Day 30 - 3/31

Daily mileage: 6.3
Total trail mileage: 339.9
Starting location: No Business Knob Shelter
Ending location: Erwin, TN
Weather: Clear and sunny all day. 40-55 degrees during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=36.121387,+-82.447163

Today was another easy hiking day. Only 6 miles or so out to town and
most of it was downhill. However, the town is spread out, so I had to
go another mile or so to get to the hotel.

After dropping my stuff off at my room, I met up with the crew
(everyone from last night except for Dethmarch and Sugarbush) at the
all you can eat pizza joint. The pizza wasn't great pizza but it
didn't matter; it was fantastic. The 8 of us ate the pizzas faster
than they could produce them. I had a half dozen plates piled high
with pizza, salad, and dessert pizza. After that, I picked up a pint
of ice cream and returned to the hotel room for a shower, laundry,
resupply, etc. I consumed the ice cream on top of all the pizza
without even thinking about it. So, I think I am ready for the half
gallon challenge (eat a half gallon of icecream at the half way point).

Later I am headed out to join everyone else for a BBQ and party. I
was thinking about going to see Alice In Wonderland since there is a
theater in town, but it would involve about 7 miles of walking and I
would show up late to the BBQ (how can I miss more food??).

I'll be back on the trail tomorrow, but I am in no rush and don't need
to do too many miles.

Day 29 - 3/30

Daily mileage: 10.6
Total trail mileage: 333.6
Starting location: Bald Mountain Shelter
Ending location: No Business Knob Shelter
Weather: Cloudy and raining in the morning, clear and sunny in the
afternoon. 35-50 degrees during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=36.023034,+-82.428611

This morning was the worst experience on the trail so far. I woke up
and it was still raining, so I decided to stay in my sleeping bag in
the shelter for a while. Staying in the sleeping bag and reading
wasn't bad, but eventually I needed to get up and start hiking. And,
the rain and clouds didn't clear off like I expected. So, around 1pm
I had to put on the wet and cold clothes.

For those of you who are at home and can't quite picture it, think
about setting out your clothes for the next day (including shoes and
everything), put them in the bathtub, and then throw them into the
refridgerator over night. Then, in the morning put them on and go
outside. That approximates what I have to do on some days. Today was
especially worse. And, it is my least favorite part about backpacking.

As soon as I started hiking though, the clothes that I was wearing
started to dry out and then the sun came out. The rest of the day was
actually pretty good (other than the sections that still have 6-12
inches of snow).

I only had a little over 10 miles to do, and the terrain was pretty
easy, so I made good time. I got to the shelter (and set up my
hammock) along with Camp Chair, Mellow Yellow, Andre, Mouse, Grandma,
Butter, Phineus, Dethmarch, and Sugarbush (and thrir dog Cole). We
got a fire going for a good part of the evening. Most of us are
heading into town tomorrow and only have about 6 miles to go.

In my opinion, the worse possible weather conditions for hiking are
mid 30s to low 40s, raining, and windy. Any colder and the
precipitation is usually snow which is much easier to stay dry in.
Any warmer and the rain doesn't make you cold as much. Well, the past
couple of days were pretty close to my text book worst weather.
Hopefully it stays clear for a few days.

Day 28 - 3/29

Daily mileage: 18.9
Total trail mileage: 323.0
Starting location: Flint Mountain Shelter
Ending location: Bald Mountain Shelter
Weather: Cloudy all day. Raining in the morning, on and off raining
in the late morning to early afternoon, raining and sleet in the late
afternoon. 35-45 degrees during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.952909,+-82.561125

The sun did not come out today like it was supposed to. I got a late
start because it was raining when I woke up, and I was hoping it would
stop. It didn't. So, I got started in the rain. Eventually it died
down a bit and came and went every now and then.

My plan was to stop at Low Gap if the weather stayed bad and continue
on to Big Bald if the rain stopped. Well, the rain just got more
persistent as the day went on. But, I unfortunately didn't notice Low
Gap, so I arrived at the top of Big Bald with the temperature getting
colder, a mix of sleet and hail coming down, soaked, and windy. I
started to set up my tarp as a bivy (original plan), but that effort
didn't last long as I realized how stupid that was. I haven't
actually set it up as a bivy for a night in nice weather, so trying to
do it in the wet, cold, and wind was a futile effort. As I was
packing it back up and concerned about hypothermia, Mellow Yellow
showed up. He also missed Low Gap. So, we both decided that our best
bet would be to continue to the shelter in the failing light.

We got here and while I can't say all my stuff is dry, my sleeping
bag, sleep clothes, and I am at least dry. I'll sort everything else
out tomorrow. The good thing is that I don't have far to go tomorrow,
so hopefully the sun comes out as I plan to get a late start.

The views from Big Bald are supposed to be pretty good. If the clouds
clear, I might hike back up without my pack just to check it out.
We'll see what the morning brings.

Day 27 - 3/28

Daily mileage: 17.0
Total trail mileage: 304.1
Starting location: Between Allen Gap and Log Cabin Drive
Ending location: Flint Mountain Shelter
Weather: Cloudy and rainy and windy all day. 38-45 degrees during the
day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=36.045671,+-82.614973

Today I got up early and did the 4 miles to the next shelter before
having breakfast. I got there as Flying Turtle, Mellow Yellow, Cookie
Monster (Cameron), Grandma, and Butter were getting up.

The weather was not great today. It was raining and fairly cooler,
but it could have been worse. At least there wasn't any lightning or
thunder. And, oh there was a few more sections of ice and snow, but
they were fairly limited. The wind was quite strong today. At one
point I was leaning into the wind to keep from getting blown over. It
stopped for a second and I almost walked off the trail.

After lunch, it was raining harder so I had my hood up. I was
watching the ground and completely missed the blowdown at forehead
height. D'oh. I got surprised when I collided with the branch and
nearly fell down.

I am hammocking at the shelter along with Cookie Monster, Mellow
Yellow, Flying Turtle, Andre, Grandma, Butter, Camp Chair, and Cody.

Day 26 - 3/27

Daily mileage: 15.0
Total trail mileage: 287.1
Starting location: Hot Springs, NC
Ending location: Between Allen Gap and Log Cabin Drive
Weather: Clear and sunny all day. Rather windy. 45-55 degrees during
the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.893390,+-82.825637

I got up, ate a couple slices of left over pizza for breakfast and
started hiking. The weather today was perfect hiking weather...sunny
and warm but not too hot. It feels like Spring.

One problem with the warmer weather is that the bugs are starting to
come out. I already saw a few mosquitos. Not enough to be annoying,
but that probably isn't too far away.

I passed by a firetower. Again, pretty cool views, but the mountains
are getting smaller compared to the Smokys. I didn't stay long though
as it was quite windy on the tower.

I am staying in my hammock for the first time in a while. I had
stayed a couple nights in the shelters because it was easier to deal
with wet clothing when it was raining. Then I was forced to stay in
the shelters through the Smokys. And then I cowboy camped at Max
Patch. I had been looking forward to my hammock for a while, and
hopefully tonight will be warm enough that I don't need my pad in the
hammock with me (would be a first for this trip).

I passed by a section just before Allen Gap that looked like a war
zone. There were so many downed trees and branches all over the
place. I did see a trail maintainer out today, so they should have it
cleared before too long.

All in all, a fairly easy day. I am glad that I am at the point where
a 15 mile day can be considered "easy". I could have pushed on (I
stopped when it was still reasonably early) but there wasn't a reason
to do so.

And, oh, this has now become my longest backpacking trip (by mileage -
tomorrow will also tie for number of days out).

Day 25 - 3/26

Daily mileage: 0.0
Total trail mileage: 272.1
Starting location: Hot Springs, NC
Ending location: Hot Springs, NC
Weather: Raining in the morning and early afternoon, cloudy the rest
of the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.892894,+-82.827032

Yea, I didn't get back on the trail today. I got up, took care of
chores around town (maildrop, email, outfitter, brunch, etc.). By the
early afternoon I went over to the mineral baths and soaked for an
hour. My knee hasn't been bothering me for the last two days
(probably because there hasn't been any snow and ice), but I think the
mineral water helped my legs alot. I felt ready to hike, but given
that it was fairly late and was still kinda raining (disobeying the
weather report), I was having a hard time motivating myself to get
back on the trail. Flying Turtle and I went to grab some food and ran
into a whole crew of thruhikers. That sealed the deal and I decided
to stay another night. But, I moved hotels. Not that there was
anything wrong with the Iron Horse, but it is nice to have mindless TV
for a bit. So, now, I am picking up a pizza and will get a good
night's sleep and be back on the trail in the morning. So, after
changing my plans a billion times, I am back to the original one of
zeroing in Hot Springs. I think my legs will appreciate it in the
long run.

Day 25 - 3/26

Daily mileage: 20.1
Total trail mileage: 272.1
Starting location: Max Patch Summit
Ending location: Hot Springs, NC
Weather: Partly cloudy all day, scattered showers from late morning to
early afternoon. 45-50 degrees

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.892894,+-82.827032

First day over 20 miles! I wasn't planning to go that far but my
plans fell through ;).

Unfortunately over night a few clouds moved in. So, the sunrise
wasn't as good as it could have been, but it was still really cool to
wake up on a grassy patch surrounded by mountains. And, our food bags
were not plundered during the night. We fit my food and most of Flying
Turtle's into my bear-proof bag and tied it to one of the AT marker
posts so even if our food was attacked we had enough for the 3 of us
to survive.

We packed up and went down to the shelter to eat breakfast. After
that, I started down the trail and surprisingly picked up a pretty
good pace, even with something like 1700 feet of elevation gain.

So, I hit my goal quite a bit ahead of schedule, looked at my watch,
and realized I could finish the 3 remaining miles into town at a
reasonable time. So, the plan I made just last night went out the
window. I can now leave town late tomorrow afternoon and get back on
the trail a day ahead of schedule.

Hot Springs is the first time the trail actually runs through the
town. There are embedded AT symbols into the sidewalk. I had
intended to stay at the Duckett bed and breakfast, but nobody was
there when I got there. There was a note to call a phone number or go
into town to see a guy. The problem was that I have no cell reception
and the B&B was in the opposite direction of the trail, food, etc.
So, instead I am staying at the Iron Horse Station tavern. The bonus
is that the tavern was in the direction of the trail, so the extra
little bit pushed me over the 20 mile mark for the day.

It looks also like I accidentally lucked out with weather. It is
supposed to rain tonight and then stop in the morning before I get
back on trail. At least that is what the highly unreliable weather
report says.

I am planning on doing only 5 miles or so to a supposed pond with
campsites, so I have time during the day to check out the town. Hot
Springs is named for the natural hot springs that flow in this area so
I might check them out in the morning.

Day 23 - 3/24

Daily mileage: 13.6
Total trail mileage: 252.0
Starting location: Green Corner Road (Standing Bear Hostel)
Ending location: Max Patch Summit
Weather: Clear and sunny all day, 65 degrees

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.796864,+-82.957154

Today was a great day. I was lazy for most of the day and yet still
made decent progress. I got up, made breakfast, and left the hostel
at around 10:15. The weather was great, there were only a few patches
of snow remaining, and the trail was fairly dry.

As soon as I reached the first major summit (or close to it), there
was an open grassy section with views and I stopped for a 20 minute
break. After I started again, I went ten minutes and ran into Flying
Turtle, Cameron, Moon Pie, and Doozy having lunch at a place with even
better views. So, I stopped again for another 20 minutes.

I hiked most of the rest of the day with Flying Turtle. We got to the
summit of Max Patch, which had absolutely incredible views. It is an
open bald with mountains upon mountains in 360 degrees. We were only
1.8 miles from the shelter we were heading to and the weather should
be good, so I decided I was going to cowboy camp (stay out under the
stars without a tent) on top of the summit. Flying Turtle quickly
followed suit and Cameron came up the trail and eventually decided to
also do the same. While we were wrapping up dinner Dethmarch and
Sugarbush (along with their dog Cole) came up to watch the sunset.
Apparently they are camping just down the hill.

We noticed a guy walking around with skis so Sugarbush went to find
out what was going on. He was doing a little skiing on the short
slope still with snow. After he finished, he came up to us and
brought a bottle of Jameson with him for us.

The sunset was pretty amazing and we are hoping the sunrise is as
well. The stars are out right above me. Our only concerns were that
we are leaving no trace, there are no trees for bear bagging, and we
will probably covered by dew in the morning.

I was also realizing today that just as I finished Into Thin Air (a
book about the 1996 Everest expedition where people died due to
altitude and frigid temperatures), I dropped in elevation and the
temperature rose considerably. Not that the Smokys are anything
compared to Everest, but the timing of when I finished the book was
interesting.

My plan right now is to get to the shelter just before Hot Springs
tomorrow, Nero into town on Friday, and get a late start on Saturday.
That would be instead of zeroing in town like I had originally planned.

Day 22 - 3/23

Daily mileage: 18.1
Total trail mileage: 238.4
Starting location: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Ending location: Green Corner Road (Standing Bear Hostel)
Weather: Cloudy and windy in the morning, clear and sunny in the
afternoon, 25 degrees in the morning, much warmer once I dropped in
elevation.

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.763471,+-83.161077

Today was a bit of a contrast from the morning to the afternoon. In
the morning I was freezing (after getting out of the sleeping bag), it
took me a half hour to thaw out my boots with a hot water bottle to
the point that I could get my feet in them, it was cloudy, and
everything was snow covered. In the afternoon I was hiking in a t-
shirt, it was clear and sunny, and there wasn't any snow in sight.
Sure, I did drop about a vertical mile in elevation, but it was like
starting the day in the middle of winter and ending the day in summer.

My Dad day hiked up to Cosby Knob Shelter where he met me and hiked
over to the Mt Cammerer trail. Ridgerunner Scott recommended that we
go the 0.6 miles off trail to the observation tower. The trail was
muddy, but it was definitely worth it. I had a clear view of
everything around. Unfortunately, I snapped one of my treking poles
when I slipped in the mud on the way back.

After that, my dad went back to his car (along a side trail), and I
continued the long descent. It was amazing to actually see the trail
(instead of just snow), and it was pretty easy going. There was a
really nice stream along the trail shortly after the Smokys.

Yes, I finished the Smokys. The Smokys had been causing a lot of
dread among hikers ever since Springer, but they were passable. A
little slow going in sections, but definitely doable. And now I am
allowed to go back to using my hammock as I am not forced to stay in
the shelters.

I started to drop some of my winter gear now that I am through the
Smokys. I gave my dad my Dinali fleece, fleece pants, and fleece
socks. Now my pack is a bit lighter and is much smaller.

I stopped at the Standing Bear Hostel just off the trail for the
night. Quite a number of thruhikers are here including Marc, Flying
Turtle, Moonpie, Doozy, Reverend, Shaky, etc. This place has
everything hikers need and you just keep a tally of what you owe.

My dad has now left and is beginning the trip back home.

Day 21 - 3/22

Daily mileage: 15.6
Total trail mileage: 220.3
Starting location: Gatlinburg, TN
Ending location: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Weather: Showers in the morning in town, snow all day on the trail.
4-6 inches of fresh accumulation. 20-30 degrees throughout the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.711601,+-83.517068

We had breakfast in town (mmm, pancakes), and my dad drove me up to
Newfound Gap. It is much easier to get up when I don't have to put on
wet clothes. I started hiking by 9.

Ok, I got REALLY lucky with the weather. While we got rain all night
in town, up in the mountains the temperature dropped. All the soft
snow and mud froze, making a solid base. The fresh snow provided
traction. And, the fresh snow was dry and light so I didn't get wet
all day. So, I was able to make good time while staying on top of the
deep snow (I only postholed 3 times all day).

When I said I wanted a little snow on this trip, this is what I
meant. Not the 4-6 feet of snow, ice, and mud that I have been
dealing with. Today looked and felt like January in Vermont, not the
end of March in North Carolina and Tennessee.

I am picking up my pace a bit, even with snow. I knocked out the
first 3 miles in an hour including a 1000 ft climb. Those of you who
know me know that I am a slow hiker. So, that is a definite
improvement.

Almost all day the trail wound along a ridge. At some points, the
ridge was literally a 4 ft wide plateau that the trail followed with
both sides descending at a sharp angle. There were sections that
would have required crampons if there wasn't the fresh snow. If you
slipped you would end up sliding down the hill (not too far as there
were trees, but still...). There were plenty of lookouts, but it was
unfortunately quite cloudy today. I think this section is my favorite
section on the trail so far.

Tonight is probably going to be cold. During the day it didn't get
above freezing and I am still at close to 6000 ft. I am staying at
the shelter with 4 section hikers on spring break. Unfortunately they
are pretty irresponsible with food, so hopefully I am not eaten by a
bear tonight.

I am now more than 10 percent complete! Of the 2179 miles, I have
completed 220. There is still a long way to go, but I am getting
there. Tomorrow, if everything goes well, I will be finishing up with
the Smokys.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I finished up the first canister
for my stove. I got 16 days on it with another 4 cups of water
boiling. That was on one of the MSR 112g canisters, with cooking
dinner each night, cooking breakfast every other day, tea and hot
cocoa a couple times a week, and a hot water bottle the one night for
my sleeping bag. However, in those 16 days, I did have 3 dinners and
4 breakfasts in town (and thus did not require any cooking). Well, a
canister with the Jetboil lasted a lot longer than I expected.

Day 20 - 3/21

Daily mileage: 4.5
Total trail mileage: 204.7
Starting location: Mt Collins Shelter
Ending location: Gatlinburg, TN
Weather: Partly cloudy in the morning, raining in the afternoon

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.711601,+-83.517068
I.com/maps?q=35.711601,+-83.517068

Today was another short day. We got up and hiked down to Newfound
Gap. The trail was still deep snow for a bit but then it got easier
as we went along. The rain held off until right when we arrived at
Newfound Gap.

My dad was stopping at Newfound Gap, and he offered to take me into
town after picking up his car and then return me to the trail in the
morning. So, we had to wait for the shuttler (A Walk In The Woods),
and waited a bit in the dry bathroom at the parking lot. We got
picked up, went back to Fontana Village to pick up my dad's car, and
returned to Gatlinburg for the night.

Apparently there are 1200 year old trees in the Smokys and so many
diverse species of plants, salamanders, worms, etc... We passed over
an area today that was protected by a fence. The fence keeps out the
boars to protect a species of trees that only exists in the Smokys.
Unfortunately, because of the season, most of the flowers are not yet
in bloom and most of the wildlife is not out and about, but it is nice
to see the Smokys in the snow.

So, we are at the Grand Prix Motel, took showers, did laundry, and had
dinner. Wow, Gatlinburg is kinda a shock for someone who has been on
the trail. There are all sorts of attractions and Disney-World-like
places.

Back to the trail tomorrow...

Day 19 - 3/20

Daily mileage: 8.0
Total trail mileage: 200.2
Starting location: Silers Bald Shelter
Ending location: Mt Collins Shelter
Weather: Sunny all day, warm but not as warm as yesterday

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.359658,+-83.566458 (it is quite a bit
off)

Today I hit the highest point on the AT, which is Clingmans Dome at
6643 ft. The views from the tower were impressive and it was
perfectly clear today. We could see 100 miles in every direction.
Since Clingmans Dome is the highest, that means the rest of the trip
is downhill, right?

The section after Clingmans Dome was doable. Sure it was deep snow
and sure it was slow going, but it wasn't that much worse than what I
have already gone through. There was about 4-5 ft of snow under the
trail in a lot of places and I am sure there were 6-7 ft of snow at
points on the side of the trail. But, a lot of the time I could stay
above the snow pack although there were plenty of times of punching
through. At one point both my legs slipped into foot holes and
neither foot reached the ground. I had to push down on my poles until
I could lay back on my pack on the snow. At that point I could pull
me feet out. It was actually kind of fun, despite the slow progress.

Again, my dad and I have the shelter to ourselves. After getting my
feet dry and warm in the sleeping bag (they were starting to freeze
again as soon as I stopped moving), I was able to go back outside to
make dinner. After that we got a fire going.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I hit Tennessee at some point in the last
couple days. The trail through most of the Smokeys lies directly on
the TN/NC border. I don't know which day I hit the border though.

Day 18 - 3/19

Daily mileage: 11.8
Total trail mileage: 192.2
Starting location: Spence Field Shelter
Ending location: Silers Bald Shelter
Weather: SUNNY ALL DAY! 45 degrees in the morning, warm throughout
the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.564684,+-83.715298

Today was another nice day. The weather was good, and there were a
number of awesome views of North Carolina, Tennessee, and the Great
Smoky Mountain National Park. The trail was a mix of mud, dirt, and
snow, but a majority of the trail was snow. It was soft though and
provided enough traction, so it wasn't too much of a hinderence.

I ran into Moon Pie and Doozy today at lunch. They were pushing ahead
to the next shelter along with the 4 other guys that were with us last
night. Sundance also showed up at lunch, but I believe he and his dad
were going to stay at that shelter for the night (well, at least we
haven't seen them).

Right now my dad and I have the shelter to ourselves. Tonight is
colder, and my feet started to freeze as soon as I pulled them out of
my shoes. They were soaked from trudging through the snow and mud.
As soon as I got them into the sleeping bag they felt better.

My right knee is still causing pain occassionally, and I have some
sort of bug bite or poison rash on the back of my hands. Surprisingly
those are my only injuries so far. The knee is manageable, it just
causes me to go slower on the downhill and favor my left leg on steep
uphills. The rash will probably go away after a couple days. I have
a number of blisters, but none are causing any pain at all.

We ran into Ridgerunner Scott today on the trail. His report was that
the section after Clingmans Dome has deep snow and his recommendation
is to take the access road around that section. However, it is
supposedly doable. He also said the section after Icewater Shelter is
a bit messy. Well, we'll find out tomorrow about the Clingmans Dome
section...

Day 17 - 3/18

Daily mileage: 5.5
Total trail mileage: 180.5
Starting location: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Ending location: Spence Field Shelter
Weather: partly cloudy in the morning, sunny in the afternoon, 40-50
degrees

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.561196,+-83.770768

Today was a nice short day. We got up late, hiked over to Spence
Field Shelter, and arrived by 2 in the afternoon. We spent the
afternoon trying to gather dry and dead firewood.

A red squirrel this morning was rather interested in us making
breakfast. It kept popping its head out from everywhere to see if
there was any food left for it. I think it was also running around
the shelter last night.

We passed 4 people with horses today. They were just out for a ride
today on a loop trail through the park.

Andre, Marc, two other thruhikers, and five section hikers showed up
in the late afternoon. My dad and I got the fire going and were able
to get most things dried.

Day 16 - 3/17

Daily mileage: 11.3
Total trail mileage: 175.0
Starting location: Fontana Dam "Hilton" Shelter
Ending location: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Weather: partly cloudy all day, light drizzle in the afternoon...40-45
degrees

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.542285,+-83.797906

We entered the Smokeys. I was wondering for a while if we were still
on the AT. There were no blowdowns, no snow, no ice, and it was
graded pretty well. We got to a firetower and could see for miles in
every direction. It was great. And then as we climbed a little
further, the snow returned. But, there wasn't much depth and it was
soft snow as it was melting.

I hiked a little with Mellow Yellow and Flying Turtle today, but they
continued on to the next shelter. My dad, Camp Chair and I are at
Mollies Ridge Shelter for the night. It is a pretty neat stone
shelter with a fireplace inside. Unfortunately, everything was wet and
none of us, even with using all sorts of firestarters, could get a
fire going. Oh, well.

It is little colder and there is a lot of moisture in the air.
Hopefully the sun comes out again tomorrow.

Oh, I forgot to mention yesterday that when we were hanging out at the
shelter, Houdini showed up and gave us sodas. She thru-hiked last
year and was in the area so she was seeing who was around. Thanks,
Houdini!

Day 15 - 3/16

Daily mileage: 1.1
Total trail mileage: 163.7
Starting location: Fontana Dam, NC
Ending location: Fontana Dam "Hilton" Shelter
Weather: clear and warm (65 or so)

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.448512,+-83.795028

Whew, today was a long day. I did a whole 1.1 miles. We woke up this
morning, packed up, had breakfast at the restaurant, and got shuttled
back to the trail. After the quick mile, we headed down to the
visitors center, and I filled out the permit to go through the Smokys.

The Dam is pretty impressive and it was actually clear today! I could
see North Carolina for the first time on this trip. And it was nice
and warm, so we just chilled out all day.

The shelter is one of the nicest shelters on the trail and has been
nicknamed the "Fontana Hilton". It has flush toilets and a shower and
a picnic table and trash cans. It is pretty nice. Two girls came by
and asked "do people actually sleep here?". Yep, and this is one of
the nicest places to sleep.

I am staying here with my dad, Olaf, Mellow Yellow (Dan), and Camp
Chair. Tomorrow we all enter the park. I have been hearing a few
tales of how impossible the Smokys are right now. Hmm, I don't know.
Someone has a 10-1 bet that I don't make it through following the AT
the whole way. That's enough motivation for me to get through
whatever is in the way.

Day 14 - 3/15

Daily mileage: 11.6
Total trail mileage: 162.6
Starting location: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Ending location: Fontana Dam, NC
Weather: raining in the morning, cloudy the rest of the day, 31
degrees in the morning but it warmed up to 40 by the afternoon

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.268126,+-83.572237

Last night was the coldest night in the past week. I woke up this
morning and everything was still wet. Since I was reluctant to put on
wet clothes I ended up with a late start.

The trail wasn't bad today. The blowdowns were much more manageable
and there wasn't any snow today.

As I was coming down to the road, I ran into my dad hiking up the
trail. We went into Fontana Village (a resort). I took a shower, did
laundry, and had dinner with my dad, Tuggy (Walt), Reverend, and Shaky.

Tomorrow is a Nero day!

Day 13 - 3/14

Daily mileage: 16.8
Total trail mileage: 151.0
Starting location: A. Rufus Morgan Shelter
Ending location: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Weather: drizzling on and off in the morning, snow in the early
afternoon which turned to rain and then mixed rain and snow. Total
new accumulation was 0-6" depending on elevation.

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.268126,+-83.572237

Well, it turns out I didn't have the shelter to myself last night.
Four guys on spring break showed up at 11:30. I was already sleeping
and didn't know what was happening when I saw their flashlights.

Today was a long day. The 3000 ft climb wasn't as bad as I feared.
It was graded pretty well, and I stopped at the restaurant at the
Nantahala Outdoor Center to fill up my gas tank (coffee, breakfast
burrito, and full stack of pancakes) before beginning the ascent.

Today's challenge (other than the total distance) was the blowdowns,
blowdowns, and more blowdowns. There were so many trees down; it was
ridiculous. Some were rather large trees (about 3 ft diameter),
others had tons of branches. It was actually kind of fun and became a
series of challenges like climbing problems. I had to go over, under,
around, between, crawl through, push through, etc to get beyond the
blowdowns. I equally used my feet, trekking poles, and hands. They
really slowed me up though.

But, I did manage to make it to Brown Fork Gap Shelter just before
dark. I am here with Tuggy and his dog Patches.

I was realizing that it hasn't been sunny since I entered North
Carolina. I had yet another day of precipitation (snow and rain), and
was soaked by the time I got to the shelter. Good thing I am headed
to town tomorrow so I can get everything dried. And, yes another bald
and another view of a white cloud.

Day 12 - 3/13

Daily mileage: 15.5
Total trail mileage: 134.2
Starting location: Wayah Shelter
Ending location: A. Rufus Morgan Shelter
Weather: partly cloudy in the morning, cloudy with sleet/snow/rain in
the afternoon. It was 40 degrees at midday and 42 in the afternoon.

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.268126,+-83.572237

Today I was making good time and all 6 of us from last night stayed at
more or less the same pace. There was still some snow, but it wasn't
nearly as bad as the day before. And there were even sections of dirt
again! In the morning I could actually see some of the mountains, but
the clouds moved in by noon. We were getting some sleet which then
turned to snow which then turned to rain. It wasn't a lot of snow,
but it was enough to stick to the ground. I had been thinking I was
done with new snow on this trip.

Unfortunately I think Frankie the Sleeper may have called it quits :
(. He had left the trail for a couple weeks because he got really
sick and I don't think he was enjoying himself today and yesterday.
Everyone else stopped at the Wesser Bald Shelter. They were gonna
continue on until someone pointed out that they shouldn't rush to get
to the Smokies if they aren't passable yet. Hopefully that is not the
case as I am meeting my dad to go through them on Tuesday. The 5 of
us had considered splitting a cabin at the NOC for the night, but
after calling we found out there were no openings.

I passed by my third observation tower in North Carolina today, and
for the third time I had a wonderful view of a white cloud. Three
strikes. I wonder how many I get?

There was a decent stretch this afternoon walking along a ridgeline.
I always enjoy the ridgeline walks for some reason. It is neat to be
on the five yards or so of flat land with both the left and the right
sharply sloping down. It is like there is only one possible path and
that is the path I am taking.

A lot of the trees in this area are covered in Lichen. It seems like
it makes the trees glow.

I am actually staying in the shelter again tonight. The shelter is an
older and smaller shelter, but I am the only one here tonight. I
could have continued on for another mile to stay in the NOC bunkhouse
but opted to stop here, not pay any money, and get up early tomorrow
to attempt a really long day. I am going to try to make 16.8 miles
with a 3000 ft climb right off the bat. I probably won't make it, but
if I do, Monday will be really easy.

Day 11 - 3/12

Daily mileage: 11.0
Total trail mileage: 118.7
Starting location: Franklin, NC
Ending location: Wayah Shelter
Weather: cloudy all day, on/off raining all day, some thunder,
probably 50s during the day (didn't check the thermometer). Pouring
and hailing in the evening.

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.205710,+-83.373786 (it is not very
accurate)

I got shuttled back to the trail today along with Frankie The Sleeper,
Dan, Mike, and Mike's dog Pax. At first the trail was nice but then
the deep snow and ice reappeared. Nope, the snow did not melt :(. The
rain held off for most of the day, but there were on and off showers
throughout the day.

Today I passed by a few balds. They are these areas where nothing by
grass grows. I am not sure why.

After 100 miles of being confused, I finally realized that down here
they use double blazes differently. In addition to signifying a turn
in the trail, they are also used to indicate that there is an
intersection with a trail or road. I had never seen that before, so
when that occurred I would look for the trail to the right or left
before realizing that it was straight ahead.

Today there was a note posted by the ranger which said that there have
been reports in the area of a bear that takes hiker's backpacks and
shows no signs of fear of humans.

I am actually staying in the shelter tonight for the first time this
trip. I am here with Dan, Frankie the Sleeper, Dan, Jessica, and
Turtle. We are watching the rain and hail come down hard. It is
almost as entertaining as TV.

Tomorrow I am going to try to do 15 miles and make it either to the
NOC or the shelter just before that. If I make it depends on when I
get started, the weather, and how much snow is left on the trail in
this stretch.