"Took the short hike from telico gap at about 11am. Mainly steep rocky trails through the woods with beautiful views of the smokys along the way. Peak has a frequently traveled fire watch tower which feels a little rickety to climb but gives a lovely view over the cliffs." — appalachianjohnbrown • Apr 4, 2026

"Bartram Trail maintenance on the side of Wayah Bald with the Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy. We drove a gated private road to a cabin, then hiked a side trail to the Bartram Trail. Jim and I hiked to the Appalachian Trail and back, while other teams hiked the opposite way on the Bartram Trail. We cleared many blowdowns from Helene and lopped overgrowth. We saw lots of trilliums, bear corn, and beautiful vistas." — davidensley • May 10, 2025

"AT lash Day 1: Winding Stair Gap to Standing Indian Mountain, with side trips to nearby peaks along the way. Lots of Blowdowns in the Southern Nantahala Wilderness post-hurricane. There’s a clearcut path up to Pinnacle Mountain, no bushwhacking necessary, though there isn’t anything up there. Albert Mountain has great views despite the tower being locked. Easy bushwhack to Little Ridgepole. Made a half-hearted attempt at Little Bald, purely because it’s on the NC AT Peakery challenge. After a half mile of brutally thick bushwhacking through face-height pricker bushes and wall-to-wall laurels, with no end of the mess in sight, I turned around. Not sure why this one is on the list given its distance away from the trail, difficult approach for the average thru-hiker, and seemingly zero redeemable qualities. Won’t be going back for this one. Spent the night atop Standing Indian, which IS a wonderful blue blaze from the AT." — wacbravo • Oct 9, 2024

"AT lash Day 1: Winding Stair Gap to Standing Indian Mountain, with side trips to nearby peaks along the way. Lots of Blowdowns in the Southern Nantahala Wilderness post-hurricane. There’s a clearcut path up to Pinnacle Mountain, no bushwhacking necessary, though there isn’t anything up there. Albert Mountain has great views despite the tower being locked. Easy bushwhack to Little Ridgepole. Made a half-hearted attempt at Little Bald, purely because it’s on the NC AT Peakery challenge. After a half mile of brutally thick bushwhacking through face-height pricker bushes and wall-to-wall laurels, with no end of the mess in sight, I turned around. Not sure why this one is on the list given its distance away from the trail, difficult approach for the average thru-hiker, and seemingly zero redeemable qualities. Won’t be going back for this one. Spent the night atop Standing Indian, which IS a wonderful blue blaze from the AT." — wacbravo • Oct 9, 2024

"Last big hike in the GSMNP started out around 8am. A little chilly and 3,000’ of climbing. Minimal whining from the kids. As we got on top of Cammerer the sun came out as we approached the fire watch observation tower and everything turned around. Soaked up the sun, fought off the hangries and enjoyed the panoramic views of the Smokey’s. Mount Cammerer is a mountain on the northeastern fringe of the Great Smoky Mountains, in the Southeastern United States. The mountain is situated on the state line between Cocke County, Tennessee and Haywood County, North Carolina. The Appalachian Trail traverses Cammerer's south slope and a restored fire lookout at the summit offers panoramic views of the eastern Smokies, Cocke County, and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Mount Cammerer was named for Arno B. Cammerer, Director of the National Park Service (1933–1940) and an instrumental figure in establishing a national park in the Great Smoky Mountains. Before its renaming, Mt. Cammerer was known as "White Rock," referring to the bright white rocks that burst through the treeline at the summit. On some North Carolina maps, Mt. Cammerer is called "Sharptop". At least one story tells of a lightning ..." — wiweasel • Nov 24, 2023