Day 28 - Bouncin' Bubbles

Miles Today - 18
Location - Mountaineer Falls Shelter
Date - May 10

The barn was a mine field if sleeping bodies in the morning. Apparently some people disagree with my definition of sleeping in being till 7.

In the morning I traipsed my way across a beautiful grassy ridge. Dark clouds gathered overhead, lending a feeling to the atmosphere akin to being unable to melee a Legion beast: foreboding (like, two people laughed at that obscure joke). Then again, I couldn't remember the last time the clouds had actually gone through with the threat.

A bit after reentering the forest the trees opened up on the right, giving me a nice view as I officially left North Carolina and entered Tennessee. It was comforting to know for sure where I was, and leave straddling the border behind.

I eventually spilled out onto a road, a small white church on the right. A tap was on the side, and hikers could fill up there. The moment I finished filling my bottles the skies opened up with a rending crack of thunder. I scurried under the back porch, and wearily put on my rain gear. The thunder continued, right over my head.

By the time my poncho was on, it had died down a little. I rejoined the trail and cruised for the last 5 miles. I arrived first of the day to the shelter, the rain having stopped some time ago.

Rose and I seem to have stumbled upon a large bubble where everyone knows everyone but us. Jay Weezie and crew had pushed on, and as darkness is falling we keep hearing people scream things like "ladies and gentlemen, the apocalypse has arrived!" Followed by a chorus of cheers.

Everyone seems to be angling to go to the Kincora hostel tomorrow. If today means anything though, I should be able to get there before anyone and snag some spots. The sky keeps threatening rain, but I'm beginning to believe I've been blessed with absurdly good weather luck, for whatever reason, so I'm not too worried. Onwards and upwards!

Day 27 - #barnparty2014

Miles Today - 17.2
Location - Overmountain Shelter
Date - May 9

To be a little more fair to the Greasy Creek owner, she was feeling sick and rather stressed. Which in turn made all of us rather stressed. And I did get to eat a pound of burger and a pint of ice cream (Scotchy Scotch Scotch), so, eh.

I made a decently early start, loitering around for some coffee and getting hiking by 8:45. The morning was busy, with some pretty big crowds of hikers, all headed to Overmountain Shelter. Rose posited later that we'd caught up to a big bubble, which makes sense. Lots of new faces.

Roan mountain dominated the morning hike. It was surprisingly easy. At the peak was the sight of an old hotel, the only thing left being a chimney. It straddled the state line in a time where alcohol was legal in one and not in the other. Apparently the sheriff stalked the ballroom and ticketed anyone who stepped across the line with a drink in their hands.

I stopped for lunch at the Roan Mountain Shelter, the highest shelter on the AT. It was cute, with four walls, a door, and a separate attic area. Tempting to stay, but I pushed on.

Down the mountain the trail spilled out onto some balds. That's my favorite kind of hiking, with the trail clearly visible ahead, grass all around, and the wind whipping at me. Dark clouds had loomed ahead all day, and they finally began to spit rain down as I went back under the treeline.

The rain cleared by the time I reached Overmountain. It's an old barn that's been converted into a shelter, and it's huge. It's also packed. I ended up in a corner of the rafters with Rose and the crew from the hostel: Jay Weezy, Banjo, Bill and Dancer.

Banjo and I both yogied some fuel from a hiker box a few days back, and it seems to be some kind of rocket fuel. My stove threw fire all over, prompting Dancer to slide some water over to me. Just in case.

New AT goal: catch up to that guy and make him cook with his own fuel.

Day 26 - Awol, You Cad

Miles Today - 20.7
Location - Greasy Creek Friendly Hostel
Date - May 8

I rose, as always, in the early morning. After getting my bear bag down I quickly packed up, munching on Pop Tarts, and got going. I planned on eating every last remaining food bite before the resupply, which at this point was four power bars, bacon bits, some noodles, and a Snickers.

The morning was low grade, gently sloping up to Unuka Mountain. I soon emerged into a gap where a middle aged gentleman was doing some magic. He was fascinated that a northerner would reach for sweet tea first, and I sat and talked with him for awhile while munching on fruit.

Unuka Mountain was a fairly easy ascent. The peak was covered in dense spruce forest, as was much of the descent. I ran into Persistant and Refugee slack packing south for the day, and then hit the shelter for lunch.

Soon after I came upon another gap with soda for magic. I learned later I left right before they ordered pizza, and trucked through the last few miles.

Greasy Creek was...not as described. Rose and I expected a full resupply, as indicated by Awol's guide (all hail the holy Awol!). Instead we found a small rack of power bars and original flavor oatmeal. Hmm. The owner was an older lady, perpetually flustered by nothing.

The hostel was fairly crowded, and we made a decent resupply of my mail drop, the store down the street, and the extra food Dancer offloaded. Down the street is sorta a misnomer. We were driven a few miles down back country roads in the middle of nowhere to a small convenience store and a grill for dinner. "What do people do around here?" Banjo asked. "Who knows? They all seem to think I'm a prostitute anyways." Her cat, curled up on my lap in the truck, stretched and purred in agreement.

Rose bought a jar of cheese salsa and poured it into a zip lock, as it was the closest thing resembling cheese they sold. That sums up the place.

Day 25 - American Hot, Please

Miles Today - 21.1
Location - Curly Maple Gap Shelter
Date - May 7

Lots of miles today. I was excited. I spent the morning flip flipping between Squirrel and White Rabbit as we passed babbling brooks and...simpering streams? Eh.

The good weather continued to hold. Which was now a problem. Squirrel had described the night before a trip to a Thai restaurant. "It comes spicy, right?" The waitress paused. "Do you want it American spicy, or Thai spicy?" Today was Thai hot. I believe I clearly ordered American hot.

We met Kenny at No Business shelter for lunch. There was noticeably no privy. No business allowed.

The trail to Erwin was mostly downhill, and fairly low grade. But it was hot. Hoooot. Did I mention the heat? Pulling into the outfitters I immediately got a vending machine soda and guzzled it. Then I got another and nursed it. Ice cold drinks, so nice.

While charging my phone and resupplying on snacks for the next day (because I had enough but like to pig out when possible) I had to fight off people trying to convince me to stay in Erwin and swim in the river. Staying strong, I pulled myself away after only a half hour.

There were only 5 miles left, and they were low grade mostly, but it was just so hot. A few times I just had to stop to pull my shirt off and skulk in the shade. When I reached the shelter I flopped and lay in a puddle of sweat for a bit. Aw...

I met CAT, a Taiwanese, Chinese, American whose shelter logs I had been reading for weeks. We were joined later by Atlas, a French Canadian, and Yellow Beard, who had a terrible accident in the wind to earn his trail name. After spending an embarrassing amount of time trying to hang a bear bag (only to have everyone else just hang in the shelter!) Rose and I plotted out the next week.

After a brief incident with a spider who did not want to die encroaching on Rose's bag, I retired to bed. Tomorrow is a 20 with a single real mountain, so it should be mostly cruising. Fingers crossed it cools down a bit though, or I may have to ooze into the hostel.

Day 24 - "These Are My Bug Repellent"

The title should be read while making karate hands .

Miles Today - 18.9
Location - Bald Mountain Shelter
Date - May 6

The good weather holds, though with the good weather comes a not so fine coating of sweat that transforms into a few inches of salt and grime. It's...lovely.

I zipped off in the morning, pushing through to the first shelter before it got too hot. Squirrel and White Rabbit were already there, and gloated that they beat me to it. We ate lunch, and I headed out first.

We had an early afternoon of downhills, and remembering something that Kenny had told me a week or so ago, I decided to try running down. It's an interesting way to move: step, step, swiiing on your poles. Fast, surprisingly gentle on the knees, but mentally draining. Normally you can zone out while walking, but running requires 100% focus.

In the late afternoon I ascended on Big Bald. It was a nice moment, as the peak had been looming in my vision for hours. The view was breathtaking. Moments like that remind me why I hike. The descent was some of the best hiking I'd done so far, through gorgeous grassy fields with the mountains stretching out around me. I felt a pang of sadness as the woods closed back in, but the shelter was soon after.

I chatted with Northern Lights for a bit until the rest of the crew arrived: Rose, Squirrel, White Rabbit, and Kenny. I'd been getting excellent sleep with plenty of room in the past few nights, so I snuggled down happily as the sun set. Big day tomorrow.

Day 23 - Slowpoke De Mayo

Miles Today - 12.7
Location - Flint Mountain Shelter
Date - May 5

Cinco de Mayo! Huzzah? I'll pretend it didn't take me all day to realize. Or that it was relevant.

Today I was moving sluggishly on purpose, as I had only 13ish to do to let Rose catch up. So I woke up nice and late. 7:15. Aw yis. I even ate a Pop Tart sitting down. I was going by 7:45. Much slow. Very lazy. Wow.

The morning was a steep rock scramble, leading to some nice views. Later on I pulled myself up a hill and found myself in a park. A poorly kept, overgrown park. But still. I expected some guys to be tossing a Frisbee around, at 5000 feet.

I turned my phone on to take a picture and discovered I had reception. Sweet! My four bars lasted three minutes into my phone call before deciding not to transmit my voice anymore. I take reception where I can get it though, so no complaints.

First at the shelter, I filtered water and settled in to read. Giggles and the two British gentlemen showed up in the early afternoon. Squirrel and White Rabbit came in for dinner and moved on a few more miles to tent. Rose arrived hot off the heels of a "gnarly" 22 miler. All in all, a day best exemplified by a long yawn.

Day 22 - Overshoot

Miles Today - 19.6
Location - Little Laurel Shelter
Date - May 4

I did not sleep in. I made it to 7 though. I showered, and downed a coffee while packing up. I was only planning on doing 11 today, so loitering was fine. I was out by 8. I'm becoming terrible at being lazy.

The sun was bright. Almost too bright. We're supposed to have a week of wonderful weather. Then again, this is on the heels of a week of supposedly terrible weather that turned out okay, so my personal prediction is stormy. I think my weather karma is due to be balanced out.

I ended up rolling into the shelter at 1. Hurm. Rose was definitely sleeping in, and would end up here. But I would feel silly stopping at 1. I had a quick lunch and headed out. Next shelter, 9ish away!

It got hotter, and I grew a little sluggish. I pushed by the temptations of a hostel with a cafe and a little convenience store. I had too much food as is. I hit the shelter at 5, tired but feeling good about almost pulling a 20.

I had left notes to Rose at both shelters, and tomorrow plan to do just 12 and a bit to let her catch up. I'm gonna try my best to sleep in and make some hot breakfast. My expectations are low.

Day 21 - Zero Hero

Miles Today - 0
Location - Hot Springs
Date - May 3

I blinked myself awake at 6 in the morning. Damn. Maybe watching some cartoons would help? I watched TV on my phone for an hour. Nope. I sighed, resigned myself to my fate, and got up to drink some coffee.

I had my resupply to do, so I hit the diner for breakfast, then the Dollar General next door. Then...huh. I had a whole day to do...nothing. Commence lounging on the lawn!

Rose and I met up to talk plans in the afternoon. The time for lazy days was over! We had been pulling 15-18 mile days and hitting shelters in the early afternoon. We would do one short day out of Hot Springs, and then 4 days of 20s into a hostel by the trail. Operation Kick Those Miles' Butts.

I got a 16 ounce burger for dinner and did more lounging. It's bizarre having so many hours to kill. I ended up in bed fairly early, telling myself that this night I would actually be able to sleep in.

Day 20 - Diner Dash

Miles Today - 3
Location - Hostel at the Laughing Heart
Date - May 2

If I can do anything well, it's leave a shelter well before anyone else has so much as rubbed the sleep from their eyes. And on a day when town is only a handful of miles away, and none of my remaining food is appealing, oh man do I fly.

The town of Hot Springs is full to the brim with concert goers, but the Laughing Heart caters exclusively to hikers. I managed to snag a single room, and headed into town early. Hot Springs is a tiny town, just a single main street lined with stores. That main street also happens to be part of the Appalachian Trail, which is awfully convenient. My day revolved around various food options, french toast for breakfast, a burger sandwiched between two grilled cheeses for lunch, and wood grilled pizza for dinner. Because Rose was zeroing in town to hang with her boyfriend I had all of tomorrow to do my chores, so I made sure to laze around and enjoy it.

A special shoutout to Queen Diva at the Hiker's Ridge Ministries, a lovely lady who catalogs pictures of thru-hikers, and gives them wifi and cookies. A special calling out to the public library that charges you to use their computers. Come on. Who does that.

The music festival in town is drawing in the crowds, but is incredibly expensive on my poor hiker budget, so I believe I will be passing. The hostel is an excellent place to stay and lounge, despite being about ten minutes out of town. Hikers drift in and out, leaving and taking tons of free food and supplies, perfectly exemplifying the trail in that way. There's fresh coffee out in the mornings and I've already enjoyed a few bags of microwave popcorn that were sitting around the kitchen. It's definitely for hikers, by hikers, a place where real names are irrelevant, and the proprietor signs you in with your trail name.

Tonight I intend to both stay up late, and sleep in late, two things I haven't done in the past 20 days. We'll see how hard old habits die when the sun comes up though.

Day 19 - Mist Walk

Miles Today - 14.8
Location - Deer Park Mountain Shelter
Date - May 1

The storm finally caught up to us, loud pelts of rain on the tin roof stirring me awake. I was also roused by a night hiker who meandered through, looking for a spot in the full shelter. I watched him by his red light, a little leery as I had just heard about a SoBo hiker who steals food at night, before quickly falling into a tired sleep again.

My food was there in the morning. A heavy mist covered everything, limiting visibility to only about 15 feet. I became briefly lost, but only wasted about 10 minutes on a side trail before arriving back on track. I ate brunch at a mist shrouded shelter, and pushed on.

Going into Hot Springs today would be easy. But Rose is spending Friday and Saturday there to meet her boyfriend, and I'd like to be at most a day ahead of her. Another zero on Saturday does sound nice though. But then I certainly don't want to waste money on a motel tonight. So I ended taking a short day, and rolled into the shelter at 1:00, as the mist began to give away to a bright sun.

Yeesh. That's early. Much of the crew from last night showed up in time, and we chatted about our Hot Springs plans while gorging on our extra food supplies. As the afternoon grew later we decided it was quiet time, and retreated to bags/tents for a few hours. A lot of people like to tent out on nice days like this, but I prefer a shelter to keep my mornings short and sweet. There's a diner in Hot Springs that I want to be at as early as possible.

Day 18 - Perfect Timing

Miles Today - 18.7
Location - Roaring Fork Shelter
Date - April 30th

They said it was going to storm last night into today. After the last 3 days of weather and forecasts, I am now convinced the weathermen/women are on vacation and are randomly phoning in their predictions.

To be fair, it sure as hell looked like it would rain today. Dark clouds rolled overhead as I made my way down early to Standing Bear Farm. I briefly got lost when the trail joined the highway, but was pointed in the right direction by a nice couple in an RV.

The farm/hostel was quaint, the kind that made want to spend the rest of the day there. It was still packed with hikers, but I managed to slip in, grab some breakfast, and slip out without wasting much time. The wind picked up as I hit the first bald of the day, where an air control tower lay.

After a meandering afternoon I arrived at Max Patch. It was a beautiful bald, rolling hills of grass descending into idyllic farmland that made me want to fly to England and walk the countryside. I had blue sky above, but the dark clouds hovered menacingly all around me.

I quickly descended to the shelter, doing today's miles by 4. Not bad. There's a good crowd, though the shelter log is full and none of us could write anything. It drizzled as I set up my bag and snacked, but the rain stopped the moment I left to filter water. When I returned the fog descended and the rain began again. I seem to have perfected the ability to avoid the bad weather. Not bad.

Day 17 - Tornados, Rain, and Bears! Oh My!

Miles Today - 18.7
Location - Davenport Gap Shelter
Date - April 29th

Alright, to be fair the tornado and the rain wasn't that bad. Overnight they howled and lightning crashed close to the shelter, but as day broke much of it had calmed. The wind still roared, occasionally uprooting a tree, but yet again the weather denied the forecast.

The rain slowed to a drizzle when I reached the first shelter, stopping in for brunch. By noon the sun was shining again, and as I descended most of the way out of the park it grew quite warm. I had rushed through the miles today, and arrived at the shelter around 2. Rose had beaten me there, and we lounged around, chatting with hikers who passed on their way to the hostel 3 miles down the trail.

As night drew nearer a decent crowd had gathered, and we sat outside cooking. That was when we saw the first bear. It was down the slope from us, and quickly took flight up and away on the trail when we took notice.

The second bear was much less worried by us. It stalked up the hill, watched by its cubs, and meandered around our shelter for over an hour. The chain link fence we had mocked before, caging in the shelter, felt much more comforting now. It ripped into another hiker's tarp and tent, hung out to dry, before we could rescue it. We eventually locked up and retired to our bags, amazed by its nonchalant attitude towards us. But hey, at least I got to see a bear before I left the Smokies.

Day 16 - Surprise! It Doesn't Suck!

Miles Today - 15.6
Location - Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Date - April 28th

It was a quiet morning at the Grand Prix. As I shuffled around, making tea and eating Pop Tarts, I exchanged tired nods with the bleary eyed inhabitants of room 36, who had most likely partied too hard last night to catch their shuttle.

Grabbing some candy from the general store, I munched on peach rings and Dr. Pepper gum in the back of the van. We didn't get started until 11, all of us nervously eying the sky. A tornado had killed 18 people south of us, and it was on its way north. The forecast was rain today, storm tomorrow, and rain some more after that.

But then, by some stroke of luck, the weather held. The sun shone down through puffy clouds as I created ridge after ridge. I knocked off 16 miles today in just over 6 hours, including time for admiring views and eating lunch. It felt great. And oh man, the views were the best they've ever been. A rock formation called John's Bunion provided a particularly splendid view of the valleys below.

The shelter is as crowded as I've ever seen. About 30 of us are inside, hiding from the coming storm. I arrived too late for a real spot, so along with Rose I'm sleeping bagged out on the dirt. But there's a roof over my head and a tarp behind me to keep out the rain, so I have few complaints.

Day 14 - Perfection

Miles Today - 12.5

Yesterday was terrible, no denying it. At every turn something seemed to go wrong. Today was perfect. I guess the trail balances itself out, sometimes in extreme ways.

I woke early and broke camp as the light trickled onto the ridge. Persistence sauntered over to me as I was getting out my remaining food (a Snickers and a Cliff bar) and said "205." I nodded, a little grimly. That was 4 miles past Clingam's Dome, the highest point on the AT. I'd have to make my food last.

They lasted an hour. It was chilly, but bright and warming quickly. The ground was slick with mud and puddles from the day before. I quickly pulled into the next shelter, and debated poking around to see if Rose was still there, but judging from the snores coming from within I'd be disturbing a lot of people if I did.

The trek to the Dome felt fast and easy. The weather had reached a perfectly warm point, and the trail felt greener than ever before. I ascended the curving observation tower to be immediately swarmed with what seemed like hundreds of purple shirted middle schoolers, who made taking clear pictures mostly impossible. I descended, doing my best not to bowl over any children who were below my sight line.

"Is there an elevator to that tower?" One of them panted, coming up the road. I giggled.

The path down from the Dome was buzzing with life. Not just was it a solid green tunnel, but it was infested with flies, hovering in swarms over the fetid puddles. Just as I started getting hungry, an older couple passed by. They offered me two apples, and I thought I was about to faint from sheer gratitude. All smiles, we both went our ways.

A mile later I came out to a green field lying below a parking lot. As I came around the bend I saw Persistence's tent drying on the grass. 205. Yes.

I spent a little under an hour there, waiting for Rose. They had a grill going, and bags of chips, cookies, candy, and soda. I kept being encouraged to eat and ended up pitting down 2 burgers, 2 dogs, and more of the others than I could count. It was heaven.

A man in a day pack, named Godspeed, came through, and offered the assembled masses of hikers a shuttle into town from Newfound Gap. Even better! Rose and I picked up and did the fastest 1.7 miles I think I've ever hiked.

At the gap (which hold the North Carolina Tennessee state line, though we've been straddling it for days) Godspeed and his wife, Mountain Momma, had desserts, sodas, and sandwiches for us. They told us about how Godspeed and his son had started a thru hike, only to be stopped when Godspeed caught a bad virus. He told his son to go on without him, but when he hiked the 5 miles to the nearest road his son was there waiting for him. "We started, together, we'll finish together." When they got home they discovered his son, trail name Aslan, had a brain tumor. The doctors said it was inoperable, and gave him only a few months.

Aslan went in for surgery to drill a hole in his skull, to let the brain fluid have a place to drain. His family gathered to pray for mercy, knowing that a brain tumor was a hard way to go. The surgeon went to the waiting room to discuss the procedure with Mountain Momma, and as she was leaving, Momma asked her name so that they could pray for her specifically. The surgeon smiled. "Mercy."

Aslan made a full recovery against the odds, and he and Godspeed finished their hike, together.

Godspeed also warned us that Gatlinburg was like Vegas, only without the gambling. He warned us that he gave out his number so that we could update them on our trip, not to call to ask for bail. I couldn't tell if he was joking.

Gatlinburg is certainly an experience. It's a long strip packed with over the top amusements and restaurants. The streets are packed, with people and cars swarming from attraction to attraction. It's beautiful. It's terrifying. It's a tourist wonderland.

Rose and I are booked at the Grand Prix Motel at the edge of town. We went to a local brewery for dinner, eating with Half Moon, a free lance writer on his third thru hike we had met the day before. I stuffed myself silly while Rose worked hard to convince him to hike the Pacific Crest Trail next.

Beat, I retired to our room and crashed hard. Tomorrow is for shopping, as I need food, and especially some sandals, to wear around camp. There's also a BBQ joint down the street with a highly recommended breakfast buffet. Gatlinburg is certainly crazy, but I look forward to the day off.

Day 13 - Make Up Your Mind!

Miles Today - 17.5

I awoke to birds chirping in the morning sun. Ah. A moment later more rain than I've ever seen fell from the sky and all hell broke loose.

It was that kind of day. The weather alternated several times between gorgeous and torrential rain. I got soaked to the bone and then completely dried three times over.

My appetite has been growing by leaps and bounds. While I left the NOC thinking I had too much food, I now wish I had taken more. Luckily I ran into Refugee's partner (whose name I should really figure out. Also Refugee has left the trail for a week or two), and she told me her parents are doing trail magic on Clingam's Dome tomorrow. Hot dogs and hamburgers. Perfect. I scarfed down the remainder of my snacks.

The shelter was full of people doing minimal millage to hide from the rain, so I set up the hammock nearby. It's supposed to be nice tonight and tomorrow though. Rose went on another 1.7 miles, so I'll wake up early as always and try to catch up in the morning. I'll hit the Dome and wait for that cookout, and then will head into Gatlinburg for some serious relaxation.

Day 12 - In a (Fontana) Jam

Miles Today - 17.6

The Smokies require a permit to travel through. It can be purchased and printed online, or in person at Gatlinburg of Fontana Dam. Or, I thought, the Fontana Dam visitor center on the trail right before the park.

Spoiler alert: this last thing is not true.

Today was beautiful, like the one before. I woke to find my ears were lightly sunburned. Hum. Today I would enter the Smokies, passing by Fontana Dam. I had debated popping into town for a quick hot meal, but my guidebook said the Visitor Center sold snacks, so I figured I'd just get some candy there as an afternoon treat.

Spoiler alert: this would also not work out as planned.

My knee was still twinging, but only on the downhill, so luckily it was 7 miles of downhill to reach the Fontana Hilton shelter on the trail (a shelter with running water and a bathroom! I wish so much I had stayed there!). I made it down alright and guzzled a Mr. Pib from a vending machine, watching Squirrel and another hiker (a physical therapist) get on the shuttle to Fontana. The AT merged briefly onto a road and I arrived at the Visitor Center a few miles later.

I saw Refugee and...damn, I've forgotten her name. Which is bad, because she's one of the few hikers I've seen more than once. Anyways, I cheerfully asked if the store was open. They looked up glumly and shook their heads.

"But we can still get permits here, right?" They shared a look.

"You didn't see?"

"See what?" My panic was rising.

Apparently on a bulletin board there had been a sign announcing the lack of permits sold at the center. Oh no. I'd lose a whole day if I had to go into town. I hesitantly walked into the center, a vague idea forming. "Could I borrow your phone?" I asked of the elderly pair behind the counter.

They allowed it, and soon I was talking to the permit people on the phone. After describing my situation, they let me buy a permit on the phone, and then simply write down the confirmation number. Phew.

As I circled around back to fill my water, I saw two ladies struggling with bringing boxes into the general store. I loped over to help, and they were so grateful they offered me a free candy bar and let me buy some snacks, despite the fact that they were closed. Score!

As I retreated to the dam (which is the bridge into the Smokies) I ran into Rose. Oh shoot! She also didn't have her permit. I explained how she could get one, and then, snacking on Moon Pies, entered the park.

The ascent was rough, mostly due to the heat. The Smokies seemed more alive than the rest of the trail, with more leaves, grass, and in some parts breathtaking expanded of flowers. I arrived at the shelter around 5, and snuggled into a corner spot in the rafters. Perfect.

Over dinner I listened to an ex-nuclear sub technician tell stories to a pair of Special Forces inclined fellows. When Rose arrived we talked through plans. She was meeting her boyfriend on Friday in Hot Springs, meaning she would have to slow down or she would arrive too early. I wanted to avoid the weekend crowds in the Smokies, so we decided to take a zero on Sunday in Gatlinburg.

The Smokies are nice, and now that I have the elevation it looks like easy ridge walking to the city. Should be a nice few days.

Day 11 - Breaks and Ladders

Miles Today - 15.2

At 2 in the morning the dog at the shelter, Shady Security, began to growl. As he let loose a few low, rumbling barks, the shelter stirred to life and headlamps clicked on. I was peeved, and had to pee. And apparently someone had seen some eyes outside. Undeterred, and a little grumpy with all the commotion, I swung down and went a few feet into the woods, scanning for any predators. Whatever it was had long gone.

Today was the first day that was beautiful from sunrise to sunset. I bolted from the shelter in the early morning, first out as always. As I crested the bald I munched on my last honey buns, noting that I would need to buy some pop tarts at the Fontana Visitor Center, if possible.

The first few hours were a little treacherous, as the ground was still wet. My poles sunk dangerously low into the mud and keeping my footing was sometimes an issue. Just before noon I crested Jacob's Ladder, but failed to find any views. Figures that on the clearest day I felt most oppressed by the dead trees that ring the trail.

I stopped for lunch, snacking and reading, and pushed on downhill. On a particularly rocky section I placed my pole on what turned out to be several feet of leaves, not ground, lost balance, and tumbled. I ended up alright, but developed a twinge in my left knee. I took it slow for the rest of the afternoon, stopping frequently on the downhills to not over stress my knee.

Cable Gap shelter is small, in a quaint way, and has a stream right out front. I picked a corner spot and settled in. I snacked, read, ate some Pad Thai noodles for dinner, and then passed the time around a fire.

Tomorrow I enter the Smokies. I need to stop at the Visitor Center to pick up a permit (and hopefully some snacks), and I'm hoping that after a good night's sleep my knee will have recovered.

Day 10 - NOC, NOC, Mail's Here

Miles Today - 18.4

Happily, it did not rain last night. Unhappily, it was saving it all for the afternoon.

The morning was warm and bright. It was going to be a hard day, with some extreme elevation loss then gain. I was a little stiff, but feeling pretty good as I stumbled onto the trail, the first one out as always.

Beginning with an ascent up to a fire tower, dark clouds were gathering overhead and a light drizzle was starting. I pulled myself to the top of the tower, briefly enjoyed the view, and then hid underneath it to chow down on some Fritos. When I got back on the trail I stupidly ended up going the wrong direction, and wasted ten minutes correcting the mistake.

After a ridiculous descent I arrived at the NOC around noon. Going to the outfitter's, I grabbed my mail drop and then went down to the river, out of the rain to open it.

Inside I found food. Oh so much food. Too much food. I grabbed some snacks to help get me to Gatlinburg, ate a huge lunch, and then packed the rest up and shipped it ahead to a motel in Gatlinburg. I briefly considered getting some hot food at one if the restaurants, but knew if I did I wouldn't want to push on anymore that day. So trying hard to ignore the guy eating a huge pizza outside I put the NOC behind me.

The next 8 or so miles were rough. The rain had settled down, but the mist had drifted in, limiting views to just about nothing. Weary and footsore, I trugded into a busy shelter. Lots of new faces, which is the norm as I mostly leave the old ones behind.

I got a corner spot in the rafters (score!) and settled in. We had a fire going in the shelter which clogged everything up with smoke. First tears were shed here, as the smoke filled my eyes trying to put out my bag. Rose arrived an hour or so after me, and from the register I learned that Bear Juice is about a day ahead. My Lo Mein noodles burned my pot a bit, so I had to scour it out some in the river. After the fire burned low we retired to our bags, the shelter still smelling vaguely of smoke. Perhaps that will help keep the mice at bay.

Day 9 - First View In Forever

Miles Today - 15.8

Today was the first day I really felt great. The good night's sleep helped, but today for the first time I really felt like I had gotten stronger. My pack, although heavy, felt lighter, and I pounded through the miles in no time.

It helped that it was beautiful out too. I grabbed a caramel latte and munched on some honey buns from my pack, waiting for the shuttle. I didn't get going until 9:30, but a bag of Easter chocolate awaited us at the gap. Magic! I munched on that throughout the morning, feeling great.

The trail took me over two impressive balds. The first I only skirted the summit of, but the second had an old stone tower where I parked to eat lunch and enjoy the view.

The rest of the trail was uneventful, and I rolled into the shelter around 4. The first one there, I picked an edge spot, filtered my water from the stream ten feet away, and curled up to read.

The shelter (and surrounding tent sites) were happening tonight. Rose showed up a little after I did and we planned our next day. Twirls I had passed at the tower, and we spent some time sharing bug battling strategies. Dexter and I discussed terrible TV show ending, and I learned he was an extra on Teen Wolf some time ago. I finally met Purple, who has been painting everyone's nails...you guessed it, purple. I've been seeing her handiwork for the past few days, and got my own right hand done up. Along with six or so others, we all cooked and chatted our way to nightfall, the chief topic of conversation: did anyone know where Salty Balls was?

Tomorrow the elevation will be crazy. I'll lose a few thousand feet in the morning, and then gain it all back by night. Rose and I are thinking of going 18 or so miles to a shelter, stopping mid day at the NOC. I have some food from my family waiting there, and hopefully will be able to grab a burger from the restaurant. Here's hoping my new found strength holds!

Day 8 - Lazy Day

Miles Today - 7.3

I woke at 6:30 to a half lit shelter. Feeling an urge to get to town as quickly as possible, I scampered around the rafters to put my stuff in order, setting out as the rest of the shelter was just stirring.

The short hike was easy and beautiful as the sun poked its head over the mountains. The moment I set foot on the road the shuttle pulled up, and I gladly piled in.

In town I was dropped straight at the motel. My room was still being cleaned so I headed out to McDonalds for breakfast and to post my previous three days. I had wifi, but sadly no reception.

I spent the afternoon lazily watching movies on TV (Forrest Gump and The Last Samurai), waiting for the 4:00 shuttle to the outfitter's/Walmart. As 4 rolled around I went to the parking lot to find that Rose had arrived, but Bear Juice had decided to push on. At the outfitter's I bought a cheap, small, ground mat for when I slept at shelters (which was becoming every night if possible). At Walmart I bought noodles of all kinds, and then a bunch of terrible for me snack foods to keep me happy.

Back at the motel I took a quick walk to Domino's and bought a horrific amount of pizza and cinna-stix, laying on a grassy slope to pig out in the shade. I rolled back to the motel bloated and happy.

I know I will be resting in Gatlinburg, a town another 100 miles away, but I have yet to plan my resupplies along the way. An outfitter/resort sits on the trail about a day away, and my family has mail dropped food there, so that will at least be a stop. Tomorrow my pack will be heavy with food, but I look forward to stretching my legs.