My Trails

4/24/12 – 0 miles
Today has been a rest and eat day. I did walk a couple of miles to get supplies, do laundry, and look around town. There are many hikers here, including the girl I met very early in my hike. She met a guy and they are now traveling together. A lot of the time, girls that start out solo will join a group or another individual, and most of the time it’s just a friendship relationship. Like I said before, we are like a family watching out for each other. It’s nice.

I’m headed back to the trail tomorrow. I hope to finish the Smokys and be in Hot Springs in a week. I had Daryl help me by ordering a new tent that should be waiting at the PO by the time I get there. Even though the National Park is a unique and beautiful place, it will seem nice to be beyond the northern border and away from all the strict regulations.

The weather is supposed to be good tomorrow so I may get some views from Clingmans Dome and Newfound Gap, but future outlook for the rest of the week is unsettled. It could be worse – I could still be in Buffalo in a snow storm.

– 4/21 . 19 miles
From Spence Field Shelter to Derrick Knob Shelter, we experienced the full challenge the trail could throw at us: steep climbs and descents, rocky traverses, muddy, rutted, and rooted sections, all the while encompassed by a mist that had increasingly turned into a steady rain.

We donned raingear and pack covers and pushed on until at last, through the swirling mist, the shelter appeared. Once again the shelter was crowded. There was so much gear scattered about it was hard to find a place to cook your meal. I use an alcohol stove and had to find a ledge out of the wind to heat my noodle supper.

We had an industrious older man that managed to get a fire lit and several of us sat huddled close to the flames and talked. A lot of the conversation turns to people on the trail. Most of us have trail names now and are somewhat of a loose knit family. We are always asking if someone has seen some hiker from earlier encounters. Just last night I ran into a young Guy that I hadn’t seen in over two weeks. He told me of another hiker I met about the same time that was trying to catch me. She would read my shelter journal entry and say, “Castaway is still a day ahead of me!”

The next day was a perfect repeat. Walk in the rain, slip in the mud, and sweat beneath rain jackets. Towards afternoon, however, the weather turned particularly ugly. It started off as light sleet, and then cold and strong winds made us careful on the ridges. Soon the ground was covered with a layer of ice and sleet as one by one everyone found the shelter.

One of the hikers had a tarp and I helped him string it over the opening. It was still drafty and cold but infinitly more snug than before. We managed to gather wet wood and get a fire going with the help of a weekenders remaining fuel supply. Most of the hikers warmed themselves by the fire and then retreated to the warmth of their sleeping bags. By 7:30 we were all in our bags.

In the night the temperature dropped like a rock and the wind snapped at the tarp. The girl next to me opened up a space blanket to wrap herself in. I stayed pretty warm except when i rolled around getting comfortable, and I had to keep my face inside my bag. It was a miserable night and most of us were happy to hike out in the morning and get warm. It was time to go to Gatlinburg.

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.