Leaving the Smokies Behind

We had a fun evening in Gatlinburg on Tuesday, avoiding the rainy weather - we went to the Smokey Mountain Brewery for lunch and ended up going back to try to play trivia. It was packed so we sat with three section hikers we met in Silers Bald Shelter the night before. They were celebrating one of their birthdays and had other friends meeting them in Gatlinburg so they were done hiking.

We woke up at the usual time Wednesday morning (Day 16 on the trail, day 4 in the Smokies with Meredith), ate a hot breakfast and walked down to the NOC to line up for the free shuttle back up the mountain. We figured we should get there early to make sure we got a seat on the first shuttle at 8:30AM - there were already 3 people there waiting and more and more hikers kept showing up. We only had to hike 10.7 miles that day but didn't want to have to wait for the second shuttle at 11:30. Most people were getting dropped off at Newfound Gap, but we were headed back to Clingmans Dome, about 7 miles further south on the trail. When we got out of the shuttle around 9:30AM the visibility was even worse than the day before. It was drizzling with little wind but we got moving to warm up. Shortly after we started hiking we found “200” formed in rocks beside the trail. Hurray!

The weather Wednesday was the nicest it had been since we entered the park on Sunday, even though the trail was a river. It was warm and the forest was dripping but not soaking us and we started to see many more day hikers, but still no views. We got to Newfound Gap before 2:00PM and it got immediately cold and windy so we didn't stay long (other to use the indoor bathrooms, of course). A former thru hiker offered us a ride to Gatlinburg, but the weather was good and we continued North. The clouds were so thick that it looked like a white sheet hanging just off the side of the mountains. But even though we couldn't see any views there was plenty to look at in the forest - vibrant green mosses, bright red roots and tree trunks, and constant scanning for bears. We didn't see any during our time in the Smokies but met a woman who saw one on her first day - it walked onto the trail about 20 feet ahead of her, crossed to the other side and went on its way, paying her no attention. There only other bear sighting we heard about was from Griz who said he walked out of his motel room to find a bear rummaging through the trash can on the second floor of the Motel 6 in Gatlinburg.

In the parking lot at the Gap there was a sign for the TN/NC border - third state! But we had been hiking in and out of Tennessee for the past few days and I certainly wasn't done with North Carolina yet. The trail follows the border of the two states through the Smokies so sometimes it's hard to tell which state you are in while hiking. The last 3.1 miles to Icewater Spring Shelter were actually pleasant and the sun tried it's best to come out. We were able to get two spots in the shelter and it filled quickly after. We met a hiker named Daryll who carries two packs, one on his back and one on his front. He said he is homeless and carries everything he owns, except for his tools. He is hiking towards Hot Springs where he will get off the trail and has a job helping someone build a house.

Thursday morning was very cold and I didn't want to get out of my sleeping bag, even though it wasn't raining. Finally walked outside and saw that there was clear sky with a sunrise! I called Mere to come check it out and immediately got excited for the day. There weather report said it would be a nice morning until around 9AM and then the weather would deteriorate again so we hiked quickly to see as many views as possible. At 1.1 miles into the day we reached Charlie's Bunion. Our shuttle driver the previous day had mentioned that it was his favorite view in the park. We lucked out that we got there on a beautiful morning so we took the short side trip to check it out - definitely worth it!

Many parts of the trail that morning walked along open ridge lines and we were finally able to see for miles. Clouds came in around 10AM and it started drizzling by 11. It wasn't so bad since there was no wind and the trees offered some coverage. We leap frogged with an older trio of hikers lead by Commander who were headed to the same shelter. By noon the rain started to pick up and we were soaked again. By early afternoon I was ready to get out of the rain and warm up. We got to Tri-Corner Knob shelter just after 2 making it a 12.6 mile day.

The night before we talked to two thru hikers, Stripes and Mountain Goat, who planned on hiking 30 miles the next day to Standing Bear Hiker Hostel, just outside the north entrance of the Smokies. When we got to Tri-Corner Knob Shelter that afternoon Stripes was cozy in her sleeping bag, discouraged by the rain. We heard later that Mountain Goat had completed his goal hiking 30 miles that day.

Around 6PM two young kids and their mom, trail names Gumball, Donatello, and School Bus walked in asking if there was room in the shelter. It was pretty full and everyone was reluctant to move but we all made space, no one was going to let them set up a tent in the freezing wind and rain. Donatello squeezed in next to Meredith and she helped him get situated, making sure he didn't get in his sleeping bag with his wet boots on like intended on doing. They had a long conversation about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and how they've changed since Mere was a kid.

I was slow to get up Friday morning because I could hear the rain pounding but I finally got moving around 6:30AM. I was surprised to see someone sleeping on the bench outside the shelter - I tapped him to tell him he could take my place in the shelter and Gabriel popped his head out of the sleeping bag. I was surprised to see him - haven't seen him since Day 9 when he was waiting for a ride into Franklin. He moved inside the shelter and continued sleeping. Mere and I started hiking by 7:30 - it was very cold but the rain has stopped. We made good time that morning and arrived at Cosby Knob Shelter, 7.7 miles into our day, by 11:45. We stopped for a snack and were finally confident enough to take our rain covers off our packs.

The day turned beautiful and we were rewarded with expansive views on our last day in the Smokies. We decided to take the side trail to Mt. Cammerer Lookout Tower - it added an extra 1.2 miles into our day but it was well worth it! As we descended lower and lower the temperatures rose and we began to see more and more day hikers.

The hike down to Davenport Gap, the north entrance to the park, was muddy. Very muddy - ankle deep, the kind of mud that would suction your boot off if you didn't watch your step. We finally made it to the Gap to find Commander and his hiking partners Ozzy and Wonder Woman resting and snacking with some of their family members, planning their next few days. It was warm and I finally took my rain coat off, unveiling days of hiker stench that was overwhelming. Meredith was able to get a ride to Standing Bear Hostel while I hiked the 2.6 miles there, making it an 18.4 mile day for me. The last few miles were pretty easy hiking but I had run out of water. As I approached a road crossing I saw a single can of orange soda sitting atop a sign post. Trail Magic!

At least it better have been because I have never chugged a soda faster. Which turned out to be a bad idea since I immediately started hiking uphill and it didn't sit well. But I powered through and made it to the Hostel an hour after leaving the Gap, just after 5:30PM. Meredith and I decided to tent and explore the grounds of the hostel and see who else was there. We decided to wait to do laundry and shower at Hot Springs and didn't really need to purchase much food from the hostel to make it the next two days.

We camped next to Ricochet, who we had met at Russell Field Shelter our first night in the Smokies, and his Trail Angel/Hiking Buddies. They fed us dinner and gave us snacks, it was wonderful. We saw Griz by the fire, who we had hung out with in Fontana Dam. He has thru hiked before and carries cameras to record his trip and has a friend who edits the videos and posts them on YouTube. I also heard from Calves with Pige - they stayed at Cosby Knob Shelter and J Biebs continued to Davenport Gap - all of them were less than a day behind me!

Saturday (Day 19) morning we took our time getting ready, knowing that we didn't have to race to a shelter like we did in the Smokies. Just as we were about to head out I got a text from J Biebs that said he was about to get to Standing Bear Hostel so I decided to wait a few minutes until his arrival. He stayed for a little while to get some resupply items and we started on our way, beginning with a 4.4 mile climb up Snowbird Mountain. It took longer than we expected but we got to the top around 11:45 and took a snack break at the FAA Tower on the top.

We saw Commander and his crew throughout the day - they were slack packing to Max Patch that day. We also saw some other slack packers who got a ride from Standing Bear to Max Patch and were hiking south back to the hostel (they got to skip the harder climb up Snowbird). We also saw Griz throughout the day who was planning on camping on the top of Max Patch, AT Mile 254.7.

The second climb of the day was harder than it looked and took a toll on us. We decided that instead of hiking to the next shelter we would camp on the top of Max Patch (making it a 13.6 mile day) and Mere would get a ride into Hot Springs in the morning and I would hike the 20 miles into town, getting there a day early. We made slow but steady progress, getting to the parking lot near Max Patch just before 5. We could see a table and a group of people and started getting excited, then we heard someone ringing a cowbell and we knew we were about to get to some much needed Trail Magic!

It couldn't have come at a better time - baked potatoes with assorted toppings, drinks, snack cakes, strawberries with whipped cream, water melon, apple cider - I must have eaten a dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies in less than 5 minutes. Griz and Commander and his crew were there, enjoying the treats. The slack packers got picked up and taken into town while Griz, Mere, and I hiked the last 0.8 miles to Max Patch, which was at one point cleared for cattle and is now maintained as a bald. It was windy but totally worth it. There were tons of people tenting up at the top, most weren't thru hikers.

It's a great spot to see the sunset and sunrise. And as a bonus there was a full moon! It was almost magical watching the sunset over the Smokies, leaving them behind, and watching the sunrise over Hot Springs and the trail ahead. Perfect ending to our Sister Trip #3. We had a fun evening hanging out with Griz and Silver Bullet, another hiker who was at Standing Bear the night before.

It was probably the coldest night I had had on the trail so far. There was frost on the tent in the morning so I packed up quickly and got moving. Meredith had a ride into Hot Springs from one of the Trail Angels, so I hauled ass to meet her. I did my first 10 by 10 (10 miles by 10 am) and got into Hot Springs (AT mile 274.5) by 1:30! Meredith would be flying home the next day and I planned on taking a zero day, only my second of the trip so far. Then on to Damascus!