|
The last 24 hours have been quite an adventure! It rained all night! And it was raining when we woke, too! Water was everywhere - a river on the trail! Puddles, mud, slippery rocks and logs made walking very, very technical. At first, I tried to avoid the river on the trail & the puddles, but after the first mile, I gave up. It was useless to try to keep my feet dry. So I did - I just plodded through the river on the trail & the puddles.
I wouldn't say that I was miserable but more uncomfortable. Even though my rain jacket and pants worked well, I was still wet and my pack was wet, too. I caught up to Moose and we were ready for the rain to end. But it did not! In fact, it rained harder! Now, we were really moving - just trying to make to Newfound Gap where a road leads to Gatlinburg, TN. The plan was to get to the next shelter, but as we continued to walk, G-burg was sounding sweeter & sweeter with each squishy step.
Finally, Moose & I made it to the gap. It was cold, foggy & the wind was fierce in the gap - whipping! We were cold and wet - two conditions that alone can be simply managed, but together can be a deadly combination. Moose & I decided it would be best to go to town instead of pressing on. Thumper came out of the woods about that time and decided to join us. Thumper flagged down a ride to town with a nice couple on a wedding anniversary trip - Lynda & Neal! Thank you both for your kindness! Hope you got our postcard! (Think! 3 wet hikers + packs??)
Lynda & Neal dropped us at the Best Western, but we stayed @ Trent's Motor Lodge for $29.77, or $11.00 each. It was not the nicest of places but it had a hot shower, heat & it was dry! G-burg is a tourist mecca. For the hiker, G-Burg can be overwhelming, but we welcomed it. We got settled and all took showers. Then made a walk around town. We visited/saw many interesting shops & sights - a salute to Elvis, cool bear statues carved from wood & Herbie the Love Bug! We ate dinner at TGI Friday's & my, food never tasted so divine! Tomorrow I got to go to the Happy Hiker Outfitter & to the laundromat.
Not in a great mood tonight. Made it out of Gburg OK & in fact, in very high spirits! Moose, Thumper & I were shuttled to the trailhead for $5/person; the driver was very informative about the smokeys & native vegitation & native animals. He was cool to listen to! He was jealous of us b/c he said we had a GREAT day to be hiking & he said the second half is like hiking through heaven. I was pumped to get started on the trail; we all were!
Well, to make this short so I can get to bed, in our excitement this morning we blazed past the A.T., which branched off to the right. It was not too clearly marked, but if we would have stopped instead of hiking by the sign, we would have noticed the trail made a turn. We didn't realize our mistake until the Mount LeConte sign - 4.6 miles past the A.T. TURN!! AHHHHHHHH! - unofficial miles are the worst for a hiker and we just did 9.2 miles of 'em. Again, AHHHHHHH!! So we hiked about 12 miles for A.T. gain of 3. Ohh, it was frustrating.
At the shelter, Icewater Springs (206.8), we ate @ 6 & were in bed by 7:30 PM. While we laid there, Moose, Thumper, & I - really the entire shelter - laughed hard about our idiot mistake. I mean, what else could we do but laugh it off!?
27.4 miles today to Davenport Gap Shelter (234.2) - my personal best!! Woohoo!! After such a mentally tough day yesterday, what a triumph today! Moose, Thumper & I were set on 20 before we left the shelter @ sunrise. We busted trail to get to the next shelter for lunch and then to Cosby Knob (227.1) where we planned to sleep. We all walked our own pace for most of the day. At 6:00 we arrived at Cosby Knob, but it was a full house. Thumper & I ate dinner (warm) & moved onto Davenport Gap Shelter another 7.1 miles north. We left @ about 7:00 PM and made it to the shelter about 9:30 PM. It was all downhill except for 2 knobs at the beginning. We hiked in the dark for at least 45 minutes before we had to use our headlamps. It was awesome. The trail is so different @ night; it's great!
At the shelter, Wilson, Jon & Danny were already tucked in sleeping bags for bed. Thumper & I congratulated ourselves on our victory & passed out. We were pooped!
Lite day tomorrow to Standing Bear Hostel. Yeah!!
An easy 2.5 mi to Standing Bear Hostel. Awesome place - laundry, kitchen, bunks, food pantry on honor system, fire, showers, toilet, phone & internet! Owners Curtis & Maria are super nice people.
Received mail drop - thanks for the cookies Mom. She's "TrailDawg Mom" now & hikers like to be around when I get my box. No problems here!!
Libby, now "Rat Pack" due to big rat in her backpack is getting off. A stress fracture to her left foot. Too bad - I do not like like seeing hikers get off, but it is in her best interests. She will be back for 2005 season.
Sleeping in teepee tonight! After all, when will I ever have the opportunity to sleep in a teepee. So far, it's cool... now, if it rains, it may be different... Mark
Dana came to meet me at Standing Bear to hike with me to Hot Springs, N.C. Her folks drove her up and will meet us on Sunday night, our predicted arrival into Hot Springs. At Standing Bear, Two Dogs names her "spring Beauty" in honor of the season on the trail. We left at 2 PM for the trail and went 10.1 miles to Brown Gap (247.6). Tough ascent at the start but it was more moderate on the back side.
From Brown Gap we were headed to Max Patch, but we met OneLeg and family first. What nice people - Hey, ya'll!! (www.oneleggedhiker.com)
On 5/1/4 - Sat - we hiked 10.2 mi to Walnut Mtn Shelter (257.8)
On 5/2/4 - Sun - We hiked 13.1 mi. to Hot Springs. In Hot Springs we met Dana's folks, Max & Janet, & rented a cabin for the night. Went to Bridge Street Grill & ate a great meal!!! Overall, a great time... Dawg
5/3/4 - zero day
5/4/4 - zero day
Email 1 - June 10th
|
