AT ‘23 Post 3 - Day 21 (334.3 KM) - The Great Smoky Mountains

The Smokies from atop Clingman's Dome

A friendly “hey!” from Gatlinburg, TN. I’m halfway through the Great Smoky Mountains, passed the 200 mile mark, and into Tennessee. The Smokies have been a challenging test so far. Heavy rain and 60 MPH winds have been the norm. Add on top of that high elevation days that go pretty much only uphill, and it’s been quite an experience. It has been very rewarding, though. The juice has been worth the squeeze.

We Mar 29/23 - Day 17 - Fontana Dam (264.7 KM)

I got up at my normal time of 7 AM and slowly got packed up the cold. Last night was below freezing. I ran through the morning routine, wished everyone well, and hit the trail around 8.

My legs felt pretty beat up today after all the elevation yesterday, so the going was a bit slow. I made it the 20 KM into Fontana in about 5.5 hrs. There were some technical spots filled with boulders, but otherwise it was a relatively chill day.

I got the 2 PM shuttle as it was leaving, and headed into Fontana Village, where I had a private room booked for the night. My first time alone in a room for more than two weeks! A blessing in itself.

Fontana Dam. Pretty dam big.

I got into Fontana Village with PF and Easy. I checked in, grabbed my first resupply box (thanks Shawn!), and headed down to lunch to meet the boys. At the restaurant I got a double patty burger with pulled pork on top. The meat alone was the size of a softball. It was glorious. I had a salad with it to balance out the garbage.

Easy eating a softball of meat

After lunch PF and Easy headed down to the Hilton Shelter, and I returned to my room. Even though the room was expensive, it came with a bathtub. My first bath in more than two weeks! My legs dearly appreciated the restorative warm water. In the bath I called Shawn to thank him for his help with the box, and we chatted for an hour and a half. It was nice to hear from him.

I dealt with my resupply box, learning that my Ursack could in fact hold 5 days of food. Then I headed back down for dinner; “The Whole Dam Thing” pizza for me, with all the toppings.

After dinner I retired to my room, and here I am now writing this entry. This has been a great night, refilling my introverted needs. Tomorrow I head into the Smokies. I’m exhausted but psyched.

Th Mar 30/23 - Day 18 - Mollies Ridge Shelter (268.0 KM)

I got up at 6:45 to take another long bath. The hot water has been amazing for my legs. Being able to sleep completely naked and walk around a room without worrying about another dirty hiker was a great change of pace.

From my bath I prepared and posted my third blog post. Around 8 AM I tore myself from the bath and started getting prepared. I ate some leftover pizza from last night, packed out the rest for dinner, and packed up my gear. As I checked out I ran into Mike! Him and I agreed that the Fontana Village lodgings were too expensive… But worth every penny in terms of how rejuvenated we felt.

Surprise Mike!

I resupplied at the general store (pricey!), caught a shuttle, and hit the trail around 10:45. The beginning of the day was a road walk across the Fontana Dam. It was beautiful, and I ran into some trail magic on the way. I scarfed down a banana, drank a diet pop, and chatted for a bit. Thanks Sunnyside for paying it back!

Breathtaking views from the dam

After the dam I came to the official entrance to the Smokies. I ripped my permit in half as per the instructions, threw the other half into the NOBO permit box, and started the climb into the Great Smoky Mountains.

Into the Smokies

It was another rough all uphill day, but after the climb out of the NOC and Jacob’s ladder, it didn’t feel so bad. On my hike I met Patriarch (named because he has 9 kids and 29 grandchildren), Doubleback (named because she got lost in the Minnesota woods), Profit (who is the strong silent type and impossible to get any stories out of), and a few others I’m sure I’m missing.

Around 3:30 I came to the first observation tower in the Smokies. Apparently it’s one of the best views in the park. I climbed the tower with another PCT thru hiker named Easy (who was simply hiking through the Smokies). The wood was rotted and falling apart atop the tower. Risking my life I shuffled around taking pictures. The view was beautiful, and Easy explained to me which ranges I would climb and what to expect. We could see Clingmans Dome (the highest point on the AT) clearly in the distance. Thanks for making it easy, Easy!

Beautiful views from the first tower in the Smokies

With my late start I decided to hike as late as I could. Around 7 I arrived with Patriarch at Mollies Ridge Shelter. Luckily there was lots of space left, and I stole a spot for my pad and quilt.

At the shelter I caught up with PF, the other AT hiker Easy (confusing I know), Northstar (ne Audry), and Profit. We bantered and bullshitted into the night as I ate my packed out pizza, gossiping about potential dirty hiker lovers on trail.

And here I am writing this at 9:34 PM from my pad. Overall my first day in the Smokies was a tough climb but very rewarding. Tomorrow I want to try to push 28 KM (18ish miles) so that I can get into Gatlinburg (the middle of the Smokies) by Saturday. I plan to zero there on Sunday. With my permit I need to be out of the park by next Friday. Great Smoky Mountains, ready or not, here I come!

Fr Mar 31/23 - Day 19 - Derrick Knob Shelter (305.5 KM)

Once again I awoke to the sound of rain. The forecast says on and off rain today and a storm tomorrow morning. Yay.

I got my coffee on the brew and chatted with PF, Easy, Northstar, and Patriarch over breaky. Around 9 AM I set out with the goal to get to Siler Bald.

It was mostly ridgeline and uphill climbs today. Add the rain and 60 MPH winds, and it was nice and miserable. Around 12 I came into Spence Field Shelter to take a break. There I met Sgt. Pepper, his girlfriend Foodsnack, Samosa, and a few others I can’t remember the names of.

A dry spot in the rain

After a quick trip to the privy and some gossip, I hit the trail once more. My legs started cramping around 3 PM in the rainy, windy climbs, and I decided to give up on Siler Bald and stay at Derrick Knob, the next closest shelter. I got into camp around 4 PM.

At Derrick Knob I ran into PF and Easy. I met Frostbite (who got frostbite in the early March cold snap), Baggins (obvious Hobbit related reasons), Ohmy, and Bsilver. Northstar rolled in shortly after, followed by Patriarch.

I decided to once again make some hiker friends by building a fire to warm and dry off by. PF helped me collect some wood, and between the firestarters my friend Shawn gifted me, and PF’s hand sanitizer, we quickly had a roaring bonfire going. PF told me they ran into an orny deer at the last shelter. Apparently it tried to ram them when they started making loud noises to scare it off! They climbed into the top bunks of the shelter for safety and waited half an hour for the buck to wander off. I laughed hard at the story and videos they took of the incident. I also reminded them to not make loud noises with deer or moose again. That’s what makes them charge you! Loud scary noises are for bears or predator animals.

Everyone hit the sack around 7:30, leaving me and Patriarch to watch the fire and eat some hiker trash. Around 8 I hung my food, took my meds, brushed my teeth, and crawled into my quilt.

Tomorrow is supposed to storm until 11 AM. I think I’ll wait out the rain in the shelter then try to make it 23 KM to Mt Collins. Then it’s only 9 more KM into Newfound Gap the next day, my shuttle pickup spot for Gatlinburg. So far the Smokies have been a good test. Hopefully the trail gods will smile on me, and the weather will calm down.

Sa Apr 1/23 - Day 20 - Mt Collins Shelter (326.4 KM)

Awoke to a hard storm coming down. It began in the early morning. By the time I got out of my pad, there were big pools of water forming around the shelter and down the trails. Looks like it’s going to be a slip and slide.

Made my coffee and ran through the morning routine slowly to wait out the rain. Bantered with PF, Patriarch, Frostbite, Baggins, and Northstar to pass the time. Around 9 AM the clouds started clearing and I made a break for it.

The heavy rain made for a muddy, slip and slide type of day. Fortunately the sun came out and warmed us up, helping counter the heavy winds. But there were still a few sections that felt like hiking up creeks and down mudslides.

Verdent green forest in the sun

The winds were around 60 MPH, so strong that they actually closed the road to Newfound Gap (the main spot to go into Gatlinburg). Apparently flying debris, blown down trees, and cars toppling are all too risky in the high elevation high winds. The closure must have messed up a lot of hikers and tourists plans!

Around 1 I made it to Double Spring shelter and took lunch. After some chitchat with the other hikers, I hit the road for Clingman’s Dome.

Clingmans Dome

Around 4 I made it to Clingmans Dome, the highest point on the AT and the third highest in mainland Eastern North America, at 6643 ft. I was surprised to not see any other tourists atop the dome. I hadn’t learned at the time of the closure at Newfound Gap, which would have explained why it was so desolate. I took some photos and a video in the intense ripping winds, basked in being alone on such a magnificent point, then hurried down back to hit the trail.

The Smokies from Clingmans

Around 6:30 I finished the ascent of Mt Collins and rolled into the shelter there. To my surprise, I ran into the Moonshiners! Tech, Sparky, Cyclo, and Uncle Bill. We caught up about each others adventures while I cooked some ramen for dinner.

They had a fire going already (score!) so I came over to dry off my feet and warm up after the slick day. The five of us chattered and philosophized late into the night, watching the fire slowly burn out.

Overall a tough but very rewarding day. Tomorrow I hope to wake up early and push the 8 KM into Newfound Gap fast. Then I can chill longer in Gatlinburg with a nero.