NOC to Hot Springs

3/12

The climb out of the Nantahala Gorge was intense.  It's straight up for about four miles, or at least if feels that way.  My legs were rested, but resented being pressed back into such hard labor.  Stiff, I found myself taking breaks on the unrelenting up.

I started out traveling with Blaze, but the guy is 22 and uses hiking poles, so he just leaves me behind on the steep slopes.  I told him to go ahead.  Hiking separately is always faster than combining because combining eliminates strengths.

I camped as close to Fontana as I dared without getting into the craziness of the coming and going there.  Black Gum Gap is my best estimate of where I lay my head.  It was just a level spot just off the trail.

3/13

Crossed Fontana Dam today.  (If you've seen "A Walk in the Woods," that's the big dam they cross.)  It's impressive.  The visitor's center is closed and there's a detour, but it was cool to get up on the dam.

Shortly after crossing the dam, I was in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  I had bought a permit at NOC.  There are some drawbacks to the park, though:

• You have to sleep at shelters.
• Each shelter has a certain number of "slots" reserved for section hikers.
• Remaining "slots" are available to thru-hikers on a first-come basis.  Everyone else camps outside.
• Forcing everyone together like this makes getting sick a distinct reality.  Caution is warranted.

My first night, I spent at Spence Field Shelter.  There was a Ridge Runner there named Chloe.  She rocked.  Very friendly and helpful.  I had hiked in the rain about half the day and was relieved to find that I had a berth in the shelter.  Someone had built a fire, and we huddled around it for warmth.

3/14

Got started early and made good time.  Rocky Top (yes of Tennessee Volunteer fame) was a tough climb, sometimes rock scrambling to get up.

Most of the rest of the morning was pretty flat trail, but I could see storms brewing to the west.  I sped up, and as the storms pressed in, sped up even more.  I was jogging at points, looking over my shoulder at the wind and rain heading in.  Just as I climbed a huge hill, the rain started, and the shelter came into sight.

I ate lunch and waited to see what happened with the rain.  It let up long enough for three of us to gather firewood, then started again.  People rolled in all afternoon, soaked and attracted to the smell of the fire.

I decided to stay and wait for the rain to pass.  Hiking in hours of driving rain gets to be no fun.  We had just enough berths for all who decided to stay.

3/15

It was a muddy morning, filled with stones and slogging through the results of the previous day's storms.  The first couple of hours were spent climbing Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the Appalachian Trail.  There is a tower on top, and I stopped in the stunning (but cold and windy) weather to shoot some stills and video.

Later in the day, I passed Newfound Gap which is where people sometimes leave the trail to go into Gatlinburg.  I have zero interest in Gatlinburg.  Ew.  So I kept going.  The trail from that gap to the first shelter was so packed with day hikers, though, that I had to keep passing, and that slowed me down a bit.  Never saw so many people on the trail before, and it was 20 feet wide in places.

I made 22.9 miles, though, and noticed that my appetite was picking up even more.

I got in to the Peck's Corner Shelter late.  It was pretty empty.  I had time for the essentials, a quick dinner, and then crashed early and hard.

About 2:00 a.m. a girl woke up screaming that there was a mouse in her sleeping bag.  She thrashed with absolute terror, banging her head on a ceiling beam and almost coming off of the sleeping platform.  (It was a double-decker shelter.)  Her dad calmed her down and the mouse (actually probably a rat) was long gone.  I tried not to chuckle.  It was probably after her wool socks.  I slipped into my bivy anyway, and zipped it up.

3/16

On the trail early, intent on getting out of the park.  Long miles, but I descended the north side of the park and crossed Interstate 40.  Everything was dry, and I had to carry extra water and be careful with my supply.  A mile or so east of I-40, I located the Standing Bear Farm, a hiker hostel community.  Private rooms were only $10 more than a bunk, and after being forced into shelters for days, I splurged.  My room was a little hut on a stream, French doors opening onto a private porch.  It felt like the lap of luxury.

I hung out at the fire pit with Stuck (who I last saw at NOC), Gator (manager of the farm), and Hash Brown, among others.  Gator threw stones and the dogs chased them into the woods, returned with the same stone maybe 2/3 of the time.

I'm starting to like the way my beard is growing in.  Another couple of weeks and it'll start looking respectable.  Never had one before.

3/17

Late start from Standing Bear.  I only had 12 miles to go, but I was really sore from the previous day's effort and the pounding that fast down-hill travel leveled on my feet and hips.  I felt every step, and had to rest more than usual.  I needed a break.

Still dry, and had to be careful with water.  Took water from a trickle; took 20 minutes to get a liter.

Entered Max Patch and found abundant water.  I knew I was only a mile from the summit, so I took four liters of water with me so I would be able to camp without refilling.  When I got to the top of Max Patch, I found a couple of dozen people milling about and enjoying the nice weather.  I looked around for a while, talked with another thru-hiker, met a guy who flip-flopped a few years ago, and finally got cool in the wind.

I camped next to the parking lot, and the wind died down around 6:00.  It was a very comfortable night, and I was up and packed about 7:30 when my friend Ben arrived with his dad.

3/18

I know Ben from my days at Kurt Salmon Associates.  We worked a project together in Chicago, and we have war stories.  I took him and his wife Kerry for a flight a while back, and they have since had two kids and moved to Asheville.  We arranged to meet at Max Patch early, and hike the 20 miles into Hot Springs together.

After taking pictures and admiring the views from the top of Max Patch, we said goodbye to his dad and started to walk.

Tim and Ben on Max Patch before trek to Hot Springs

It was a pleasant day, but with his wife and kids meeting us in Hot Springs, we couldn't dally.  We kept a good pace through the day, caught up on life and things in general, talked about all sorts of things.  It was really nice to have a hiking companion.  But Ben is younger than me and much taller... so I was definitely the "rate limiting factor" on this walk.

We came off the trail slightly ahead of schedule, around 4:30.  Walking through town, we ended up at the meeting point, sat on the deck next to the spring, and enjoyed chili cheese fries and a cold beer.  After the rest of his family showed up, we had a much-needed dinner, then drove to his house.

A hot shower never felt so good, nine days of mud and stink swirling down the drain as hot water reanimated my body.

Come to Papa...

Food.  Beer.  Shower.  Bed.

Heaven.

3/19

Zero day.  I managed to get a massage scheduled at the gym where Ben does his swimming and yoga, and exactly during the time of his yoga class.  I love when things come together.

That massage was AMAZING!  Ben said that I walked out looking like a new man.  It really was impressive how much good that did for my sore muscles and aching back.

Next stop, local taco shop in one of Asheville's many artsy neighborhoods.  This is where having a local guide makes all the difference.  Those tacos were fantastic!

Ben took me of a driving tour of Asheville, and I have to say I really like it.  It reminds me of Austin, TX or parts of Seattle.

We went grocery shopping for trail food, and I spent the afternoon catching up on e-mails and straightening out issues with technology.

Dinner was amazing:  grilled salmon and Kerry's "power kale" salad.  Mmmmmm... kale.

I'm staying one more day due to snow and really low temps passing through on Sunday, but I should be on the trail at a reasonable hour on Monday.  Next big stop where I'll have technology will be Damascus, VA.