Hot Springs

4/22
I stopped by the shelter this morning on my way up the trail. It had gotten pretty cold and was raining so I ducked in to cook my oatmeal and tea. The weather was dreary most of the morning but finally turned into a nice day by 1pm. I ended up pulling two BIG mile days and made it to Hot Springs around 5pm. The final mile coming down from the mountain provided a grand view of the town. It was like torture knowing that a hot meal was waiting down there. I virtually ran down the mountain.... Unfortunately, the two big hiking days took there toll on my shin and my foot. I got a shin splint half way thru the day and the blister that I've been nursing on my foot has started to morph into a second round.

I ended up taking two more days off, hobbling around town on my beat up leg/foot. I stayed at the campground to save money but ended up spending way too much at the bar. Hot Springs is a great little town although there's not much here. Just a few motels/hostels, shops, and two bars.

On Easter Sunday the town had a parade. It was nice to see the families out and the kids running around enjoying themselves. I spent a lot of the day sitting around and soaking up the sunshine. My leg was still sore but was feeling a bit better so I decided to push on the following day. One more night of town life and then back to the trail.

I've hiked 272.4mi ... 1908.6 to go.

Max Patch

4/21
I walked back down the driveway from the hostel to the I40 intersection where I had left the trail two days earlier. My goal is to make it to Hot Springs in two days. That's 33.7mi to cover.

The hiking has been spectacular the past couple of weeks. The highlight of this section came at the end of the day when the trail climbs to the summit of Max Patch. This bald was created by a farmer in the 1800s who cleared the land of trees for planting crops. Its a very unique spot and I've been looking forward to seeing it.

I walked through the green grass over the summit, wound around the round hill top, and found a nice little campsite at the bottom of a hay field on Max Patch. I ate dinner, watched the sunset over the bald, and enjoyed my first night in my tent outside of the Smokies.

253mi hiked ... 1928mi to go.

Bluegrass friends on the trail

During my stay at Standing Bear Farm there was a BBQ with live music. I was very surprised to see that two musicians that I know from Nashville were the ones playing. Matt Kinman and Brian Volmer are old time musicians that I run into all the time back home at picking parties. It was a strange but GREAT surprise to see them on my journey. The music was fantastic and made me feel right at home!

The Great Smoky Mountains

4/14-4/19
I started off the day by walking down the road that crosses the top of Fontana Dam. At the other end of the dam the trail turns right, officially enters the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and follows another road up a hill for awhile before finally re-entering the woods. The hike that morning was a KiLLER! Straight up almost 4,000ft of elevation gain. It was rough but the weather was nice so the day was pretty enjoyable. After hiking 11.3mi I pulled into my first Smoky Mtn shelter and snagged the top left bunk. The shelter was a sturdy built stone shed with a tin roof and open front. Tarps have been fastened across the front by former guests in order to keep out the wind and rain.
The wind and rain came down with a vengeance all night! I stayed warm and dry and the noise from the storm actually helped drown out the orchestra of snoring coming from my shelter mates. Thankfully, I brought earplugs!

It took me 6 days of hiking to get thru the 72mi of trail in the park. I made it thru without venturing into town and had to carry 6 days of food in my pack. It was HEAVY the first few days but got lighter as I hiked/ate. I was briefly tempted to hitch into Gatlinburg when i crossed US441 at Newfound Gap. I developed cheeseburgeritis and was dreaming of civilization. Luckily, when I got to the crowded tourist overlook at the highway I was greeted by a couple who were providing trail magic to the thru-hikers. They fixed me up with a bowl of homemade chili, sodas, and endless snacks. I LOVE trail magic! I pushed on past the highway with a full belly and made my way down the trail towards the shelter for the night. It was a good day :0)

Everyone always warns to be prepared for the weather in the Smokies... I got it all. I encountered warm, cold, wet, rainy, sleet, and VERY windy weather while walking thru the park. The most concerning was the day that I walked over some beautiful balds with tall flowing grass and short shrubby trees that ebbed and flowed with the wind.... The winds were gusting around 70mph that day and my pack was like a sail. I got knocked down a few times. Once into a bush! I'm sure it would be hilarious on film but it was a little concerning at the time. Still a cool experience tho!

Overall, the Smokies were an amazing place and I had a great time there. Although I did NOT enjoy being forced to sleep in the shelters during my stay in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I did enjoy the hiking. The forest began to transform into whole new species... I was now hiking thru green needled trees and wildflowers. The views were some of the most stunning yet. I was experiencing the Southern Mountains in a whole new way and loving every bend of the trail.

I left the park on 4/19 and made my way towards the Spot where the AT intersects Interstate 40. It's somewhere between Knoxville and Asheville. There's a Hostel just up the trail from there and I spent two nights resting up in the hay loft of a 100 year old barn. The sleeping accommodations at Standung Bear Farm Histel consisted of a bunkhouse, cabin, a field for tenting, and an old barn. Everything else was full so I slept in the 100 year old barn. It was actually pretty cool despite the rumors of hauntings.

It's a HUGE feeling of accomplishment to have made it thru the Smokies. I'm beginning to feel like I might have a real shot at finishing this adventure and I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead. There will be many!

237.9mi hiked ... 1943.1 to go!

Don't worry... I'm still alive!

***UPDATE***
I'm soooo sorry for the delay in my posts recently. Ive had very little cell/data/Internet coverage for the past several weeks. Ever since entering the Smoky Mtns the signal has been non-existent. I'm hoping for better luck down the trail but please be patient... I'll update as often as I can.

Thanks so much for all of your comments on the blog page. I get notifications on my phone whenever someone leaves a comment. Many times Im reading your comment while sitting atop a mountain or sitting by a stream in a huge forest. It REALLY makes my day to hear from my friends & family back in the "real world"...

Several folks have inquired about sending care packages to me along the trail. That would be AWESOME!! Id really appreciate a letter and some goodies from home (especially home baked treats)... Just get in touch with Alex by email and she can let you know the best address to send to and by what date: alexgamelang@yahoo.com . She also has a list of the items that I resupply with every week.

I hope your enjoying the journal so far. I'll try to keep it interesting and up to date. Many nights I'm just too tired to write about my day. It's a lot of work climbing these hills day in/out........ but I'm having a blast!

Fontana Lake

4/11-4/13
After Alex left on Sunday I wandered around the NOC for awhile and setup my tent. I spent another night camped in the "hobo" campground down the railroad tracks by the river (hey, it's free!) In the morning I had one last civilized meal then headed back into the woods. It was a tough climb all day long and the weather was warm. I spent most of the day thinking about Alex and sulking at the thought of not seeing her again for several weeks. I had a tough time keeping up my pace but I trudged along and hiked 10.4 mi.
Another nasty storm rolled thru last night and I found myself once again at the mercy of mother nature. I laid in my tent til 10:00am the next morning, hoping the rain would stop. It did not. So, I packed up all of my wet gear and started walking in the rain. Today's hike included a section called "Jacobs Ladder" which climbs straight up for what seems like eternity. It wore me out! The weather was cold and rainy all day. Nothing to do but keep walking. I hiked into Cable Gap Shelter, setup camp, and hit the sack.... still missing Alex. 12.1mi hiked today...
It was a short hike Wednesday morning into the Fontana Resort area. I caught a shuttle in the Village and had lunch at the lodge with new friends Splitter and DVD... After lunch I did some laundry, laid my tent out to dry, and retrieved my food package that I left at the general store.
Later that evening I caught a shuttle back to the trail and hiked another mile to the shelter. This shelter is referred to as the "Fontana Hilton". It's super fancy and even has showers.... In reality, it's still just a dirty/stinky shelter. I slept in my tent and watched the light fade over the waters of Fontana Lake.
The next morning I watched the sunrise while drinking my morning tea in my tent. Today I will enter The Great Smokey Mtns National Park. It will take approx 6 days to get thru the park and while there I'll have to follow extra rules and regulations. No more tent camping for awhile. I'll have to cram into those dirty-mouse-filled shelters with 14 other smelly/snoring hikers... FUN!

I've hiked 163.7mi ... 2017.3 to go!

Yes, Forest Fires

4/08
I forgot to mention that I could see a couple of forest fires burning in the distance All day yesterday. When I finally got close to where I would be camping for the night I realized that one of the fires was right in the area. I walked past some firefighters and asked if it was going to be dangerous to camp. They assured me that I would be fine and that the fire was under control. I made it thru the night so all is well! I did wake up to the smelling smoke a few times. I'm just starting to take things like this in stride! What could possibly come next?
I hiked 1 short mile into the Nantahala Outdoor Center. It's a collection of shops, restaurants, and outdoor outfitters centered around the area where the AT crosses the Nanatahala River. It's a cool spot! On Friday, I ate a bunch of food, drank a few cold brews, and just relaxed. Alex showed up around 10am and found me right away. We spent the weekend hanging around the NOC and Fontana Lodge relaxing, eating, and helping out my fellow hikers with free shuttles here and there. It's going to be tough saying goodbye but time is flying right on. We'll be back together soon enough for another adventure. Back to the trail early Monday morning.

135.2mi hiked ... 2045.8 to go.