4/7/13: Ughhhhh....awaiting my package at Fontana Dam, NC (was due 4/6/13). Start the Smokies tomorrow. From what I hear they can be a "little harry." Had longest day so far yesterday, 14 miles, but it was great. Spent the night on top of Cheoah Bald and saw the most beautiful sunset and rise.... Clingman's Dome is over 6600 ft. and is the highest point on the entire AT.
4/8/13: Zero day today in order to get my 1st pkg of supplies from home. Will start early tomorrow (4/9/13) into the Smoky Mts. Besides a permit, you must lodge in their shelters ($20 head) for you are not allowed to camp (tent) at night. Sometimes it is hard to find vacanies in shelters due to not only "AT thru-hikers" but "day-hikers" and "section hikers" using them as well. In that case, you have to walk to the next one. May take as long as a week to hike the 70+ miles through the Smoky Mts. I am still in a group of four although not all the same ones. We have discussed how we might like to "aqua blaze" this week...meaning that we will follow the rivers to enjoy the scenery and then get back on AT - all being the same distance. There are meanings for different "color blazing(s)" such as "yellow blazing" means you walk the roads rather than the AT.
4/11/13: Text received from Cater: "I'm ok. Call in four days - phone's dead."
TC: 4/15/13:
Note: Even though I hike with other people, we all walk at our own pace(s) and end up together at the shelter or camp site at the end of the day. I am usually the cow's tail- probably due to my bag being heavier (my fault) and maybe my shorter legs (not my fault). Currently there is a couple "Puddin and Patty cake", Sparky, and Nova from Nova Scotia.
I am happy to be out of the Smoky Mts. as they were really hard! You walked either 6 or 20 miles to reach shelters. The first day we hiked 17 miles up hill in 85 degree weather and lot of gnats. A few days later it was very severe climate with 30 mile winds, hail, etc. but we reached Clingman's Dome + 250 mile marker. There were no good views due to being rainy and cloudy. Later I was hiking at night alone in a pretty swampy pine forest and fell twice due to darkness. I don't like hiking at night and only did that night because I didn't want to stay in or around one of the shelters.
Atop one mountain point there were no tress, therefore you could see 365 degrees around you. It was awesome! We hiked 21 miles Saturday. On Sunday (4/14) the rain and wind blew my tent over! We were
camped outside the shelter (and will probably do so for the next week) because a "tummy bug" is going around and the shelters are obviously contaminated with germs all over including handling the log books, etc. We walked 18 or 19 miles to Hot Springs and received wonderful Trail Magic from the nicest Summit Mt. ladies. I ate a pack of crackers, fudge round, cucumbers, bell peppers, oreos and 2 sodas. Fantastic!!!
Woke up this morning with very sore feet, ankles and knees. Although I bought some inner-soles for my well worn shoes, I actually need new shoes which I can purchase near by or online. As of today I have hiked 270 miles, a little over 1/10 of my trail walk! (still can't imagine why my feet hurt)
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