The Old Settlers Trail Traverse

There's something really inviting about the Old Settlers Trail when you look at the map of the Smokies. The trail is all relatively low elevation and doesn't cross any major mountains, leading you to believe that the trail will be smooth singletrack with minimal elevation gain. The OST traverse is also about 16 miles, a good distance for a long trail run or ambitious day hike.

The OST is no place to get lulled into complacency though, it'll lay the smack down whenever it gets a chance. This past weekend I managed to complete the traverse relatively unscathed, but in the past I've had my share of bee stings, false summits, and have seen friends get some pretty severe exhaustion and hypothermia while attempting to complete the traverse.

Bee Sting to the eyelid---- OST, September 2008

Most often I've done this traverse alone, as finding other folks who run for hours for fun is kind of difficult, but for this go around I had some good company in four other local runners who also happen to be training for the Lookout Mountain 50 Miler.

In this Photo:
Brian Williams, William Brown, Derrick Bowerman, and Paul Gossett

Going point to point on the Old Settlers Trail took us almost to the minute my forecast-ed "about three hours." If you were quick, fast, and in a hurry you could probably lop a fair amount of time from that, but there is a lot to see on this trail that you might miss otherwise. Its best to take the time to stop and look around.