Hikers Log - trail date: day 27

(Rich Mountain Camp (mile 283.3) - Jerry's Cabin Shelter (mile 301.8))

The night was very cold and I ended up sleeping in until 8:30am. I took my time getting out of camp and didn’t start hiking until almost 10am. The ground had frozen during the night and the trail was crunchy under foot. My plan was to hike about 16 miles and find a stealth campsite somewhere in the vicinity of Big Firescald Knob, a long ridge with apparently beautiful views.

The morning was pleasant and the hiking was chill. After 2.5 miles, I reached Spring Mountain Shelter, where I briefly stopped for water. After another 4 miles, I reached Allen Gap, where I noticed a small group of hikers gathered around a table. It looked like trail magic! Sure enough, as I approached, I was greeted by a flamboyantly dressed older woman who introduced herself as Marlene. She led me to a white folding table packed full of food and supplies. Fresh fruit, gummies, chips, pastries, meat packets, hand sanitizer, and more… basically anything a hiker might want from a trail angel. Marlene explained that she was retired and spent much of her pre-COVID time as a volunteer chaplain at a local jail. I thanked Marlene for her kindness and she gave me a print out of a poem she had written about the Roan Highlands.

Marlene the trail angel!

After another 4 miles, I stopped on a ridge to take a break, air my feet out, and elevate my legs against a tree. I had some cell service, so I called AC and we chatted for a while. I then ate a late lunch and prepared my dinner to start soaking. As I was preparing my dinner, a tall lanky guy strode by on the trail. He looked like a marathon runner and I asked where he was heading. We were about a mile away from Little Laurel Shelter, so I assumed he might be heading there. He explained that he was actually pushing to the NEXT shelter, Jerry’s Cabin Shelter, about 8.5 miles away. It was mid afternoon at this point, so I was surprised. I asked the man where he started today and I probably gawked when he responded “Hot Springs!” I told him that I was planning to camp on Big Firescald Knob, so maybe I’d see him down the trail. I fully expected to never see him again.

After a quick mile, I stopped at Little Laurel Shelter for water. It was getting later in the day, but I still had my hopes set on finding a stealth spot somewhere along Big Firescald Knob, so I decided to hike on. After some climbing, I met a southbound day hiker who warned me there were no tent sites up on the ridge. This was discouraging, but I figured that I could at least stop right before or right after the knob. I hiked on and was surprised to catch up to the tall marathon-runner-looking-guy. He wasn’t hiking all that fast, so I passed him.

I continued climbing and soon encountered a middle-aged gentleman accompanied by two huge bloodhounds. The man introduced himself by the trail name “Bloodhound” and explained that he was a trail angel hiking out to Little Laurel Shelter to spread a little magic. His two dogs were trained emotional support animals and his large pack contained a cooler filled with ice cream and root beer on dry ice. He was going to be serving root beer floats at the shelter. My decision to hike on was clearly a mistake😭 As a consolation, Bloodhound offered me a Snickers bar and I gladly accepted it. I thanked him and we parted ways.

As Bloodhound hiked away, the tall marathon-runner-looking-guy caught up and I asked if he would like a hiking partner for the afternoon. He gladly accepted my offer and introduced himself as “Push.” Apparently, Push earned his trail name because he always says he’s “just gonna’ push to the next shelter.” Push hiked big miles. He started his morning in Hot Springs. He planned to make it to Jerry’s Cabin Shelter. He was doing a 27 mile day😨

As we hiked, I enjoyed getting to know Push. He explained that he was a physician from Hartford, Connecticut. He had worked in a hospital, doing research and performing elective surgeries. Unfortunately, the pandemic eliminated any demand for elective surgery and he was laid off. Around the same time, Push’s father died, which left him in a bit of an existential crisis. He competed as an amateur endurance athlete for years. First in Ironman triathlons, then as a marathon runner, and finally as an ultra-marathon runner. He has run more marathons than he can count and is trying to run a marathon in every state. He also took part in a 24 hour ultra-marathon where he ran 101 miles. The AT seemed like a fitting challenge.

Junction for a side trail to avoid hiking over Firescald Knobside in bad weather

After passing a bad weather bypass, we made our way up the ridge to Big Firescald Knob. The trail became very rocky and the footing became technical. We broke treeline and the ridge erupted into a jagged knife edge. Definitely not a great place for stealth camping! As we hiked along the knob, I found myself torn between watching my feet to ensure secure footing and soaking in the beautiful sights. We reached a lookout called Howard’s Rock and I stopped to appreciate the views while push recorded a daily video log for his son.

View from the knife edge ridge of Firescald Knob

We passed Super Mom and Super Girl on the knob and began our descent from the knife edge. At one point Push’s feet slipped out from under him and he landed hard on his butt. He was ok, though.

As we made our way back into the treeline, a barred owl swooped over us and perched above the trail, eyeing us suspiciously. We watched the owl. The owl watched us. Push inched closer to get a good photo with his phone camera. The owl let him get maybe 30 feet away before flying off🦉

Spotted this barred owl on the climb down from Firescald Knob

Shortly after our owl encounter, I noticed an odd assortment of rocks on the ground next to the trail. I tilted my head and let out a gasp. We had made it to mile 300! I hadn’t been planning to hit this landmark today, but hiking with Push had given me a second wind🏃💨

300 miles!!!

After a final ~2 miles Push and I made it to Jerry's Cabin Shelter at about 7:40pm. As I approached the shelter I was surprised to find Katie, Jasmine, Excel, Caroline, Tyler, and Carly all sitting around the campfire! Apparently it was Katie's 21st birthday and everyone had little party hats on🥳

I ate my dinner at the campfire with everyone else. I signed a birthday card for Katie with a haiku and Jasmine surprised everyone by serving a key lime pie she had packed out from Hot Springs! After some time catching up with folks and enjoying the festivities, I retired to bed at 9:20pm feeling tired after my unexpected 18.5 mile day. My longest day yet!

Jerry's Cabin Shelter after my longest day of hiking yet

Katie and Caroline with the key lime pie that Jasmine packed out for Katie’s 21st birthday

Hikers Log - trail date: day 26

(Hot Springs, NC (mile 274.9) - Rich Mountain Campsite (mile 283.3))

AC and I left our Airbnb after breakfast. We stopped at Ingles and I picked up a 5 day resupply. After two days of clouds, rain, snow, and cold, the morning air held promise of good weather and as we made our way back to Hot Springs, the sun melted any remaining snow.

We made it to Laughing Heart Hostel around lunchtime and we ate leftover mole pork tacos and baklava ice cream in a small field near the hostel. The sun was warm, the food was good, and I felt happy.

After lunch, I packed my food and hoisted my newly resupplied pack onto my shoulders. AC walked with me through Hot Springs until we reached the edge of town, which is marked by a bridge over the French Broad River. We shared a bittersweet series of “see ya laters” and then I crossed the bridge.

The trail immediately took a sharp right and I found myself walking alongside the French Broad. After about a half mile, the trail took a sharp turn away from the river and I began the steep climb out of hot springs. The climb provided many fine views of Hot Springs and the French Broad below. After another half mile, I found myself at “Lover’s Leap Rock.” From the rock I could see the bridge where AC and I had just parted ways. I watched for a while, hoping to see AC’s black Subaru drive across the bridge, but I had no such luck. As I continued hiking, I spooked lots of lizards enjoying the sunny afternoon on trailside rocks.

Lover’s Leap Rock provided an excellent view of the bridge over the French Broad River

As I hiked along the ridge, I met a day hiker walking his dog. He asked if I was thru-hiking. When I answered “yes” he gave me a big grin, a fist bump, and explained that he was a thru-hiker in the “class of 2008!” He wished me luck and continued down the trail. Hopefully I can proudly label myself as a member of the “class of 2021” someday.

The wildflowers blooming around this spring made for a pretty sight

At mile ~280, the trail passed alongside a small but scenic dammed pond. The pond was flanked by benches and gave off the feel of a little secluded oasis. I’m not sure why the pond was made, but it was a pretty spot and I appreciated briefly walking along its bank.

After another mile, I reached Tanyard Gap where the AT passes over US Routes 25 and 70. I recognized the small overpass as one AC and I had driven under earlier that morning. I paused briefly and wondered if I would spot AC driving by. I quickly realized that she must have driven by long before I reached the gap. With a tinge of sadness, I hiked on.

Leaving Tanyard Gap, the trail begins a long gradual climb up Rich Mountain. As I made my way up the mountainside, a flash of blue caught my eye. Closer inspection revealed a bright blue bunny Peep sitting neatly atop a large log. I’ve always had a weakness for these sugar coated marshmallows, so after visually confirming the absence of any flesh eating bacteria, I did the only responsible thing and ate it. Trail magic never tasted so sweet😋

As I hiked on, I passed a young girl and her mother. We shared introductions and I learned that they went by the trail names “Supergirl” and “Supermom.” They explained that they are thru-hiking. Supergirl is 6. I was impressed.

After about 2.5 miles and approximately 1,250 feet in elevation from Tanyard Gap, I reached the side trail to Rich Mountain Fire Tower. I dropped my pack at the junction and made my way towards the fire tower. Along the side trail, I ran into Tracy and Cloudkicker who had set up their tent at a small campsite near the base of the fire tower. They explained that a few other hikers had hiked on to the next tentsite, which was my planned destination.

After appreciating some excellent views from the tower, I made my way back to the trail and quickly covered the 0.2 miles to the tentsite. To my surprise, I found the site vacant, but it was late and I was tired, so I quickly set up. Fortunately, I was able to hang my new bear line without any hiccups. Afterwards, I eagerly dug into the leftover homemade pizza that I had packed out from the Airbnb. Easily the best meal I’ve had on trail🤤

For dinner, I packed out half a pizza that AC and I made the day before. Hands down my best meal on trail!

As I retired to my tent, I felt proud of the pace I set today. In a little over 3 hours, I hiked just under 9 miles. Not too shabby🏃

Hikers Log - trail date: day 25

Zero day with AC!

Hikers Log - trail date: day 24

(Stealth Campsite (mile 268.5ish) - Hot Springs, NC (mile 274.9) *overnight with AC*)

Overnight, the skies declared “enough with cloudless, warm, sunny days!” and decided to rain. By the time I woke up around 8am, the rain was steady. Fortunately, I knew I would be sleeping in a warm bed tonight, so the prospect of a rainy day put no damper on my mood😊

I was about six miles from town. My hope was that I could hike fast and get there early enough to take a shower, do some laundry, and eat lunch before AC arrived.

I woke up this morning to heavy rain outside my tent. Fortunately, I do not have far to go today

I crawled out of my tent, packed everything as quickly as possible, and got moving. The rain was steady but not oppressive and I made good time over the next 3 miles to the Deer Park Shelter side trail junction. 

I made it to the junction around 9:30am. The signage indicated that turning right would take me to the shelter, and turning left would take me to the water source. I decided to fill up my water and took the water side trail. The trail led me nearly a quarter mile along a flooded, muddy path through dense rhododendron. I eventually found the stream, filled my bottles and made my way to the shelter. As I walked down the side trail to the shelter, I was deeply annoyed to realize that the shelter side trail actually crossed over its own water source… a piped spring… alas🙃

I stopped for a late breakfast at Deer Park Shelter

I ate a late breakfast at Deer Park Shelter followed by a visit to the privy. I then continued on to Hot Springs at about 10:15am. The next 3 miles were almost entirely downhill. I flew.

Hot Springs is the first town that the AT routes directly through. The trail actually merges with the main street, which is pretty cool. There are a couple different hiker-centric lodging choices in Hot Springs, but I set my sights on the Appalachian Trail-er, which is owned by Jennifer Pharr Davis, a previous AT FKT holder. FKT is trail slang for “fastest known time.” Davis hiked the entire trail in 46 days!😨

The Appalachian Trail-er advertises $5 laundry and $5 showers for hikers. When I reached the Trail-er, I was greeted by the caretaker Hotpants, a 2020 thru-hiker. Unfortunately, Hotpants explained that laundry was not available at the moment because she was washing all the bed linens. She recommended that I retrace my steps and visit Laughing Heart Hostel which charges the same prices for shower and laundry.

I made my way to Laughing Heart and treated myself to a long hot shower😋 While I was waiting for my laundry, a trail angel dropped off giant trays of fried chicken and mac n cheese! I feasted.

At this point, the weather had cleared up in Hot Springs, but I got a call from AC that she had stopped driving because the rain was too heavy where she was. She was in a coffee shop waiting for the rain to ease up and was unsure about her ETA. Fortunately, she was able to start driving again within an hour or so.

As I waited, hikers arrived steadily. There was a lot of talk about heavy snow forecasted tomorrow, and it seemed like most hikers were resigning themselves to an unplanned zero day. Sometime in the early afternoon, Tracy and Cloudkicker arrived. I hadn’t seen them since Gatlinburg, so it was an exciting surprise! Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, both Laughing Heart and the Appalachian Trail-er were booked.

AC arrived a little after 3pm😄 I wasted no time loading my pack in her car, and we headed to our Airbnb in the NC mountains🌄

The AT logo is emblazoned on the sidewalk of Hot Spring’s main street (which is also the actual trail)

Hikers Log - trail date: day 23

(Stealth Campsite (mile 253ish) - Stealth Campsite (mile 268.5ish))

The night was cold and windy. I kept warm enough and woke up to my alarm at 5am. It was still pitch black, so I packed up camp by the light of my headlamp and headed out at 6am. The morning was extremely dark, but with my headlamp to guide me, I was able to stay on trail.

I woke up at 5am for a dawn hike to Max Patch to see the sunrise

I made it to Max Patch as the first rays of light were beginning to peak over the horizon. I found a nice spot to sit, set my camera up to record a one hour time-lapse, and ate my breakfast. Although there were several tents set up nearby, no hikers stirred. I felt as if I had the whole sunrise to myself.

Breathtaking.

The day has begun

The sun completed its ascent over the horizon around 8:30am and I decided to hike on. My plan was to hike another 10 or 11 miles and find a stealth campsite. This would put me about 4 hours from Hot Springs, where I am planning to meet AC tomorrow.

The view from Max Patch

As I hiked over the open bald of Max Patch, I was treated to fierce winds and panoramic views of the southern Appalachians. Altogether, it was a truly beautiful spot that I hope to return to someday.

Climbing down from Max Patch

As I hiked down from Max Patch, I passed through a lot of old cattle fencing. It was clear that this area had historically been used for cattle management and I wondered if the bald had been initially cleared for grazing.

After 4.5 miles, I reached a gravel road at Lemon Gap. Somebody had left two boxes of trail magic luna bars at the intersection of the trail and road. Flavors: chocolate peppermint stick (would not recommend, but I was grateful for it) and LEMON (Ha… get it??? …hysterical).

I always get excited when I find big old trees

This is my new home

A little over a mile past Lemon Gap, I stopped for lunch and a siesta at Walnut Mountain Shelter.

I stopped to eat lunch and take an early afternoon ciesta at Walnut Mountain Shelter

As I hiked on, the spirit of spring washed over me. No doubt this feeling of seasonal baptism was instigated by an abundance of wildflowers lining the trail. As I reached the wooded summit of Bluff Mountain, I happened across a multitude of puffball mushrooms and let out a cry of joy. I love finding puffballs! They’re so much fun to poke!

PUFFBALLS!!!

After another 3 miles, I reached the campsite I was planning to stay at. Unfortunately, the tent pads sucked so I hiked on. I then reached an old road bed, which someone suggested as a tentsite in a Guthook comment, but I couldn’t get my stakes into the ground. I was also out of water, so I opted to hike another mile to the next water source. I ended up finding a decent unmarked tent pad and stream a little bit past Garenflo Gap. I was tired, so I figured “why not?” and set up for the evening.

Tomorrow I meet AC in Hot Springs, NC. YEEEEE!!!

Hikers Log - trail date: day 22

(Davenport Gap Shelter (mile 238) - Stealth Campsite (mile 253ish))

I woke up about 7:30am to a series of muttered expletives from Grok. Apparently a mouse had pooped in his mug during the night! Despite this unfortunate wildlife encounter, the morning air promised a beautiful day and an opportunity to dry out.

After stretching, I bid farewell to Grok and made my way back to the trail. After digging an emergency cat hole, I finally started to hike at around 9am. The trail was squishy with mud and gave me vivid flashbacks to Canadian portage trails. I soon reached the northern boundary of Great Smoky Mountain National Park at Davenport Gap. I left the other half of my Smokies permit in the dropbox and officially hiked out of the park.

Officially exiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park!

As I descended the ridge, the trail wound over Tobes Creek on several occasions. The creek was swollen from the recent rains and bubbled furiously as I hopped across the rocks. Tobes creek carved a little valley off the side of the mountain which the trail followed into the foothills of the smokies. The valley was filled with wildflowers and blooming trilliums. It was beautiful!

The trail intersected and merged with a little country road. As I hiked out onto the road, a mail truck pulled up next to me and the old mailman offered me a bag of hard candies and peppermints, which I accepted with many thanks. Taking candy from strangers… oh boy😂

I crossed over the Pigeon River Bridge a little after 10am. The moderately lengthy road walk wound me under interstate 40 and then back onto the trail.

The trail routes under interstate 40

I soon reached a gravel road featuring a small sign with “Standing Bear Farm ←” hand painted across its face. I had heard a lot of things about Standing Bear Farm. Some good, some bad. Standing Bear is a legendary AT hostel - one of the longest oldest hostels on the trail and also the first chance for resupply after the Smokies. Grok spoke many praises for Standing Bear. I have heard it compared to a hippy commune. I have also heard that the resupply ranges from tolerable to terrible. I had no idea what to expect. I was excited!

Standing Bear Farm Hostel is the first resupply opportunity outside of the Smokies

Standing Bear Farm gives off major hippy commune vibes and was fittingly described to me as “a cult without a leader”

I left Standing Bear around noon and began the long gradual climb out of the valley. Early in the climb, I realized I had reached a major landmark: the end of my first Guthook section. My navigation app, Guthook, divides the AT into nine downloadable sections, each approximately 250 miles in length. The first section was 240 miles from Springer Mountain to Standing Bear Farm. The next section was 230 miles from Standing Bear to Damascus (the first town in Virginia). Fortunately, I had just enough LTE service to download the next section after a few minutes. I then continued up the ridge.

After hiking a little over 2 miles I stopped for lunch and ate my Standing Bear breakfast burritos near a small stream. I also helped myself to a Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie - delicious!

The climb up to Snowbird Mountain included this super cool blaze sign

Another 2.5 miles led me to the top of Snowbird Mountain, home to a "communications facility" that looks pretty funky. I am pretty sure they’re trying to communicate with aliens up here😂

The view from Snowbird Mountain was spectacular

I hiked another 5 miles and stopped for a snack at the junction of Rube Rock Trail. I decided to take a break to air out and elevate my feet while also starting my dinner soaking. After another half mile or so, I stopped for water at Brown Gap Spring. At this point, I was only 3.5 miles from Max Patch, so I decided to keep hiking for 30 minutes and then take the first suitable tentsite I came across. This would hopefully put me approximately 2-2.5 miles from Max Patch. That would be plenty close to night hike and catch the sunrise.

After hiking for 30 minutes, I made my way into a gap where I spotted a single tent pad a few yards off trail. I first set about hanging my bear line. After a poor throw, I got my line hopelessly tangled on a branch. I struggled for a long time, including using the trusty “reach with a long stick” method. I was able to recover my rock bag, but eventually accepted that the line was a lost cause. This was devastating because I pride myself on my bear bag hanging technique. Unfortunately, on this particular evening, I was tired and got lazy with my rope management. It cost me my bear line. 

Fortunately, I'll be able to get a replacement bear line from AC when we meet at Hot Springs in two days.

In a rather grumpy mood, I ate my dinner and set up my tent. It got cold and windy and I retreated to my tent for the night along with my food bag.

My camera did a poor job capturing the incandescent sheen of this beetle’s abdomen

Hikers Log - trail date: day 21

(Tricorner Knob Shelter (mile 223.4) - Davenport Gap Shelter (mile 238))

The storm continued through the night and into the morning. Heavy rain pounded on the roof of the shelter as I woke. Yahel advised me to wait a couple hours and let some of the storm pass before hiking. I heeded her advice and took extra time to eat breakfast and chat with the other hikers.

By 9:45am, I decided it was time to get moving. Yahel’s weather updates warned of 50mph wind gusts and a strong chance of hail. Oh well… I figured it was all part of the experience😁

Whenever it rains a lot, the trail becomes a gutter for rainwater, which more or less turns it into a small river. Despite my wet feet, the hiking was great and the forest smelled like a pine and fir scented candle from Bath and Body Works. The colors of the forest were vivid and I was particularly struck by the moss, which almost seemed to glow a pleasant, well-hydrated green.

The morning was brisk, but I maintained a comfortable body temperature as long as I kept moving. The rain eased up and after a half hour or so of hiking, I was surprised to notice the clouds start to lift from the ridge. I was even treated to a handful of decent views.

My plan for the day was to make it 14.6 miles to Davenport Gap Shelter, which sits at the northern boundary of the Smokies. The most notable landmark for the day was the Mt Cammerer lookout tower, an octagon-shaped lookout built by the CCC in the 1930s. On a clear day, the views are apparently spectacular, and Guthook describes it as “one of the most worthwhile side trips on the AT.” Unfortunately, the tower was accessed via a 0.6 mile side trail and despite the brief reprieve from rain, ominous clouds still hung low in the sky. Yahel had also warned me that the side was very exposed and could potentially be dangerous in bad weather. Mt Cammerer was a little over 10 miles from Tricorner Knob, so I decided that I would play it by ear. If the weather seemed clear, I would make the side trip, if the rain and clouds worsened, I would skip the 1.2 mile detour.

I stopped for lunch at a junction with the Camel Gap Trail. As I sat on the ground trying to munch my lunch while elevating my legs, the rain started again.

Sure enough, the rain kept up into the afternoon and I found myself standing in rain and fog at the side trail for Mt Cammerer. Heavy clouds hung low in the sky and I knew there would be no views from the lookout. I was disappointed, but I knew that 2,000 miles of spectacular views lay ahead of me. Sometimes the weather permits, sometimes not.

With 4.1 miles to the shelter, I began the gradual descent from the ridge. The rain had reduced the trail to a clay mud slip-n-slide, making the steep trail even more treacherous.

Throughout the day, I sent Anna Claire WhatsApp voice memos with detailed recalls of my food intake so that she could determine if I was getting enough calories or facing any nutrient deficiencies. Basically, she plugs all my food items into a dietetics tool called Nutricalc and it estimates my macro- and micronutrient intake. She can then figure out if I am getting too little or too much of something. I wouldn’t be surprised if she tells me I’m consuming too much sodium. I eat A LOT of sodium out here😅

As I approached the shelter, the rain began to ease. I found the shelter empty which wasn’t entirely surprising. Standing Bear Farm, an iconic trail-side hostel/resupply, was only another 3.5 miles away, so I figured most folks who make it this far probably continue on to Standing Bear. I figured I would have the shelter to myself, so I set up my stuff and prepared my dinner to soak. Apparently, there must be a history of problem bears in the area because the shelter had chain link fencing and a locking gate installed over the opening.

In the late afternoon, a gruff looking middle-aged hiker approached the shelter. He introduced himself as “Grok,” which he later explained was a reference to the Robert Heinlein novel Stranger in a Strange Land. Really great book. Grok explained that he was originally from Jupiter, Florida. He lost his job in the 2008 recession and his marriage fell apart. With his life turned upside down, he started thru-hiking and hasn’t really stopped since. He has hiked almost every thru-hike I’ve ever heard of, working odd jobs in between. He asked if I could spare any food and I gave him a ramen packet and we chatted over our respective dinners as the sun set behind the ridge.

Davenport Gap Shelter

Hikers Log - trail date: day 20

(Newfound Gap (mile 207.7) - Tricorner Knob Shelter (mile 223.4))

I woke up this morning at 7am feeling well rested in my king size bed. I got up to find that most of my companions were still fast asleep. As I was packing, Steve and Delta woke up and started getting their gear ready. Delta explained that it had been a late night and that Justin, Tracy, and Cloudkicker were likely taking an unplanned zero day to recover.

As I waited for Delta and Steve to finish packing, I wrote a bunch of my haikus in the lodge log book. I hesitated while considering how to sign my entry. Lately, there has been a group of people calling me "Frog Man" and a group of people calling me "Haiku." I liked both names, so in that moment I decided to combine them by signing: "Haiku the Frog Man." I thus made my trail name official.

Conducter Red came downstairs and asked if we were ready to leave. We told her we were but first she asked if we would participate in her "Backpack of Randomness" game. She explained that she has a tiny backpack filled with questions like: "What's your craziest poop story on trail?" and "What's your favorite piece of gear?" She records hikers answers and posts them on the Lodge of Legends Instagram (@lodgeoflegends). If you want to see my response, it was posted on March 28th 😁

We left at 8:30am and Conductor Red swung us by Food Land to grab some supplemental resupply items before taking us back to trail. We reached the Newfound Gap trailhead around 9:45am and we thanked Conductor Red for her incredible hospitality. We all agreed it was hard to imagine a better hostel experience. Steve, Delta, and I then spent time packing our food and stretching. I started hiking at about 10:15am with the goal of pushing 16 miles to Tricorner Knob Shelter.

Delta, Steve, Conductor Red, and Me

Repackaging and organizing our food

After about 3 miles, I stopped at Icewater Spring Shelter where I hoped to take advantage of the facilities. I approached the shelter and found a group of older gentlemen huddled inside. One man was hunched over the fireplace attempting to stuff a far-too-large log on top of a struggling flame. I asked where I could find the privy and the men stared at me like I was an imbecile. After far too long a pause, the fireplace man paused his activities, grunted, and gestured past the shelter. Desperately wanting the interaction to end, I thanked him and headed off in the general direction of his gesture. Fortunately, I found the privy.

I then hiked another mile to Charlie's Bunion, a large rock outcropping with terrific views where I stopped to take photos and eat a late breakfast.

Charlie's Bunion

While I was eating, I watched some ominous storm clouds rolling in and decided to expedite my meal. I started hiking again and after about 15 minutes it started hailing. Hard. There was nowhere to take cover so my only option was to keep hiking. The hail seemed to cold shock the moss, kind of like blanching vegetables, turning it an extra vibrant green.

😧 HAIL!!! 😬

The hail did not last long and the weather transitioned to heavy rain for a bit. With the rain came a dense fog that settled on the ridge and eliminated visibility past a dozen yards or so.

After a while, the rain lightened and I stopped at an overlook to admire the fog. As I was stopped, the fog began to lift and soon I was treated to a spectacular view of the Smokies in an extra "smoky" state.

After hiking for another 2 miles, I stopped for a late lunch at Eagle Rocks. While I was eating, it started sprinkling again. I pushed the next 4 miles to Tricorner Knob Shelter and found Tolkien and a ridge runner named "Yahel" eating dinner under the shelter awning. It was raining pretty heavily at this point and I hesitantly got my tent out to set it up. At this point Yahel advised me that the weather was forecasted to be extremely rough tonight and into the morning. She recommended that I spend the night in the shelter since there were only three other hikers registered to spend the night in the 12 person shelter. I have been avoiding sleeping in shelters as a COVID precaution and have also found that I prefer the privacy of my tent. However, Yahel made a convincing case, and with the blessing of an ATC employee I decided to sleep in the shelter.

Later that evening, a crew of three lady weekenders pulled in to the shelter. They made dinner and offered me and Tolkien there leftover taco bowls and a bunch of extra food and snacks. We happily accepted additional calories and thanked the ladies for their generosity.

I crawled into my sleeping bag with a full belly and fell asleep warm and dry while listening to the rhythm of the rain on the shelter roof.

Buffeted by hail,
blown by wind, and soaked by rain -
the trail can be rough

Hikers Log - trail date: day 19

(Double Spring Gap Shelter (mile 197.2) - Newfound Gap (mile 207.7) *overnight in Gatlinburg, TN*)

My alarm went off this morning at 4:45am and I was disappointed to discover that it was still raining. I started packing my things anyway because I knew that even if I would not get a sunrise on Clingmans Dome, I at least wanted to get into Gatlinburg as early as possible. I made my way down to the shelter a little before 5:30am and was happy to find that Delta, Tracy, Cloudkicker, Justin, Amanda, and Steve were all awake and ready to hike!

We set out into the rain - which was really not much more than a sprinkle - and began the 2 mile climb to Clingmans Dome. As we climbed, we could see lights from a large city below which we all agreed was likely Gatlinburg. The rain stopped after about 30 minutes and soon we could see the large hump of Clingmans Dome looming ahead of us.

At a little after 7am, we reached the summit and I quickly put on all my layers to try and insulate myself from the constant wind. We climbed the spiral ramp to the observation tower and ate breakfast while watching the sunrise from the highest point on trail.

The Clingmans Dome observation tower

Sunrise from Clingmans Dome

After watching the sunrise, we left the observation tower and discovered a rock assembly serving as an unofficial 200 mile marker. At this point, we all let out various whoops and yawps to celebrate our accomplishment!

🎊🎉 200 MILES 🎉🎊

After briefly celebrating, we continued down the trail eager to knockout the next 7.7 miles to Newfound Gap, where we would hitch a ride into Gatlinburg. The hike down from Clingmans Dome was nothing short of enchanting. We were still in a dense hemlock, pine, and fir forest whose floor was coated in thick moss. The rising sun cast golden light beams through the canopy, bathing everything in a luscious glow which complimented the already vivid colors of a well hydrated forest. I found myself frequently exclaiming: “wow!” My little camera could never do it justice.

After about 3 hours, we reached Newfound Gap. I was immediately a bit disoriented by the sheer number of people and cars in the parking lot. I was also surprised to notice how sensitive my nose was to the deodorant and cologne of the day hikers around me. I would rather not think about how I must have smelled to them 🤭

I was the first person in the group to try hitching a ride. I posted up next to the parking lot exit and pointed my thumb towards Gatlinburg. To my surprise, the first car that pulled up rolled their window down and asked: "where you going?" I replied: "Gatlinburg" and they told me to hop in. I threw my pack in the trunk next to three other backpacks and hopped in the backseat. The lady in the front passenger seat explained that she and the other passengers were thru-hiking and that the driver was her mother who was visiting for the weekend. Her mother introduced herself as "Mamah" and I thanked her for the ride.

Mamah and me

I got dropped off at the N.O.C. which has an outfitter store in Gatlinburg. The man at the door said I could drop my pack off inside, which I did so I would not have to carry it around town. I then made my way across the street to a Cicis pizza buffet.

Plate number one of… many😅

After eating way too much pizza, I turned my attention towards finding my way to my hostel for the night. When I was at the Fontana Hilton, I booked a room at Lodge of Legends, a donations based hostel that I had heard about from Sunsets in Franklin. The hostel was outside of Gatlinburg, but there was a free trolley that I could take from the aquarium which would get me nearly to the hostel's doorstep. I picked my pack up from the N.O.C. and got directions to the aquarium, which was on the other side of town. I bought an icecream sandwich from the general store across the street and made my way towards the aquarium.

While I walked, I was struck by the insane number of people on the main street of Gatlinburg. I guess it was probably normal for a Friday, but I felt quite out of place in a dense crowd of people who smelled like soap. I made it to the aquarium without being hit by a car or trampled by a crowd and caught the trolley right as it was leaving the station.

I guess I was the last stop on the route because it took quite a while to get out to my stop. Thankfully, I did not have a long walk from where I was dropped off. I made it to Lodge of Legends at just about 5pm and was surprised to find Delta, Tracy, Cloudkicker, Steve, and Justin already there. When I left Newfound Gap, they were unsure where they would be staying for the night, but apparently they were picked up by the lady who owns the hostel and she had offered that they could stay here for the night. Because I had called ahead, I got the private room with the king bed. The other folks were sleeping on two giant mattress bean bags and a futon. The "lodge" was set up in the basement of a large house and included a common room, shared bathroom, kitchenette, and laundry. There was also a fully stocked resupply which was also donations based. The hostel owner came downstairs and introduced herself as "Conductor Red." She explained that she is an AT section hiker and just really loves supporting hikers.

I took a shower, partially resupplied, and hung stuff to dry on a porch railing. The folks I was lodging with decided they were going back into town for dinner and drinks, but I opted to stay back and chill. The rest of my evening was quiet and relaxing, which was exactly what I wanted 😊

Clingman's Dome Tower
highest summit on the trail
all downhill from here

Hikers Log - trail date: day 18

(Spence Field Shelter (mile 183.7) - Double Spring Gap Shelter (mile 197.2))

I woke up this morning and was pleasantly surprised to find that the rain had held out overnight. I quickly packed my things expecting that the rain would be coming any minute. Sure enough, as soon as I finished packing my tent, I felt the first couple drops of rain. I made my way down to the shelter to eat breakfast before heading out on trail. The initial drizzle soon gave way to a heavy rain and Calypso announced that wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour were forecasted alongside thunderstorms all day.

After eating breakfast, I headed out into the monsoon. My goal for the day was to hike 14.5 miles to Double Spring Gap Shelter. This would put me about 3 miles from Clingmans Dome, the highest point on the Appalachian Trail. Last night, a small group of us had agreed to morning to Clingmans Dome to see the sunrise tomorrow, so we needed to get as close as possible tonight. As I hiked, I quietly worried if hiking almost 15 miles in this weather was a bad idea. Fortunately, I would be passing two other shelters today before Double Spring, so I had bailout options. I also worried if there would even be a sunrise tomorrow, but there was nothing I could do about that so I pushed it from my mind.

I quickly caught up to Delta, Cloudkicker, and Justin and decided to tag along with them. Soon, we were joined by Amanda, Steve, and Cranberry which meant that there were seven of us in total. This is by far the biggest group I have hiked with, but given the weather conditions, I was grateful to have company.

The rain continued heavily throughout the morning and our large group stopped for lunch at Derrick Knob Shelter. By the afternoon, rain runoff had transformed much of the trail into a river. The wind also picked up substantially and I was amazed by the strength of occasional wind gusts. The wind was blowing perpendicular to the trail, so the most severe wind gusts would make it difficult to walk straight. I have never felt my body being moved by the wind before, but I guess there is a first time for everything!

The thunder also picked up in the afternoon, which combined with the heavy rain and wind made for very intense hiking. We made the best of it though and had fun splashing through puddles and sliding down muddy hills. We joked that in these conditions we needed to be on the lookout for alligators and sharks!

After about 12 miles of hiking we reached Silers Bald Shelter. In the shelter we met a thru-hiker who introduced himself as "The Woking Buffalo." He explained that he earned his trail name because he carries a full size wok which he uses to cook over fires in camp. Apparently, a couple days ago he packed out all the ingredients for tacos and had a trail taco party with all the other thru-hikers at a shelter. The Woking Buffalo had a fire going in the shelter fire place, so we stopped to hide from the weather and warm up. We only had about 2 miles left to reach Double Spring Gap Shelter, so after a few minutes we tore ourselves away from the warmth of the shelter and continued hiking.

As we climbed up the ridge, the forest slowly changed around us. We were now surrounded by hemlock, pine, and fir trees which really gave off an enchanted fairytale vibe. Soon we reached the shelter and I hung out under the awning for a while to let myself warm up. I then headed back out into the rain to set up my tent in a hemlock grove. After setting up my tent, I returned to the shelter to eat dinner and hang my bear bag. I consulted with the other hikers and we agreed to try to head out at 5:30am tomorrow morning in hopes of catching the sunrise on Clingmans Dome. I then retired early to my tent and fell asleep to the sound of rain and the smell of damp conifers.

During heavy storms
the trail becomes a river -
good thing I can swim!

This picture of me was captured by “Lighthouse,” a fellow thru-hiker whose YouTube channel is “Shaker Hikes.”