The hidden switchback near LeConte Lodge that nobody marks on maps

I stumbled onto a faint trail cutoff about 2 miles below the summit on the Alum Cave route last fall and it shaved a good 45 minutes off my descent, has anyone else found unofficial shortcuts like this on popular Smokies paths or is it mostly bushwhacking?

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hannahcraig5d ago

Did you ever stop and think about what that cutoff actually is before taking it? I used to think those faint paths were just deer trails but now I'm pretty sure some of them are old manways the loggers cut way back when. Following a real one can save you time, but the fake ones just dump you into rhodo hell.

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