Solo Backpacking Trips

I haven't taken a solo backpacking trip in a while. I'm beginning to plan for a multi-day backpacking excursion. To the extent that I'm not even sure when I'm going to take it. Likely it will be in the Fall. I doubt that I'll do any part of the Appalachian Trail because that place has become just way the heck too crowded for my tastes. There are some trail loops in the Great Smoky Mountains back country that I've wanted to traverse for some time, but again I'll have to make sure I won't be dealing with lots of people. I want some solitude, not bumping into big groups of people as I hike.

There are a couple of lesser used longer distance trails that I am also considering. The Art Loeb Trail has long been on my radar, and I'll check out doing a piece of that one. It's very high on my list of considerations. And there's the one that many people take when they don't want to deal with the AT crowds but want to hike for a number of miles without crossing over one road after another: Benton MacKaye Trail. And there's also the Bartram Trail.

I'm leaning toward the Art Loeb Trail because I could do the entire length of it in three days of moderate hiking. It would be easy for my wife to drop me off in the high country and pick me up where the other terminus lies at Davidson River.

We'll see. I just need to get out and find some solitude in the high country.

Middle Prong Wilderness.

With the exception of the cascade, all of these other photos were taken in the Southern Nantahala Wilderness on the NC/GA border. I'm not quite sure I recall where the photo of the small waterfall was taken.