This is the last day for hiking in this park. Our goal is to hike the Charlies Bunion Trail which is a part of the famous Appalachian Trail. We did run into several hikers who had been on the Appalachian Trail for up to 6 months.
In the morning, we learned that the weather for tomorrow will be low 15F with 80% chance of snowing. Fei suggested that why not change our schedule to driving to Atlanta this evening to avoid issues of trying to get out under snowy weather on Tuesday morning. It was a sound suggestion, therefore, we found a hotel in Atlanta and packed our luggages quickly, and checked out of Baymont Hotel. The weather was good enough for us to hike on the Charlies Bunion Trail. It is 8.1 miles round trip with elevation gain of 1640 ft and with difficulty rating of 11.38. It is the toughest hike we attempted during this trip. If we can make it, then we can consider that “mission accomplished”.
It’s a fairly difficult hike that’s quite rocky, with a few steep sections. In the first couple of miles, one can enjoy the beautiful views in the forest, then near the junction with the Sweat Heifer Creek Trail, one can have a wonderful view of Mount Le Conte. It look us about 2 and 1/2 hours to get to Charlies Bunion.
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| Charlies Bunion Trail |
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| Creek along the Charlies Bunion Trail |
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| Creek along the Charlies Bunion Trail |
The panorama view from Charlies Bunion is superb. The Bunion rises over 5500 feet above sea level, offering some incredible views. Few summits offer such commanding panoramas of the surrounding Smokies. We were there with some other hikers and one of the hiker helped us with a panoramic photo which is just breathtaking.
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| Panoramic view of Charlies Bunion |
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| Elk in Cherokee town |
Arrived at a hotel close to the Atlanta Airport in the evening without any issue.
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