Hot Springs, NC to Erwin, TN

4/19/15 - It rained off and on today, sometimes quite hard.  Which is why we zeroed in town.  At dusk though, I did notice some clearing, so hopefully we'll only have to contend with possible evening thundershowers tomorrow.  Hot Springs has been a nice town to stay in but it's time to get hiking again.

Coed and Tucson have been seen on the trail but they didn't make it in today.  I get the feeling that they stopped at Deer Park Mountain shelter this afternoon when the rain was at its worst.  Guess we'll find out later.

I got to FaceTime this weekend with my parents and my brother and his family, as well as a Skype conversation with my friend Diane.  It's very nice, keeping connected to the home folks while living this disconnected trail life.  Doesn't seem real that I've been on trail for over a month now, nor that in a little more than two weeks I'll be in Virginia.

Wilson has read that How Far got off trail to rest his knees and got back on only to find he is still having problems bad enough to stop his thruhike.  How Far is a really good guy and a good hiker, he for sure is gonna be missed.

4/20/15 - Woke up this morning to rain; there was a band moving through.  It cleared about eight thirty, so we packed and moved out for Erwin, five days away.

We managed to reach Spring Mountain shelter about three thirty, normally too early to stop, but water is spotty between Hot Springs and Erwin, and town life has robbed me of stamina.  Or perhaps it's the extra weight of five days of food.  Wilson says he saw a mouse, so we'll have to be careful about food in our packs tonight.

I met a hiker named Happy, from north island New Zealand.  A guy named Boston showed up, as well as Animal.  The shelter sleeps 5, and I'm in it, but there's about twenty people here around camp tonight.  

The rain started from a thunderstorm just before six pm. Hit hard but only lasted a few minutes.  No wet tent for me!

4/21/15 - We did a fifteen from Spring Mountain shelter to Jerry's Cabin shelter.  Sounds simple enough but two things made it a killer.  One, four miles after Spring Mountain, the trail starts to rise. And doesn't stop rising for six miles and 2500ft vertical.  Then, the trail runs along the very top of the ridge, and between the rocks, the rhododendron roots and mud from recent rains I could hardly make one mile per hour.  I finally made it to camp a little before six pm.  Oh my aching feet!

I recognized the shelter from 2007, it's where we bestowed the name Firestarter on a hiker.  She was trying to light her alcohol stove and when it lit off, it startled her and she knocked over her fuel bottle, which lit off and flaming alcohol ran die the picnic table and dripped on someone's pack.  Didn't hurt the pack before it got put out, but that's how trail names get started.

4/22/15 - Another hard fifteen today from Jerry's Cabin shelter to Hogback Ridge shelter.  It didn't help that one hiker got up at 4:30 and took an hour plus to get ready, all the while shining his headlamp in everyone's eyes.  I complained later and he protested that it was a red light.  Yes, but the intensity is still enough to wake people up.  He promised to be more careful in the future.  Turns out it's not a headlamp but the taillight from his bicycle.

Lots of rocks and roots today.  Then at mile 306, the trail drops 300ft in 3/10 of a mile then pops back up 250ft in the next 4/10ths. Ugh!  Shortly after, at Flint Mountain shelter, I heard there was Trail Magic at Devil's Gap road crossing, two and a half miles further.  I made it over in time to get two hot dogs, a soda, and a bag of chips before the threat of rain sent me into the woods and the Trail Angels into the wam dry of their van.

As I cleared the ridge after the gap, I realized I remembered the area.  There's a very nice stream tumbling down the swale, and the trail crossed it several times.  The trail goes up interminably, climbing 1500 feet in three miles.  Then it drops about 700 feet over a couple miles before climbing back 300ft over the last mile or so to the shelter.  

Hogback Ridge shelter faces away from the trail and I remembered it immediately.  The water source is s loooong way from the shelter, several tenths of a mile one way.  But it was what happened in 2007 that struck me.  It was here that I met a good friend, Tony "the Tiger" Pierce, and where I was able to first make a cellphone call home from a trail shelter.  So I texted Tony and again called home.  So fun!  

The clouds moved back in a little before sundown, we never did get rain during the day.  But now the wind is whipping the trees and is very cold.  Good night for my thirty degree down mummy bag!

4/23/15 - Sixteen miles today from Hogback ridge to a trail side camp at Spivey Gap. We're yards from the road, but down in a rhododendron thicker so it's ok.  No place to hang a bear bag though, hope we don't get visitors.  Sublime saw a cub about three miles back at Whistling Gap.

The front came through last night with a vengeance.  The wind was really howling last night and it got down to 36 degrees.  It was hard to get out of bed this morning.

Today was the long climb up Big Bald Mountain. And the wind stayed up all day, probably 20-30mph.  Add temps that never got out of the fifties and it was a tough day.  I had left out of the shelter with no water because it's almost a half mile to water at Hogback but found a small stream just past Sam's Gap.  I also found a foot problem.  I had decided to put on clean sock liners this morning, after three days the other were getting funky.  But the left liner was rubbing my heel.  So I changed back to the grubby liner and the problem went away.  That sock goes in the trash in Erwin.

Wilson and I summitted Big Bald and took pictures.  The wind was nearly knocking us off our feet so we didn't stay long.  We stopped by Bald Mountain shelter for a late lunch and water then headed for Spivy Gap.  We got here about five thirty.  Tonight it's me, Wilson, Sublime, Chipmunk and Mix at the camp.  Supposedly it's going to freeze tonight so we expect to get a late start in the morning.

4/24/15 - Erwin, TN

   It didn't freeze last night.  It got close, but the wind died and the skies were clear.  Mix said this morning his thermometer read 34 degrees.  Inside my tent, mine read a cool 40 degrees.  I wanted to sleep in but it just wasn't happening so we were on trail a little after eight.

The day turned out perfect for hiking, clear sky, temps in the sixties and just a hint of a breeze.  The trail was good too, the elevation gains were reasonable over the distance and the trail was well groomed.  Not quite a sidewalk but much better than the rocks and roots we've been getting.

I made it to Erwin at 1:30, saw Huck and several others at Uncle Johnny's, and then walked a mile to the Mountain Inn.  Wilson has an online class and test he has to complete before May 3rd, so he'll be busy with that tomorrow.  I'll look into slack packing options, although it's supposed to rain Sunday too. There's a Hiker Fest in Erwin this weekend (how are we hitting these fears I don't know), and the town is jammed.  Uncle Johnny's is so full the yard is packed with tents.

We finally heard from Coed and Tucson today.  Coed is about two days back and hiking to catch up.  Tucson says he is four days back.  Bookkeeper is two days ahead, Sam I Am and Dusty Pilgrim are I think three or four ahead.  Wilson saw Beerman walking out of Erwin this morning.

Note:  Sam I Am has been doing video on YouTube of his hike, he's up to episode #13.  Check out his stuff, it's quite different from my blog.

Pictures - Standing Bear Farm to Hot Springs

Hiker Wilson at a stream near the Pigeon River bridge

Damp, but still having fun!

The Pigeon River

Standing Bear Farm hostel

"Lumpy", proprietor 

Antenna on Snowbird Peak

"View" to SW on Max Patch bald

The wind was ferocious 

NW view, Max Patch

Hiker headed NE off Max Patch

Gravesite of George and Eva Gragg, just off

The trail about 50yds from deer Park Mountain shelter

"Tie", proprietress of Laughing Heart hostel

Standing Bear Farm to Hot Springs, NC

4/14/15 - It rained hard several times last night but this morning, while it was very damp, it never rained.  Because of the overcrowded shelter, we didn't get started until after eight in the morning, but due to the elevation loss, the rain holding off and some pretty nicely graded trail, Wilson and I were able to make a better than two mile an hour pace all the way to the Pigeon River bridge at I-40. We got to Standing Bear Farm hostel about one-thirty in the afternoon.  

This hostel is rustic, but a welcome sight after six or seven days in the Smokies, especially for those who forgo the temptation of Gatlinberg.  It's about two and a half days, thirty three miles from Hot Springs, NC.  It has some basic food resupply, showers, laundry, and a bunkhouse style hostel with sheets on the mattresses.  

We think Coed is back a day in the Smokies, but we haven't heard from Tucson or Coed, so we're not sure.  I hit a ridge line this morning and checked for service, had one bar, and quickly called the hotel in Hot Springs.  Sounds like Wilson and I may have scored the last two rooms for the weekend.  Either way, it'll be a quiet, private room.  We both plan to zero Saturday.

4/15/15 - It was raining pretty good at daybreak, forcing a late start. And then it rained all day.  Sometimes light, frequently hard, but it rained all day.  And in the afternoon, the wind picked up too.  To around thirty mph, and of course, cold.  The trail turned into a creek and my shoes were soaked by mile three.  So I did fifteen to Roaring Fork shelter.  In the rain.  Soaked to the skin, although reasonably warm under my rain jacket and rain kilt.  Except when the wind tried to blow me over.  Mud caked to my knees.  Did I mention wet?  I kept having to hold my arms straight down to drain the puddles that collected under my elbows.  Rain was running down my arms from my hands and getting past the elastic cuffs.  Finally I hauled out my waterproof mittens and tucked my jacket cuffs under the mittens.  Worked, except my hands got too warm and sweaty.

At mile four and a half, I passed over Snowbird Peak, which has some sort of radio facility on top.  Could hardly see it today.  The cloud was firmly wrapped around the peak and the rain was beating down.

At mile thirteen from Standing Bear Farm, the trail finally starts up Max Patch, a bald mountain with beautiful views. On good days.  Today was not good day.  I took a couple of pictures anyway, stowed the phone in a plastic bag and got back to hiking before I froze.  Being on the summit of a grassy hill, with a cold wind whipping your clothing around is no fun.  I did mention it was wet, right?

Stomping and sliding downhill, I made camp about six pm to find the shelter full of course, no decent tent sites, and the rain still coming down.  I  stood in the creek and washed off my legs, gaiters and shoes.  My shoes aren't any wetter but they are now cleaner.  The creek water is colored with I guess tannins from the trees, but tastes okay after filtering.  I need to hang my clothes but, yep, the rain in still coming down.  Tomorrow is supposed to be a fifteen, then into town Friday morning.  I may turn it into an eighteen if I can get a hotel room.

On a good note, Anchor and Miss Cattywampus are here.  I thought they were a couple of days ahead, but they apparently zeroed them in Gatlinberg.  It is good to see them again.

4/16/15 - I slept soundly last night, something I haven't done much of out here due to moonlight.  Yesterday really beat me up.  Everything was still wet and cold this morning. Just how bad was it? Ok kids, let's play Rained Out Hiker!

First, get you some quick drying gym clothing, no cotton fabrics.  Now, go to the gym and work out until you've soaked your clothes.  Then, go spray yourself in the shower until your clothes are drippy and your socks and shoes are full of water.  Wring out everything and put them on a bag until you get home, then put the bag in the fridge overnight.  If your spouse/mom complains, this is for Science!  You can roll your pants, socks and shoes in mud if you want extra credit.

This is best done on a day when the nighttime temp will be in the low to mid 50s, but you'll still get credit if it's below 70.  In the morning, pull your wet stuff out of the fridge, put it on while standing on your back porch, then without going back inside to warm up, walk down to the corner store or around the neighborhood until you warm up.  Preferably you should walk uphill, because all hiking shelters are built at the bottom of hills. Congratulations, you now know what rained out hikers go through!

I was supposed to walk thirteen miles to Deer Park Mountain shelter, but decided that if it rained again this evening that I would prefer to be rained on in town, even if I was tenting on a hostel lawn.  So I walked to Hot Springs, 18.2 miles.  Wilson and I got two of the last three bunks at Laughing Heart Hostel on the edge of town.  Turns out this is the weekend of the Hot Springs Hiker Fest and the town is packed.

4/17/15 - I'm pretty much reattuned to a normal schedule again.  Come sunrise, I have to get out of bed.  To at least complete necessary biological functions.  Which is fine most days, and conducive to making miles on trail but not wanted on rest days.

We've caught Sam I Am, Dusty Pilgrim, Spirit and Sisu Sookie (of the Minnesota Twins); they left out this morning.  Realistically they are still two days ahead, but it was good to see them.  Sookie's sister went home at Fontana I think, she decided trail life was not her bag.  

Sublime, Wild Turkey, Huck, Hound Dog, Beerman, Ms Cattywampus and Anchor, the German Twins, Tortoise, and many others are in town for the Fest.  Cindy Loppers came in but is really only at Standing Bear Farm due to a badly twisted ankle and decided to go back for peace and quiet while healing.  She will catch up I'm sure.  A guy named Princess is here as well.  He's named for the children's Mylar helium balloon he picked up on the trail.  It had gotten away from somewhere and finally landed in GSMNP where he picked it up as trash to be disposed of properly.  Why he decided to carry it still inflated I don't know.

We looked at the weather and when Coed and Tucson might get here and decided to wait out the rain due Sunday.  Probably we'll get rained on Monday too, but whatcha gonna do?

This weekend is the 20th annual Hiker Fest in Hot Springs, so I'll be going to the spaghetti dinner tonight to support a local charity and then to a trail talk by Doug Elliot about gensing and other edible plants later.

Final Smokies pics

Sometimes the trail looks like this

Then the trees close in

Walking in cloud

Mist blowing over the gap

The concrete strips are part of a helicopter pad built

for a military plane crash in the 1980s to the right

The trout lilies are blooming

They're named after the spotted leaves, similar to the

markings on the fish

Field of Spring Beauty flowers 

Hiker Wilson on the last Smokies viewpoint 

Bye Bye, Great Smoky Mountains

Wall built by the CCC in the 1930s

Official end of GSMNP 

More Smokies pictures

Climbing Clingman's Dome

See the tower?

Binjali and Trail Angel Tyler

Hikers at Clingman's Dome Lookout

Looking back.  Lake Fontana is visible, Standing

Indian Mountain is 37 miles on the horizon.

Newfound Gap

Hiker Huck on the Bunion

Pictures - NOC through Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Hike Inn, Fontana Dam, NC

http://www.thehikeinn.com

Nancy and Jeff Hoch, owners of the Hike Inn

View of Shuckstack Mountain from Fontana Dam

Coed, Tucson and Binjali

The deceitful road to Shuckstack

Shuckstack fire tower

Good trail

Mollies Ridge shelter

Spring Beauty flowers

View from Rocky Top Mountain

(can you sing the song?)

Fungus on log

Supper time at Derrick Knob shelter

Service dog Bentley, trail name Potato Wedge

Catch up post from the NOC through the Smokies

4/5/15 - When I first tried thruhiking the AT in 2007, I started on April Fools Day, figuring that would be an appropriate day for such a seemingly madcap adventure.  I hiked the approach trail to Springer Mountain summit and the about 3 miles on the AT to Stover Creek shelter, total about 12 miles. Over the next twenty days, I would reach Mt Collins shelter at mile 203 in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

This year, I started on March 15th, figuring the added years and body weight might slow my progress.  Even so, tonight I am at Cable Gap shelter, mile 159.  Tomorrow will be about 7 miles to Fontana Dam, NC and the next day I will again enter GSMNP.  It will take three days to reach Mt Collins shelter again. So, 25 days instead of 21.  And I can say, this has been a bit more fun!  

I'm a bit worried, Tucson hasn't made it to camp.  I guess he's gonna camp somewhere south of Cable Gap shelter, but exactly where I don't know.  I'll have an easy seven miles to Fontana but he will have seven plus.  And it looks like rain moving in.

4/6/15 - It started to rain as I left camp at Cable Gap this morning about 8:45am.  Tucson still hasn't shown up.  I hate hiking in rain.  I get soaked from either rain or sweat.  And if I can't get dry, it's a real problem.  I'm supposed to start the Smokies tomorrow and rain is forecast all week.  Sigh. Not sure what I'm gonna do.  Hike through it somehow, that's for sure.

Tucson showed up at Fontana Dam just before 4pm.  He's pretty beat after doing a 12 mile hike in the rain.  It's still in the fifties outside.  We've agreed to take a zero here at the Hike Inn tomorrow and start the Smokies on Wednesday. 


4/8/15 - We left the comforts of the Hike Inn around eight thirty and waved goodby to Jeff at nine.  He and Nancy are great folks, and I was very happy to stay at their place this trip.

A local was nice enough to take our picture as we crossed Fontana Dam.  Then we started the loooong climb up Shuckstack Mountain.  At the fire tower, I inhaled some beef jerky, two Snickers bars, and a liter and a half of water.  Then it was back to the climb.  Arrived at Mollies Ridge shelter about three thirty.  Two familiar faces showed up, Shaken and Nature's Own, who had given Trail Magic back at Albert Mountain.  They got laid off from work recently I think.  Johnny Adventure showed up, but not his girlfriend Snapshot.  They had been a couple day ahead of me, but she tripped coming down into Fontana and messed up her ankle.  It had been previously injured a few years ago.  She tried zeroing in Fontana, but no go.  Her sister picked her up this morning.  Another good hiker down.

Wilson and Coed are here this evening, as is Sublime.  Some folks from Germany stopped by, but they pushed on another three miles to the next shelter.  Tomorrow will be an eleven mile hike to Derrick Knob shelter.

4/9/15 - Someone decided to start moving around with a white flashlight in the shelter about five-thirty this morning.  In the end, I was on trail a little after seven.  Blerk!  Later this spring, it will be normal but now it's still dark until seven.

It's a twelve mile day from Mollies Ridge to Derrick Knob shelter.  Elevation drops from 4600' to 4100' at a gap about mile out, then climbs as the trail goes over Rocky Top/Thunderhead Mountain at 5530' at mile 8.  I was surprised, I made Rocky Top by noon.  Out of my group, only Wilson was ahead of me and that only by a few yards.  And yes, it's That Rocky Top from the song.  The trail bounces along the NC/TN border  from just south of Mollies Ridge to a little south of Damascus, VA.

  

I made it to camp about three, and managed to get a cell connection a quarter mile from the shelter for about ten minutes.  My friend Tony the Tiger, from 2007, texted me that my SPOT had quit around noon.  At the shelter I noticed it had somehow turned off, so I installed a new set of batteries and turned it on for a while.

All day today, the wind has been strong and the clouds have been thickening.  I checked the forecast before I lost coverage and there's a 90% chance of thunderstorms tonight/tomorrow morning. So the current plan is wait and see and maybe have a short day tomorrow after noon.

Tonight the shelter is full: Tucson, Coed, Wilson, Animal, Hounddog, Johnny Adventure, Sublime, Orly and her friend Georgia, the German twins, Fancy Pants, who has been hiking with Lolly and her service dog Bentley (who has his own trail name of Potato Wedge), and several others I haven't met.

4/10/15 - The wind picked up pretty strong last night and grew cold.  This morning it was still whipping and around seven thirty the rain began.  Between the rain, wind and cold, we decided to sit things out this morning. Several people left around eight; shortly after it began to pour. I fell back asleep, and at 945 it is still drizzling with the same strong wind, this isn't over yet.  Well, the shelter is dry and I've now had breakfast.  My companions are all sleeping, my bag is warm and Maine can wait a day.

A hiker just got in at ten from the last shelter back, soaking wet.  He left at seven thirty into the rain.  

Eleven, and the rain has returned, cold and heavy.

In the end, the day became a zero.  Even at three pm it rained, cold.  Hopefully tomorrow will dawn clear.  Low Profile and Right-click came in, Sourpatch and Gummybear also, I last saw them at the NOC.

4/11/15 - I got a late start out, waiting for the wind to drop this morning.  Finally left out in my long pants, long sleeve shirt, windbreaker, my buff pulled up over my ears with my Tilley hat jammed down over the buff.  Of course, within a mile I started pulling stuff off.  The wind settled some during the day, but all day it was occasionally cold until I hit a stand of trees or got behind a ridge. 

I made Double Springs Gap shelter by noon-thirty and took a break.  Johnny Adventure, Wilson, Coed, and Tucson all showed up.  Then it was time to climb Clingman's Dome.  At 6643ft, it is the highest point on the entire Appalachian Trail, and this day was perfect.  I got to the lookout about three-thirty, and met a Trail Angel named Tyler Reich.  He and his dad Pete were giving a Trail Magic in the form of Oreo cookie packets.  People are so nice to thruhikers.  Tyler will be joining Cub Scouts next year and Pete can't wait until he can retire and do a thruhike.  He's already racked up an impressive amount of section hiking on the AT.  We spent a while discussing gear, did the usual pictures and then I headed for the shelter about 3 miles away.  I noticed that I'm already cinching my pack waist belt nearly to all the way down, so I called home to get the smaller replacement sent to Hot Springs, NC, about a week away.

Mt Collins shelter is off the AT about a half mile, down in a spruce grove.  And man is it packed tonight!  The shelter is mostly empty, because we were told to expect some dayhikers, who have reservations and priority over thruhikers.  They of course, didn't show, but us thrus tented to avoid being tossed out.  Oh well.

Tucson and Coed are planning to hike to Newfound Gap in the morning and hitch into Gatlinberg.  Wilson and I decided to hike past and stay on schedule to Pecks Corner shelter at 15 miles.  Hopefully we can avoid most of the coming rain as we head for Hot Springs.

4/12/15 - Tucson and Coed hiked down to Newfound Gap and hitched into Gatlinberg.  Wilson, Johnny Adventure and I kept going to Peck's Corner shelter.  Which is full of hikers coming out of Gatlinberg.  Sigh.  Tomorrow is a 20-30% chance of rain.

Today was a 16 mile day, what with Mt Collins shelter being ½ mile off trail and this one 0.4 miles off.  We have to hike back up tomorrow and then pop above 6000ft two or three times over 13 miles.  Hope the rain holds off.

4/13/15 - It was forecast to rain today, and sure enough at seven-thirty this morning it started to drizzle.  And it continued off an on all day.  I used my umbrella out of camp with my rain kilt.  It worked well all the way to TriCorner Knob shelter.  Then the wind turned cold, so I had to break out my jacket.  My short sleeve shirt, short pants and undershorts are slowly changing from wet to damp on a line in the shelter.

Made camp at Cosby Knob shelter.  It's full of thruhikers, and at 4pm, a group of six section hikers showed up.  We had to squeeze them in as they have priority over thruhikers.  Tomorrow it's an eleven mile hike to Standing Bear Farm hostel, and out of the Smokies.  Then two and a half days to Hot Springs, NC.  And rain the whole way.  Sigh.

I've met hikers Flash, Tortoise.  In camp tonight with Wilson and I are Just Dave, Animal (who carries a 3gallon plastic bucket in addition to his pack), Huck, Wild Turkey, Chipmunk, and a bunch of others.