Great Smoky Mountains NP (TN) Backpacking - Twentymile/Tapoco Lodge - March 2026

#GreatSmokyMountains #TapocoLodge #TailOfTheDragon Check out my website at davidgraymedia.com. The website has blog posts describing most of my trips. It's become somewhat of a tradition to start the season with a Spring hike in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We decided to stick with that 'tradition' to start off our 2026 hiking plans. But unlike all of my previous hikes in the Smokies this hike would take place on the south side of the Park. Carl, Travis and I met at the historic Tapoco Lodge in Robbinsville, NC, which we would use as the pre-trip base for a 3-day 2-night hike out of the Twentymile Trailhead. The hike would be a 'do-over' of the hike we originally had planned in April 2026 but had to cancel. Our plan - the same plan we had in 2025 - was to start at the Twentymile Ranger Station and trailhead, take the Twentymile Trail and Long Hungry Ridge Trail uphill to campsite 92 on the first day, then continue uphill on day #2 to the Bald Trail, Gregory Bald, and campsite 13. Then downhill 3700 vertical feet on day #3 back to the car (ouch!). Going into the trip the weather looked bad, especially the afternoon and overnight of day #2, and we kept the option open to simply make the hike an out-and-back 'shakedown' hike. In the end, that is what we decided to do. Carl brought along his 'Starlink' satellite system which we were able to use on night #1 to confirm the weather was, in fact, going to get gnarly on day #2. Even though the backpacking didn't go as we had planned the video will still give you a good look at the Twentymile area of GSMNP, campsites 92 and 93, and the historic Tapoco Lodge. For those who have watched my other videos this one is done in the same style - a half an hour in length, intended to bring the audience along for the 'ride', and with a still picture slide show with music at the end. If you just have a few minutes skip to the end and enjoy the pictures. Equipment / Gear List: Still and Video Camera: Nikon Z6 https://amzn.to/3Q3Gsco Lens: Nikkor 20mm f1.8 Z-mount lens https://amzn.to/3znpOP7 Lens: Nikkor 24mm f1.8 Z-mount lens https://amzn.to/2QZqNOo Tripod: Sirui T-025X carbon fiber tripod https://amzn.to/3bH3Rvg Camera shoulder clip: Peak Designs Capture clip system https://amzn.to/2wRdusp Video Editing Software: Vegas Pro 16 https://amzn.to/2X5dKyu Pack: Zpacks Arc Blast 55L Tent: Zpacks Triplex Sleeping Bag: Zpacks 20degF Sleeping Bag Sleeping Pad: Therm-A-Rest NeoAir X-Therm https://amzn.to/2yjrUlj Sleeping Pad: Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XLite https://amzn.to/39zju6v Pillow: Exped Air Pillow UL https://amzn.to/2WYE5hZ Stove: JetBoil Flash https://amzn.to/3azKRi7 Stove: MSR PocketRocket 2 https://amzn.to/3dPtOL5 Pot: MSR Titan titanium 0.9L kettle https://amzn.to/3bF1RDB Headlamp: Black Diamond Spot https://amzn.to/2R0JvoW Buff: Merino wool Buff https://amzn.to/3dCYHSC Recharging Battery: Anker 3500mAH ‘lipstick’ charger https://amzn.to/2URI7G3 Camp Chair: Helonix Chair Zero https://amzn.to/2xzbwgh Camp Shoes: Xero Shoes Z-Trek https://amzn.to/3bA3X7I Wet Wipes: Survivorware Wet Wipes https://amzn.to/2JwbQ2e