Newfound Gap to Pecks Corner Shelter, Northbound

May 12, 2013
10.4 miles
9:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The lookout at Newfound Gap.

This morning we left early to drive our car up to Standing Bear hostel where we will park it while we hike the northern Smokies.  We met our shuttle driver from A Walk in the Woods at 8:00 a.m.  He drove us down to Newfound Gap, where we started hiking at 9:15 a.m. 

It was a very pleasant walk today through old trees.  The uphills were not too steep or long. Much of the time we were walking along the ridge line with beautiful views.

Our shuttle with A Walk in the Woods.

Sign at the beginning of the trail going north from Newfound Gap.
 

We reached Peck’s Corner Shelter at 4:30 p.m. with one other person there before us.  He had already gathered some wood for the night and began to start a fire. He invited all who came later to gather wood also and help keep the fire stoked throughout the night.  He said he had started a fire in every shelter he had been in so far.  We called him “Firemaker” but his real trail name was two-point-oh (he was a computer guru, of course). Most all the shelters in the Smokies have a fireplace in them and most of them still had a tarp over the entrance to help keep out the cold.

 Fortunately we did have prior warning that tonight was going to be unusually cold, in the 30s, so we brought our heavier sleeping bags.  They make our load heavier to carry, but they were needed.  Before the evening was over, the shelter was full, it held 14 people. 

 

North of Newfound Gap

Lunch break at Icewater Spring Shelter

Charlie's Bunion

View from Charlie's Bunion

Newfound Gap to Silers Bald Shelter, Southbound

May 9, 2013
12.5 miles
8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

 

 

Yesterday we drove from our home in Florida up to Robbinsville, NC to The Cabin in the Woods.  http://thecabininthewoods.com/



The Loft at The Cabin in the Woods

This is where we stayed at the end of our previous hike up to Fontana Dam.  Donna is a wonderful host and her cabins are very clean and well maintained.  She is also a great shuttle driver.  This time we stayed in her loft cabin, which is smaller than The Coop that we stayed in last time and has two twin beds. 



As of February 2013, Great Smoky Mountains National Park requires a permit and advance reservations for all backcountry camping in the park.  Because of the extent of our hike, we were able to register as thru-hikers which means that we can stay at any shelter in the park on any night rather than having to register for a certain shelter.  The permits were $20 each.  We are supposed to submit one copy of the permit at Fontana Dam and keep one copy with us.  We drove over to Fontana Dam to submit our Hiker Permits before taking off in the morning for Newfound Gap.  We looked for an hour for the permit box; to no avail. We finally pushed the permit through the door of the Visitor Center with a note that we could not find the permit box; I hope they got it.  We found out later that the box is located across the Dam bridge just inside the beginning of the trailhead.  We didn’t go quite far enough into the trail to see it.  Since we are not actually starting at Fontana Dam, we did not see the box until we hiked south from Newfound Gap and came back to the Dam.  Anyway – now we know.

The permit box is just past this sign post at the beginning of the trail.

Entering the Great Smoky Mountain National Park!!

Sign at Newfound Gap

Sign at Newfound Gap

This morning, Donna drove us up to Newfound Gap to begin our hike southbound through the Smokies. We started hiking around 8:30 a.m.   At Indian Gap (just 1.7 miles in) we came out of the woods to see our first Trail Angels.  Cookie Dough and his brother were there with Gatorade and chocolate or apple pies.  Yum!  We have hardly started out journey and trail magic is already appreciated.  These two brothers told us that they were thru-hikers who are taking a break from the trail to let knee and ankle injuries heal up.  They plan to continue in a few days. 

Clingman's Dome

We sloshed through plenty of mud on the trail due to the abundant rain they have had recently.  Every north-bounder we encountered commented that they were thankful that it was not raining today, although it was still foggy and cloudy. 

At 1:20 we had our first sighting of Clingman’s Dome.  It was a welcome sight as we had been climbing up most of the day.  It was an especially hard climb right before the Dome. At 6,643 feet, Clingman’s Dome is the highest point on the AT.  From the tower (if you want to walk up the ramp to the top), you can get a 360-degree view of NC and TN.  Needless to say – since we have been there many times before, we did not climb the ramp to the top of the Dome.  We took pictures from the bottom and kept on going. 

At Double Springs Shelter we met our first ever Ridgerunner named Billy Jones.  Since I was wearing my Relay for Life ball cap, he commented that he had previously worked for the American Cancer Society in Jacksonville and we found out we know some of the same people.  Small world. (Ridgerunners are generally seasonal employees assigned to hike and camp along high-use sections of the Appalachian Trail or to remain at heavily used overnight sites. The ridgerunner and caretaker program helps promote a quality recreational trail experience by talking to visitors about the A.T. and its intended primitive experience, its location, regulations, and traditions, as well as ways they can minimize their impact on the Trail.)

At 6:00 p.m. we arrived at Silers Bald Shelter where we will spend the night.  The rules for the Smokies say that you should not set up a tent unless the shelter is full.  Because of this, we were tempted not to bring our tent in order to save the weight.  We finally decided to bring it anyway because you never know what might happen, but we never used it in the Smokies.  However, there were people who set up their tent at the shelters in spite of the fact that the shelter was not full. We were afraid that we would have trouble with mice like we did in Georgia.  Although I saw a couple at this first shelter before we went to bed, they did not bother us through the night and I never saw another one at the other shelters.  Maybe it is too cold for them yet. 

Silers Bald Shelter

Unfortunately, none of the shelters in the Smokies have privies.  Ugh!  Usually there is a popular trail running down a hill where folks go to bury their treasure.  However, when I went to do so, I found one guy had set up his tent right on the edge of the little hill so that I had to go WAY down the hill to find a tree where I could not be seen as I did my business.  That was inconvenient. 

The temperature was pretty chilly during the night so we were glad to have bivy sacks that Wait-up had made for us out of Tyvek, since we had opted to bring our lighter summer-weight sleeping bags.  The bivy sacks made them just right for the chilly nights in the shelters.   

Silers Bald Shelter

Overall, we were pleased with our first day back on the trail and the endurance that we had.  I guess our training has paid off, although I am not saying it was an easy day at all.  I certainly was ready to rest at the end of the day. 



View in  the Smokies.

 

REST AND RECOVERY DAY IN HOT SPRINGS

March 16, 2013
REST AND RECOVERY DAY
0 Miles

A day off from hiking after only one day of hiking is unusual, I know!  It was not by choice, believe me.  I really didn’t want to do it, but was afraid to take a chance on my symptoms returning while out in the woods, so here we are in Hot Springs for the day.  We couldn’t have landed at a better place for this to happen.  We spent the day walking around the nice little town, visiting a few shops and the diner again, getting to know Chuck Norris and his wife Tigger, visiting with other hikers, and resting.   Solo and Pilgrim are also taking a rest day.  They are an unlikely pair, Solo being from Elijay, GA and Pilgrim from Massachusetts.  It was a good day, and all my symptoms were gone by the end of it.  Ready to get back on the trail tomorrow.

The white blazes of the AT are right in the sidewalk.
 

On the streets of Hot Springs
 

Hot Springs main street
 

Laughing Heart Hostel
 

NORTH CAROLINA/TENNESSEE BORDER

Well!  We finally made it to the AT again!  Long time since we planned to go to the GSMNP last July.  This time we decided to skip the SMNP and begin our hike north of it (for several reasons). 

With my 60th birthday coming up, I had a crazy hankering to spend it on the AT.  So on Thursday, March 14, we drove north to Waynesville, NC to spend the night before beginning our hike the next day.

We have been in training for 8 weeks before this hike, using our wonderful "walking around the soccer field, up and down the bleachers, up and down the hill from the creek" method.  We will see if it keeps us from getting sore this time. 

We will be "slackpacking" most of this trip.  That means we will be spending the night at various hostels along the way and taking only a daypack with us out on the trail each day.  There is only one section that is too long without road access to allow us to do this.  So we will have one night in the tent on the trail, not even at a shelter.

Keep reading for a day by day progress report of our hike. 

Stecoah Gap to Fontana Dam

APRIL 20, 2012

Stecoah Gap to Fontana Dam - Moderate

15.4 miles in 7.5 hours

The Cabin in the Woods, Stecoah Gap

Today we slackpacked.  Whoo – What a relief!  We woke up bright and early in the beautiful Cabin in the Woods, made our breakfast of oatmeal and coffee, packed up our lunch, water and a few snacks and called for a ride.  Phil, Donna's husband, had us up to Stecoah Gap in ten minutes.  We started our hike at 8:20.  As was to be expected, it was a steep climb out of the gap.  But without our backpacks it was an enjoyable hike and a welcome break.

The Cabin in the Woods,  back porch with a view of the mountainside.

The Cabin in the Woods, Stecoah Gap

By 9:30 we were at the Brown Fork Gap Shelter but since it was off the trail, decided not to go in to see it.  We would have seen some of our comrads there; a few who had made this shelter their goal the day before. A few had stopped at Locust Cove Gap.   So, we were without our usual company today and we missed the camaraderie, but did meet another young man today who was thru-hiking and trying to be the first to make it to Mount Katahdin wearing the skele-toes.  We are interested to hear if he made it all the way, since they did not look too stable to us.

At Cody Gap we needed water, but found that the water hole was off the trail down a steep bank, so decided to take our chances and walk on, hoping to find water on the trail.  We did find a very good water stream right before Yellow Creek Gap. 

Can you see Fontana Lake down there?

At 12:00 we stopped for lunch at Yellow Creek Gap, SR 1242.  We had hiked 7.6 miles in 3.5 hours.

The remainder of the day was up and down (literally), but nothing compared to the day before.  The ups were steep but not too high, and the downs were not too bad.  Many welcome gaps of rolling ridge-walking.  Some spots were rocky, some spots were muddy and slippery.  

See Fontana Lake through the trees?

We first spotted Fontana Lake from the top of the mountain long before we got to it.  It was a welcome sight, but we didn’t know at the time that it would be a long time before we actually got to it.  It was a long descent into the valley.  We finally came to NC Highway 28 right before the Dam Marina.  We still had 1.4 miles to go over a mountain to get to the dam and the Visitor’s Center.  After a bathroom break at the marina, we began climbing again to cross over to the Fontana Dam.  We were tired and ready for it to be over; therefore did not welcome the climb that was ahead of us.  Putting one foot in front of the other, one step at a time, we finally made it to the Fontana Dam at 4:00. 

Hwy 28 goes through Fontana Village.

We wanted to see the “Fontana Hilton” shelter, so made ourselves trek down the hill for a glance.  It indeed was the largest shelter we had seen.  It was two levels on each side of a center breezeway; built to shelter 24 people.  The showers and water fountains that were advertised in our 2011 Thru-Hiker’s Companion though were not in service and looked like they had not seen water in awhile.  There were showers, though, at the Visitor’s Center, but we didn’t have a towel or soap with us, so we were unable to use them.

Our vehicle parked in the Visitor’s Center parking lot was a welcome sight. The first thing we did was take off our boots for more comfortable shoes and then went to the soda machine for a cold drink.  Unfortunately, my camera quit working before we got to the dam and we could not take pictures to prove that we had made it—but I promise you that we did!! 

91 miles in 8 days.    

Nantahala Outdoor Center to Stecoah Gap

APRIL 19, 2012
Nantahala Outdoor Center to Stecoah Gap  - Strenuous
13.6 miles in 10 hours

River's End Restaurant at NOC.

We visited River’s End Restaurant again for breakfast before setting out on the trail at 9:00 a.m.  This section of the trail was everything we heard it would be – very steep and a long uphill climb.  Eight miles of elevation climbing from 1723’ to 5062’ at Cheoah Bald.  It was definitely the most strenuous day we have had on this section.  We reached Cheoah Bald at 3:00 p.m.  It was a beautiful view from the top of Cheoah Bald.

A view of River's End Restuarant from across Nantahala River.

Nantahala River at NOC

Nantahala River at NOC

Wesser Bald Shelter to Nantahala Outdoor Center

APRIL 18, 2012
Wesser Bald Shelter to Nantahala Outdoor Center - Strenuous
5.7 miles in 3.5 hours 

This morning everyone was up bright and early, I believe we were all weary of the sleeping arrangements by that time.  Eight people in a shelter built for six is a bit crowded, but we made the best of it. After our breakfast of oatmeal and coffee, we were the first out on the trail.

We have a short hike today, mostly downhill.  But it was still raining and the trail was wet and treacherous.  In fact, Wait-up slipped down by stepping on a root again.   We saw the privy of the A. Rugus Morgan Shelter from the trail above a LONG time before we actually got to it.  It appeared to be just a little way down, but it seemed like it took us forever to actually get to the shelter.  It was a small one, and we heard later that it was jammed packed with people too the night before in the rain. 

Our first view of Nantahala Outdoor Center from the descending trail.

 It was a long descent into the Nantahala Outdoor Center gap; but our first site of the building from the trail above was a welcome sight, knowing that we would have a night in a bed tonight.  We decided to upgrade from the basecamp, which is actually a hostel with no linens to one of their cabins so that we could enjoy it more.  They sometimes rent out Cabin D as a motel, they said.  We saw several of our fellow hikers in the cabin where we shared a common living area and a small kitchen and laundry room.

Even before we went to our cabin though, we took advantage of the River’s End Restaurant for one of their famous pizzas.  Clyde and Nightwalker were already there eating with Nightwalker’s wife who had met them there from Greenville, SC.  They told us they were going into Bryson City to spend the night. While we were eating Joshua and Caleb came in also. 

The AT crosses right over the NOC bridge.

After lunch and a shower, we restocked our backpacks from our supplies in the car.  This was the first time we had seen our car in six days.  We could finally retrieve our Thru-Hiker’s Companion and feel like we had the information we needed about the waypoints.  We had arranged for a shuttler named Donna to meet us at Fontana Dam this afternoon to leave our car there and bring us back to NOC to spend the night. 

The Nantahala River is famous for Whitewater rafting.

We drove into Bryson City to Ingle’s Grocery store to pick up a few groceries that we had decided on, then on to Fontana Dam to leave the car.  Donna met us there.  On the way back to NOC we found out that Donna lives and has a hostel and cabins for rent at Stecoah Gap, we drove right past it.  We could have stayed at her place tonight if we had known; but we already had reservations at NOC.  

We had heard good things about the hamburgers at the River's End, so we heated up our leftover pizza in the microwave in the cabin, then took it with us to the restaurant where we ordered a burger and fries to split along with our pizza.  While there, we met a nice couple from Kansas who had bought some property near by and were working on building a log cabin on it.  They told us they were staying in The Little Cabin in the Woods.  Small world - we told them that we had just met Donna when she shuttled us here.  They always stay in one of Donna's cabins when they come to work on their house.

We walked back to the cabin with Ryno (well, not exactly, he ran up the hill because it was raining). We went to bed early hoping for a good night's sleep which we did - except for the guy above us who had heavy feet and walked around until late at night above our heads.  Oh well, we finally got to sleep and it was good.

Cabin D, Room 6

Beautiful peonies at the River's End Restaurant.

Us on the bridge after getting cleaned up.

Wayah Shelter to Wesser Bald Shelter

APRIL 17, 2012

Wayah Shelter to Wesser Bald Shelter - Moderate
10.6 miles in 7 hours

No storm last night as forcasted.  That was an answer to prayer, we could just see our tent washed down the hill with a gullywasher. 

We climbed 3 or 4 steep inclines before reaching Cold Spring Shelter where we stopped for lunch and water.  We met Nightwalker going back down the trail lickety split.  He had forgotten to take his GPS equipment off "Pause" at their last stop.  Uh oh!  He had to retrace his path almost a mile and back.

Several men had reached the shelter before us.  As usual, I immediately looked for the privy and noticed that, standing in front of the shelter, you could see directly into the privy to the seat.  Well, I just said, "Turn your head, boys, cause I gotta go." And I went.

The mosquitos were very thick at this shelter.  Out came the repellant again.

Burningtown Gap, Elevation 4236

View from Copper Ridge Bald Lookout, Elevation 5080'

 Copper Ridge Bald Lookout was a pretty place for pictures so we took a few.  From there, it was a lot of downhill hiking to Tellico Gap. 

Rocky Bald Lookout, Elevation 5030'

At Tellico my breath was taken away with the beautiful wild azaleas in bloom in pink and red.We had seen lots of them sprinkled throughout the forest already, but here they were concentrated in one area and close to the trail. 

Beautiful orange wild azaleas at Tellico Gap

Beautiful pink wild azaleas at Tellico Gap