to the challengers!

P.S. - Amber was amazing, held up better than most girls I know could have, and by the end was better at starting a fire than I was.