Big South Fork (Tennessee) Backpacking - April 2015
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2015
- Bailey Rose, Jaden and I took a 3-day, 2-night 'exploration' trip in early April 2015 to Big South Fork National River Recreation Area, generally known as the 'Big South Fork'.
I've wanted to explore Big South Fork for many years, and I certainly wasn't disappointed with what I found. The numerous trails I hiked were only a small fraction of the 360 miles of available hiking trails, and all had lush vegetation with interesting geology, and dotted with old homesteads and historic features. You're generally allowed to camp anywhere in the backcountry. I never made it back to the apparently incredible John Muir Trail but that gives me reason to come back. If you study maps of the Big South Fork trails you'll find it is a simple matter to string together backpacking loop trips of nearly any length and distance.
The title indicates it was a backpacking trip and, in fact, I did carry my full pack the entire time I was hiking, but I never actually set up my tent. Thunderstorms and heavy rain prompted me to bail to a hotel for night #1, and I had always planned to stay at a neat backcountry lodge called 'Charit Creek Lodge' for night #2.
Though this certainly wasn't a 'purist' backpacking trip I did think that for anyone interested in Big South Fork and/or Charit Creek Lodge this should prove interesting and informative.
Your dogs look like they were having a blast. Wish my dog would listen as well as yours lol. Another great video as usual.
Great video. Beautiful country.
Nice video! My wife and I stayed at Charit Creek Lodge in October 2014. Highly recommended! I did quite a lot of hiking while my wife relaxed at our cabin at the lodge. The food and scenery were great! The only downside is that someone slashed the front tires of my truck while it was parked at the trailhead. I had to get a tow into town to purchase two new tires.
Your dogs are great! Had me laughing at the bridge.
Tom Cuneo they are troopers!! Good pups!
Your vids are always cool! I'm hopefully going to make a trip somewhere!!! here in the next few weeks.
Cool video. Thanks for sharing and taking us along.
That was great my friend, well done David!!!!
Great Video! Love watching your dogs hike the trails..thanks for sharing.
Can't wait to see what you do this year! Love watching your trips, and wish I could go along.
Mike Gartman he’s got some great hikes! What beautiful country.
The lodge looks amazing. Great vid
I enjoy your videos and especially your photos!
beautiful adventure with you and the dogs...love it David...you and I would have a great time out there...love your vids...thank you!
what a great video , i felt like i was there.....thanks for showing us such a beautiful place.
so amazing. thanks for sharing.
This is amazing. My mother grew up there..when it was called No Business. I got to visit the last relative we had while he was still there..when I was very small. My aunt series and moved to Oneida, and then Stearns, KY. Mom used to tell me stories about Water Moccasins. Watching this, I imagine her playing in the falls..and the creek. If you find the Blevins house? Her favorite place to play was his porch..while grandma visited.
David, Another good video. Looks like a really nice place to stay. Still waiting for you to do a video on the John Muir Trail in California. Thanks for posting. ja
Jeffrey Allen I'll be heading out to hike the Rae Lakes Trail in early September, and can't wait to get some great video and pictures. It's not exactly the entire John Muir Trail but I'll get in about 20+ miles or so. Probably just enough to give me a taste of it, and leave me dreaming of doing the entire John Muir (which is certainly on my 'Bucket List'). I'll likely being posting a video of Rae Lakes in mid-September.
I must admit I hadn't considered middle north TN for a backpacking trip, but David, after this it's on my excel spreadsheet of "do before I die"! Thank you sir for this beautiful experience.
Tennessee does have some excellent backpacking/hiking destinations, as well as places to just check out some great geological formations only a short walk from a parking lot. Big South Fork was great, and I only explored a tiny fraction of what's there. I'd also take a look at the Red River Gorge area - comparable to Big South Fork, but even better from a geology standpoint (very popular rock climbing area).
This reminds of a place I hike in Northwest Arkansas
cant wait to watch David...i met you on low gap a month or so ago..told ya how much i enjoyed your videos...see ya on the trail man! Keep em coming!
+Dave Wallace Great to hear from you Dave, and I do remember our meeting on the Low Gap. I hope you enjoy the Big South Fork video - a little different than the others I've done. There should be a few more videos coming in relatively quick succession - I have three western backpacking trips planned between mid July and early September: (1) Four Pass loop near Aspen, CO in mid-July, (2) a week long chunk of the Colorado Trail with my son Christian and the dogs in early August, and (3) the Rae Lakes Loop trail in California in early September. I just purchased some upgraded external audio equipment and I continue to dial in my video gear so hopefully this summer's videos will be good.
Been their horse back riding it rained on us to my saddle was soaked!
This must be the third time watching this and it gets better every time. Wish I could still do hikes like this, time does march on though. Love the dogs, much fun. Dave
I went with my family in October, and we were going the opposite direction and we came across hollow with a cave/large overhang that the trail walked pretty much right on top of. It was absolutely amazing and the only footprint we found was a hoof print from a deer! The hollow continued to drop off and it appeared there were more rock formations farther down but we didn't have the time to explore. I really had a great time and Angel Falls overlook is breathtaking.
beautiful hiking trails
Got the map & got a guidebook of the BSF, now all I gotta do is do it. Thanks for a pleasant preview.
Loved the video and the dogs. I will do a backpacking trip to the South Fork.
cool ranger i never known on aplachian was a rest. we used mre for dinner and stayed on the trail .i like the free safe weather shelter , mre good they have everythink from coffee to power bars , and some good fresh fish
Really enjoying watching your videos.You are really inspiring me and my son to get out and hike.Our dream is now to hike glacier national park.Thanks for our future memories.
Thank you very much. I know the idea of hiking or backpacking in Glacier can be a bit intimidating, but it's really not that hard - either the process or the hiking - and I would encourage you to get there. The backcountry in Glacier is one of the most spectacular places on earth, and it will make an impact on you. Doing it with your son will create memories for both of you that will last your lifetimes. I plan to get back there myself either this year or next.
Even with contingencies, still a great video David. Audio was excellent. Beautiful dogs.
I went to the BSF myself, honestly, it had a lot to offer but it just wasn't for me. David, you really gotta look into going to Red River Gorge, it's not too far for BSF, just a ways north into KY, and it is truly spectacular. The back country is amazing, the sheltowee trace also goes through it, such a neat place.
I've actually been to Red River Gorge, and absolutely loved it. The hiking was great, geological features incredible, and then there is Miguel's... I had heard about Miguel's but accidentally stumbled upon it when Jaden (old dog) and I had finished hiking. Amazing pizza and Woodstock-like culture that made me feel like a moth to the flame. I captured a lot of video of the trip but never published it. There aren't really many (any) multi-day natural loop hikes there that don't entail an out-and-back, so I ended up doing a bunch of day hike sort of things to various locations. I did backpack with the intention of camping in the backcountry, but I had set up a basecamp with my car at one of the local campgrounds and ended up just hiking back there. Jaden and I day-hiked a bunch of the trails around there but it just didn't feel like a 'backpackiing' video so I never published it. Maybe I'll take another look at it and publish it at some point. I do plan to get back there at some point - amazing place.
Yeah I agree, the first few times we'd gone there were definitely experiences for us, it was kinda the first backpacking we'd ever really done, and boy did we learn a lot of both, what to do, and what not to do. That being said, lots of day hikes, car camping (or glamping, as some of the locals put it) but we got pretty familiar with it and my girlfriend and I really just fell in love with it. I'm actually watching your 'holy cross' video in colorado right now and I'm pretty sure that's where we're gonna go next. We've been to Durango CO and had done some backpacking there, but holy cross looks amazing!
Your poor doggies! Mine hate swinging bridges too! Ha! We have to carry them over. BSF has some interesting features. I live not too far, so I have spent alot of time here and in the Smokies. Personally, I find the west spectacular and here...not so much. Probably because I was born and raised here though.
David, I have been enjoying your work. You are confirtable in front of a camera. If you want to see more down south check out Joyce Kilmer wilderness, Willam Bankhead National Forest and Cumberland Island National Seashore.
yes joyce kilmer wilderness ! hard to beat.
Just started looking at your videos. I really enjoyed the Glacier trip (video) with your son. Noticed much improved video quality over some of the earlier stuff
At Fall Creek Falls you can go down to the fall and get behind it. #nexttime
Great quality video and content. Love the Charit Creek area, you really did it justice. We stay at primitive camp close to the lodge on our trips out there. New sub here, great video!
wow! awesome place and trails!
and great video!
the music was perfect and your photography is wonderful 😊
I’m waiting to buy all my backpacking and camping stuff on black friday. But I want to go here as soon as possible. I’ll get a day pack for me and my dog so we can go in the next week or two. I hope they’ll have a cabin this time of year at the lodge. And I hope it’s not expensive. But I’ll do the Super 8 if it is.
Thanks for sharing!!
Yes, it is an amazing place. I'm hoping this time of year that you have no trouble getting in a cabin at the Charit Creek Lodge. I need to get back there myself sometime soon - truly magical place. Their pricing has changed since I was there, but I'm hoping it's not too expensive nowadays - I'm certain it would be a special experience for you.
Love the video. I appreciate the detail and time you take with each of your videos and also very much appreciate the stills at the end. Do you shoot in RAW? Did you HDR some of the shots with photo program? They are very vibrant. Well done!
Thank you. I shoot all my still images in RAW format and then process them later on the computer when I get back from the trip. Yes, I did many/most of the images in HDR - for this trip I combined 7 different images 1 f-stop apart for the HDR shots. I used two different HDR software packages - SNS-HDR Pro for the more natural looking images and Photomatix Pro for the more 'stylized' images.
Todd Lehman yes he did a great job. So interesting to watch. I’m interested to go. Beautiful country
Awesome video as always, I've really enjoyed watching your trips. What do you have planned for this year? Next weekend me and 3 other buddies are headed to the Nantahala River Basin to do a 3-day/2-night backpacking trip around the Standing Indian-Mt. Albert-Kimsey Creek trail loop (in NC), so looking forward to this trip. We actually had originally planned to do the Linville Gorge Loop but a fire was started there this past Thursday and it was over 100 acres by yesterday and every single trail we were going to be on is now closed. So we called an audible. It works out nicely because 15 miles of this loop will be on the AT so that is cool. One day I am going to thru-hike that sucker. Looking forward to 2017's trips!
Enjoyed the video. I live in Kentucky and we have the same type of landscapes in the Red River Gorge and near the KY/TN border. The Big South Fork River Area is one of my favorite areas near the KY/TN border and I recommend the trails and the area near the Leatherwood Ford River Access and the Angel Falls Rapids
Thank you for the recommendation. I do plan to get back to Big South Fork, and with it being such a large area with tons of possible hikes having a recommendation for a specific area is very helpful. I've actually been to Red River Gorge and absolutely love that place as well (especially Miguel's!) - I'll get back there as well for another backpacking trip.
Thanks for the great video! I shared on our website. Next time you and Bailey come visit Big South Fork or Pickett State Park, you need to stay at the Wildwood Inn. Great place, borders BSF and Pickett
Man, I wonder how those hikers that spend months in the Appalacchian Trail deal with bad weather like this one. Lovely dogs.
Incredibly well done. The James Taylor at the end was perfect for the picture show! Do you sell prints?
Oneida has a wonderful Lee's Famous Recipe. good and decent buffet.
Very nice videos! What kind of camera are you using? What resolution are you using? Thanks!
+Hikingboots I used a Canon Vixia G30 at 1080P resolution 60FPS in .avc format.
+David Gray, thank you for that info, I've been to achieve more clarity in my videos. BTW if you like "luxury" camping, check out High Sierra Camps. You get the scenery of of Yosemite backcountry with all the luxuries of great breakfast/dinner, flush toilette.
Hikingboots Coincidentally, I actually did a trip to the Sierra near Mammoth Lakes, CA in September 2015 and ran into a cowboy leading a pack train. He was heading to one of the camps you mention to re-supply it. I took his picture and he also suggested I should check out one of the 'full-service' backcountry camps. Regarding the camera, I think the main 'enabler' for the best possible clarity is the 'glass' (lens). The Vixia G30 is a heavy beast of a video camera but you just can't beat a quality lens with lots of heavy glass. Many cameras - even smart phones - will shoot in full HD 1080p (or even 4K now) but I don't think they can match the clarity without a quality lens.
Spring peepers!
What point and shoot camera do you use?
I liked the video but didn't see any backpacking.
How much was the cabin per night?
I paid $100 for the entire cabin, and that included dinner and breakfast. The cabin had beds for 10 people or so, and I can't recall when I went if the $100 was for as many people as you could fit in, or per person. I just checked their website and it looks like it's now $100 per night per person, so it's likely that was the way they charged when I went. It also looks like there is now a 4 person minimum to reserve the detached cabins on Friday and Saturday (still no minimum during the week so you could have it all to yourself, like I did, during the week.
whats that first song at the end ?
It is 'Do You Remember' by Jack Johnson. I think he recorded the song in 2008. I used it for a family Spring Break video I did back then, and thought it fit well for the images at the beginning of the slide show.
Good video! BSF is an enchanting place, as you learned. I urge you to consider attending this meetup. Laid back; everyone doe their own thing, from hiking, backpacking, bushcraft or just sitting around enjoying good company. th-cam.com/video/OB8tXnHsowQ/w-d-xo.html
Hi David. Some of your videos, this one included, are not available at the moment! Is there a reason for that?
+BGUK Hmmm... I'm not sure. It seems to be working for me. It might be because I used some copyrighted songs for the slide show which I believe can prevent it from showing on certain 'devices' - I'm not exactly sure how such limitations work but I think if I used a song with a copyright owned by Sony Music Group, for example, it might not play on Sony DVD/Bluray players. Just guessing though, but I'll look into it. Thanks for the heads up.
+David Gray Thanks for the reply David. Big fan of your videos, especially the video when you thought the Squirrels were shooting back!