My Trails

4/20 – 14.5 miles
This is the last year AT thruhikers will get to hike through GSMNP for free. Next year it will cost $20 – $10/Golden Access pass – for a permit to walk through the park. It goes against the spirit of the AT – every bit of it has always been free – but I guess the Parks are hurting for funds.

On the first day through the park, as we climbed from 1700 ft. to 4700 ft., there were splended views of wild, craggy mountains and deep, vast valleys. As the day wore on, wisps of fog obscured our views, and later in the day, a cold, penetrating, misty fog enveloped everything beyond 50 feet. Soon our high mountain trail became a tunnel in the clouds.

When I reached the first shelter where I planned to stop for the night, I met a Trail Runner (a kind of volunteer trail caretaker) that suggested I go on to the next shelter. It was only three more miles, and it would position me for an easier assault on Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountains on the coming day.

At the next shelter I discovered six hikers already there and more rolled in throughout the evening until we were packed with 14 people. Part of the regulations in the Smokys is that everyone must use the shelters and only tent if there is no more room.

I’m getting used to sleeping in shelters now. At first I was afraid of offending people, but almost half of the men in each shelter have been snorers, and in some cases, outnumber the non-snorers. Most of the girls carry earplugs as standard equipment.

I woke at 5 am this morning and forced myself to rise and break camp. There was a shuttle to Franklin rumored to pick up hikers at 9am where the AT crosses route 64. It was 4 miles away and I was not sure how long it would take me to walk there. I packed by the light of my headlamp, shouldered my pack, and headed north in total darkness, following the nervous beam of my light.

The AT is so well trod that it was easy to find. The only time I got confused is where I crossed a road and had to search the other side for a blaze. I finally found the path, zigzagging up an embankment on a narrow ledge. It’s not something I would do on a regular basis, but it was kind of cool to see the lights of distant cities far below.

Daylight finally began to filter through and I made good time up over Winding Stair gap and down to the road. It was only 8am when I reached the parking lot, so I resigned myself to wait for an hour. As luck would have it, five minutes later a camper from Canada pulled in, it was Spot and Starcraft whom I had met before. She was dropping her husband off for a section of the AT and offered to give me a ride onto town – a gift of trail magic for sure.

The rooms at the motel were not ready yet so I walked to a nearby McDonalds for breakfast. Restaurant food, even fast food, tastes wonderful after several days of noodles and constant exercise. By the time I finished breakfast, my room was ready and I enjoyed a hot shower and then went for a walk up town.

The outfitter’s salesman talked me out of buying a new sleeping bag. We both agreed that it will be warning up soon and I would be mailing the new bag home (Karen’s). I did mail a pair of heavy fleece pants and bought a new Patagonia puff jacket. It’s pretty stylish so I can wear it after the hike, too.

I’m sort of getting an idea of what I like to eat on the trail. I bought a small bottle of red pepper to spice up my noodle dishes, and of course I pack lots of snack food, mainly Rice Crispy Teats and granola bars.

Tomorrow I will get back on the trail again. The Smokey’s are only about 50 miles away. I know there is no cell service in the park and very little in the Nantahala Mountains before there so updates may be sparse. I changed the blog title because several people have asked me about it. They know me as Castaway and it will be easier to find it with a Google search.

I caught the shuttle from Hiawassee back to the trail at 9 this morning. The motel I stayed in last night was a little rundown, but it was clean and cheap. Some of the young hikers that stayed there partied for awhile and finally went to bed about ten. Hiawassee is a good place to get off the trail. Groceries and restaurants are all within walking distance and the people that live there are hiker friendly. They know that we drop a lot of money while we are here.

The hiking today was hard but perhaps not as bad as the last few days. I seem to be getting into a rhythm and develop a pace that gets me over the mountains. The bad thing about coming out of town is that you are loaded down with food from your resupply, and it’s always uphill.

I keep running into the same people each day. There is a group of hikers, all with about my same pace, I run into at the camps. We made it to the North Carolina state line at 77 miles -a real feeling of accomplishment – and are camped just beyond at Blythe Gap. Tonight will be very cold, forecast is for below freezing temps and wind. I had better get bundled in.