My experience too! Awesome trail.

If you decide to do this, I hope you’ll post a journal online as a blueprint for others considering the same or similar.

–Skyline

Wow! This sounds awesome. A bit of wildness in the SE Appalachians. Thx for sharing!

Excuse the aside.

Hi Skyline.

I’ve looked at such a loop after given the idea by a Foothills Tr section hiker as he hiked in a 4 p party when I was completing another FHT thru. I’ve since thru hiked all those trails you listed which peaked interest in the loop even more. His trail name was Nuclear as he and another member in his party were retired Navy nuclear ship personnel. He aptly named it the Nuclear Loop. He was a humble local of the area with a deep knowledge and love of trails, the environment, and the loop. I regret losing his eMail. When I told him I liked waterfalls on hikes he aptly pointed me in the right direction – Dupont State Forest. He also told me, and I later personally confirmed, one can basically hike, with a bit of a short bushwack(or on dirt road and trail), between Dupont SF and Jones Gap SP or elsewhere in the Mt Bridge Wilderness Area. I would also look at Gorges SP trails and old roads. Once all the maps are laid out on the floor one can see how the loop is done. It was made easier because I looked at the loop in its entirety after having completed all the individual segments. But, I’ve never combined them all into one loop thru-hike. It takes some research to get all the correct latest detailed maps though as many maps don’t contain the old logging/homestead roads that make the loop easier. I used about 11 different maps of wildly different takes to just understand the loop in the detail needed.

This is not an area where most want to do much bushwacking or one wants to get seriously injured as access is limited! It is on the Blue Ridge Escarpment with many water eroded deep steep sided rocky gorges, waterfalls, pristine waterways, and thick vegetation. It includes Jocassee Gorges one of National Geographic’s named 50 of the world’s last Great places.

https://friendsofgorges.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/NatGeo-50-of-the-Worlds-Last-Great-Places.pdf

If you like the FHT you’d probably like all those other trails or linking them up for a loop – the Nuclear Loop.

I love the BMT. A good way to experience the Appalachians without the AT crowds!

I’d do the AT first to warm up, use easy resupplies, and generally have an easier time to get your trail legs. Then hook up on the BMT and go from there. I do not know anyone off-hand who has done the link ups you propose per se, but sounds like a great hike! Good luck and have fun! And no matter how you get out there, all good!