The summertime is a great time to hit the trails. The best! Well, except for the heat, dried up water sources, things that bite, things that fly and bite, and the heat. Did I mention the heat? Man, I am not a fan of the heat. When my nephew, Joaquin, came to town I wanted to take him on his first backpacking trip and needed to find a location where the conditions were just right (i.e. the aforementioned exceptions could be managed). Enter the Iron Mountain Trail (IMT).
The yellow-blazed Iron Mountain Trail spans 47 miles from Highway 91 near Tennessee in the south to VA16 at Iron Mountain Gap in the north. Up until 1972, the IMT was part of the Appalachian Trail (AT) when it was relocated to the south to accommodate communication towers and power lines in order to maintain the secluded experience hikers have come to expect from the AT.
I hiked the IMT previously and figured its solitude, milder temperatures, and close proximity to Grayson Highlands made it the perfect place to take my nephew.
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