– 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.
