Hey all,

Due to the number of people who have signed up for the backpacking trip this weekend, we may need to break up the trip and take one group up Gregory's Bald and take the other group to another destination in the Smokies. I haven't picked a destination yet for the second group, but I will try to make it about the same length and difficulty as Gregory's Bald. 

As far as the Bald is concerned, we will be starting at the Twentymile Ranger Station on the Wolf Ridge trail up to the Sheep's Pen Gap campsite, which is about 0.5 mi from the Bald. The second day we will take the Gregory's Bald trail to the Long Hungry Ridge trail ending with the Twentymile trail back at the ranger station. The whole loop will be about 15 mi, with around 6.7 mi the first day and about 8.3 mi the second day. I will go over more at the meeting, so if you are planning on going please come by the meeting, especially if you haven't been backpacking before. 

Finally, I want to get a final list of everyone planning on going and what gear you need. If you don't have anything, you will need a pack, sleeping bag, and a sleeping pad. We will disperse tents, stoves, and water purifiers collectively. So please send me an email back if you want on the list and what gear you will need. Thanks for reading this long email. Hopefully I will see you all Wednesday. 

Chris Sisneros

UTCH Secretary