Trail update: The NOC to Gatlinburg, TN
This post goes out to my pen pal, Mackenzie, who sends me her love all the way from sunny California! Receiving her letter in my Gatlinburg resupply box felt like a bit of home while I'm out here on the move. Even though we haven't met yet, she is a very dear friend and I'm excited for any future letters during my trip!
Day 19: April 17th: Uphill Battles, Questionable Decisions, & Shitting in the Woods.
I had intended to get up early and head out around 9am, but breakfast with Colleen at The Rivers End was too tempting to pass up. We spent the time laughing about trail rumors (Hiker Fight Club) and discussing items on my AT Bucket List.
Yay for Breakfast Sandwiches!
After we lollygagged for a sufficient amount of time, we checked out and decided to head back to the trail.
I enjoyed my time at the NOC, but there were rumors of bed bugs!
Beside the Nantahala River!
(Activity options included: kayaking, rafting, fly-fishing, ziplining)
Getting back to the trail after a zero day is always difficult (my body is so stiff - I should stretch...), and April 17th was no exception. Normally Colleen would hike at a much faster pace than me, but a problem with her leg caused her to fall behind early. I ran into an acquaintance from week 1 who had gotten caught up at the NOC for a few days - it just goes to show that you have no clue where/when you'll find old friends. I spent the majority of the hike alone, so I decided to stop by the Sassafras Gap Shelter to read the log-book, potentially socialize and mentally regroup. What I found was an empty shelter and a ton of trash! (What the hell - pack it in, pack it out guys!) I cleaned it up as best I could and headed out with the intention of stopping at the next 'campground'. On a side note, can everyone stop vandalizing the shelters with things such as "smoke weed everyday" or "if at first you don't succeed, fuck the world and smoke some weed". I'm a huge fan of tasteful graffiti art, but this is trashy and getting way out of hand. It's in almost every shelter.
I'm not sure what they are trying to accomplish, but this is counter-productive.
It began to rain, but I pushed on regardless. Even though I knew that it should take me three days to make it to Fontana Dam, I was hopeful that I could do it in two and make up some time I lost in Franklin. When I arrived at the designated campground, I decided to just get water, continue along and camp alone on the side of the trail somewhere. It was 5:30, and still raining, but I had some daylight left. After 45 minutes, I still hadn't found a flat spot to set up camp, and my anxiety was starting to set in. In order to make it to the next shelter, I would've had to walk 'Jacobs Ladder' in the dark. Luckily I ended up stumbling upon a patch of dirt, so I happily ended for the day and did my chores. I made sure that none of my 'girly' items were visible from outside my tent (such as my purple trailrunners), so that hikers passing by wouldn't know I was a lone female camping. I was a bit nervous, but mostly just relieved to have found a place to stop. I read an e-book and headed to sleep around 9.
At 11pm, I woke up to an angry stomach and instantly knew what was about to go down. Damn. Ugh. Up until this point, I had gotten away with using the privy at shelters (basically, permanent wooden roof-less outhouses), but I suppose it was to happen sooner or later. To my surprise, I got away without any permanent emotional trauma - and I even crossed something off my bucket-list (Shout out to the Camp Mason Trips Staff)!
(Random photo from April 17th.)
"On December 7th, 1968, 783 feet southwest from thus point, Wade A. Sutton, North Carolina Forest Service Ranger gave his life suppressing a forest fire, that you might more fully enjoy your hike along this trail."
Bonus dino pic!
Shelter: Camping past Simp Gap
Miles today: 12.2
Miles from Springer: 149.5
Miles to Katahdin: 2035.8
Day 20: April 18th: Gurus and Partying in Fontana
I woke up without having decided if I was gonna push through the 16 miles to Fontana Dam, but it only took 10 minutes of hiking before Guru appeared around the corner with the question "Is that Maybelline?". I had met Guru during my zero at the NOC where we watched the kayakers on the Nantahala River. He was so full of joy and zest for life that I had hoped I would run into him again. I guess he liked my habit of singing while I hike, because even though he hiked faster than me, he would always wait up before I fell too far behind. By the time we made it to the next road crossing, we had an unspoken agreement that we would continue hiking as a pair - at least for the day. As we began our ascent up Jacobs Ladder, we were surprised with trail magic in the form of apples! And not 10 minutes later, we came across a snake sunning itself across the trail.
No worries, we just tip-toed around him.
Jacobs ladder was rough, but Guru was waiting for me at the top. We continued through the day, stopping by Brown Fork Shelter to quickly get water, and Cable Gap Shelter where we saw another snake!
Guru waving from Cable Gap Shelter!
(Lucy is on the right - she was the one who encountered the bed bugs!)
After walking another 5 miles, we came to Fontana Crossing/Marina where we ran into Mother Nature! She gave us second hand trail magic of orange soda and doritos, a major pick-me-up before the final mile. All day, we were teased by the sight of a far off river - you can imagine our excitement when we realized the "Fontana Hilton" was a water-front shelter.
One benefit of friends: awesome candids.
The Fontana Dam Shelter is the biggest one on the trail, and has a shower/flush toilets (seriously luxurious). I happily arrived to see the faces of War Cry, Zissou, My Best Friend, Auto-draft, Peas, Shay (now Sassy) and Tom (now Cotton). I finally met the elusive "AT gang" and ran into a few people who I've been following on instagram for weeks.
If only we could go swimming...
"Fontana Hilton" = potentially the nicest shelter?
Lots of drinking was occuring, but I've decided to not drink on the trail (excluding a few major occasions), so I just hung around for a bit. My liquid winged eyeliner was deemed 'hiker hot', and I got a lot of positive reactions to the name Maybelline. (Bonus info: sometimes my reputation precedes me, and I'm recognized by hikers I've never met before.)
For a few reasons, I was quite sad that night, and I wanted to curl up on my den couch instead of a damp tent. I called my friend Peacock, who had just flown home to CT in order to rest her knee. Talking to her brightened my mood and helped me appreciate my time out here. Yay peacock! Hopefully she'll make her way back to the trail in a few weeks.
Shelter: "Fontana Hilton"
Miles today: 16.3
Miles from Springer: 165.8
Miles to Katahdin: 2019.2
Day 21: April 19th: My First Hitch; The Smokies!
On April 19th, Guru and I packed up camp and set out towards the Fontana Dam Visitors Center to try and find our way to the Fontana Lodge, where I had a resupply waiting. It was heavily raining once again, and the Visitors Center was located in a place that would make hitching difficult, so we decided to ask the staff to call for the town shuttle. They didn't answer, so we hung around - I took photos and Guru got a Fontana Dam history lesson.
Shout out to the Visitor Center volunteer for being my personal photographer!
I'm blocking the map of the AT - we've accomplished only an inch or two, but it's significant!
After calling the shuttle three times with no response, we decided to just walk the 2 miles. We didn't make it too far (basically ten feet into the parking lot) before we a car pulled up. We asked for directions and before we knew it, George and Angela were offering us a ride! (Being in a car made me realize how much I already miss driving.) Guru and I were very grateful for their kindness, and would've been more than happy being dropped off at the general store - but George and Angela went above and beyond. They casually mentioned the $10 all you can eat breakfast at the Fontana Lodge (which was ending in 20 minutes), and rushed us over there after seeing the excited/hungry look in Guru's eyes. In in the words of Bunny, the Fontana Lodge is 'swanky' - eating at the buffet was the first time I could relate to the phrase "hiker trash". Not only were were slightly dirty and lugging huge packs, but I almost knocked over a candle with my trekking pole, and I dropped a food tray cover on the hard floor. Oops.
The fancy-schmancy dining room.
(And Guru's silhouette)
Breakfast included: chocolate milk, grits, gravy, homefries, scrambled eggs, cinnamon buns, fresh fruit, mini donuts. It was hard to believe it was only $10!
After obtaining my resupply box (Guru fully resupplied from the hiker box), George and Angela offered to drive us back to the trailhead. On the way, we found out George's love for disk golf.
He has his own portable disk-golf basket!
Georgia and Angela were very generous, and made sure we were all ready and set before they continued on their way! Thank you once again!
At this point, it was pouring and rumors of thunderstorms were running wild. I took a shower at the visitors center and we decided to zero at the Fontana Hilton - so we waste a bunch of time, charge our phones, and take refuge from the rain. Around 2:30pm, we watched as Bunny ventured out across the Fontana Dam towards the entrance of the Smokies - this made Guru extremely antsy and he decided he (/we) needed to hike. I tried to argue, I attempted to say no, but he somehow convinced me to scrap the idea of a zero day.
Guru says he feels like one of those guys from Monsters, Inc.
The view from the Fontana Dam!
An iconic moment!
The view was fantastic and within 15 minutes, the rain had subsided!
Look Ma, I made it to the Smokies!
Such a joyous moment!
The beginning of the Smokies was a very gradual uphill, the views were beautiful, and Guru even spotted a bear in the distance! (He was just chillin in a tree about 300 feet away.)
Eventually we reached a blue-blazed trail leading to the Shuckstack Fire tower. We dropped our packs and headed up to find Bunny. Climbing the fire tower was a tiny bit scary, but the view was incredible!
Lol, I slipped on the first step.
Look at that smile!
(And the fog rolling in...)
Brings me back to my Camp Mason Catfish Firetower days.
Bunny was attempting to catch up with her friends, but it was getting late so she decided to camp with us at Birch Spring Gap. Being in the Smokies, rules are a bit more strict in regards to bears... (there are also a ton of section hikers).
Woo! Danger!
Camp chores. Bedtime. Yay!
Shelter: Camping at Birch Spring Gap
Miles today: 5.9
Miles from Springer: 171.7
Miles to Katahdin: 2013.6
Day 22: April 20th: A Magical Day/A Terrifying Night-Hike
Bunny and I had decided to get up around 6am in order to get an early start, but I woke up to an intense thunderstorm around 5:45. I snuggled up in my sleeping bag and hoped that a tree branch wouldn't fall on me. I absolutely adore listening to storms from my tent!
So the storm ended, we ate breakfast, and headed out around 8:30 with the hope of finding Bunny's friends (Quail and Punchline). The morning went by pretty uneventfully - I really enjoyed spending time getting to know Bunny. TMI once again: (but hey, this is a vital part of the trail) I started the morning with the thought that Mollies Ridge Shelter would have a privy - I hiked for 5 uncomfortable miles only to discover that there WASN'T ONE - only a really disgusting "toilet area" (Thanks, Smokies...). Guess I'll just have to get used to shitting in the woods!
"Where's the privy?!"
"There isnt one..."
"What! I would've went three miles ago!"
The next two miles were mentally brutal. Bunny and I were not feeling it. (Guru had caught up and passed us by then.) We decided to take a loooooong lunch at Russell Field Shelter, which turned out to be exactly what we needed. We hung up all our gear to dry, made a hot lunch (I ran out of fuel due to carelessness), and just relaxed for about an hour and a half.
The shelters in the Smokies are awesome - made of stone, skylights, fireplaces!
It was here that we met a guy from Long Island named "Stink-Jacket", who warned us against night hiking, due to the wild hogs. I brushed him off with that, but I was so amused by his abrasive personality that I consider him one of my favorite acquaintances at this time...
We made it to the next shelter by 5:00pm, and decided to commit to a night-hike in order to find Quail and Punchline. The hike up to Rocky Top was brutal, but the view was absolutely breathtaking (my favorite so far!)
360° panoramic views - we were on top of the world!
Angels were smiling down on us before our night-hike.
Everything felt absolutely magical - we had walked amongst millions of tiny white flowers (so abundant it looked as if there was snow on the ground). As Bunny stated: "if fairies exist, this is where they live". It was a picturesque spring day - it felt like Easter and we we overjoyed with life.
But then the sun started to set and night began to fall. I was getting nervous, despite reassurance from Bunny. I had expected it to be dark, but I didn't realize that that would mean pitch-black darkness. I was absolutely terrified for about 4 miles - and by terrified, I mean I forced Bunny to be in charge and I stared at her feet the entire time as she lead me into a dark deep valley. We discussed the possibility that we were the only people in the world night-hiking the Smokies at that moment - and realized that no one would find us for hours if something went wrong. Stink-Jacket's warnings were in the back of my mind, and my imagination caused me to see things that weren't there. The only redeeming quality of this was the view of the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge skyline, as well as the stars. It was the longest 4 miles of my life - I could feel the adrenaline pumping through me. At last, we saw headlamps in the distance and knew we were close. Stumbling upon the shelter was such a relief - we were finally finished, I was done. We set up our tents, ate a half-assed dinner, and attempted to fall asleep despite it being the coldest night yet.
Shelter: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Miles from Springer: 188.8
Miles to Katahdin: 1996.2
Day 23: April 21st: "It's All Downhill From Here"
Our friends were surprised to see us in the morning - we both got a warm welcome from the group. Though I started the morning with Bunny, Quail, Punchline, and Peas, I knew I wanted to do an additional 6 miles, so I pushed on forward after a quick lunch break at Silers Bald Shelter. The group called it a day 2 miles later at Double Spring Gap Shelter (where they had a negative altercation with some section hikers), but I wanted to get past Clingman's Dome so that I could "nero" into Gatlinburg the following morning.
One of the things I love most about the Smokies is the diverse terrain - it changes from flower fields to mossy forests to a "desert" feeling within miles.
An invasive insect species is causing havoc among the trees...
Though it's a bit sad to accomplish milestones without a trail family, I'm learning how to internally celebrate regardless!
Clingman's Dome stands at an elevation of 6655 feet above sea level - the highest elevation on the trail. Hence the phrase "It's all downhill from here!"
I head down the paved path a half mile to the gift shop in hopes of scoring a honeybun, but ended up spending $25 on souvenirs instead (patches, postcards, stickers). At least all the proceeds get recycled back into the National Park - that justifies it, right?
I was approached by a lot of tourists who wanted to discuss my thru-hike with me - typical questions include: "How long is the trail?" "How old are you?" "You're doing it alone?" "What do your parents think?" "Where do you sleep?", etc etc. Sometimes they like to point out how skinny I am, especially when I'm carrying my pack. Yes, I am aware that I could afford to gain a pound or two - thank you for the concern, I'm working on it.
I am fortunate to have climbed Clingman's Dome on a gorgeous, clear day!
I spent about an hour and a half in the area, but decided to head out sooner rather than later due to a new aversion to the thought of night-hiking. The remaining 4 miles went quickly, but the shelter was half a mile off the trail and already full when I arrived (not that I wanted to sleep in the shelter anyway). It got cold, quickly. Luckily I was able to borrow some fuel for a hot dinner, and Jumanji built a fire in the shelter. I chatted with two new friends - Whisper and Twixless. Jumanji noticed how cold I was, so he advised me to warm a rock in the fire so I could cuddle with it during the night. Honestly, it was amazing. I will do this whenever I get the chance.
My home for the night.
The Smokies are freezing, I'm over it.
Shelter: Mount Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Miles from Springer: 202.3
Miles to Katahdin: 1983.0
Day 24: April 22nd: Hitch-hiking and Trolley Rides!
I woke up early and was one of the first people out of camp. I knew the NOC shuttles were no longer in effect, so I would have to hitch-hike for real for the first time once I made it to Newfound Gap. A fellow hiker, Chance, said he would hitch in with me - but he hikes faster, so I asked for a head start that morning. The hike was brutal due to my extreme allergies - my eyes were swollen shut (I've had to refrain from the use of eyeliner!). I was sneezing, eyes were itchy and watering, my throat hurt, etc. When I made it to Newfound Gap, I sat on the North Carolina/Tennessee border, called my mom and cried. Chance never showed up (he hiked the wrong way that morning?). I received a banana and a honeybun from South Baptist Trail Angels while I planned my next move.
Yup. I just sat here and cried.
I spotted a friendly-looking Mom/daughter duo (with New Jersey plates!) dropping off two section hikers, so I approached them and asked if they were headed to Gatlinburg. As luck would have it, they happily offered me a lift into town! We talked about our lives and my thru-hike, as well as the fact that my allergies were acting up. I inquired about a first-med/urgent care center, and they generously offered to drive me to one on the edge of town. Sherri and Laurie dropped me off with the promise of coming back to pick me up (Thank goodness, because I left my pack in their car!). The first-med doctor took one look at me and informed me that I had pink-eye in both eyes. Ew. It makes sense though - my hands are permanently dirty and I'm constantly rubbing my eyes. I also got an allergy steroid shot in my butt which worked wonders! Thanks First Med :).
I needed to pick up a prescription at Food City down the road, so I began to walk - before long, Sherri and Laurie appear in the road next to me. I jump in and head to the pharmacy. When I get there, they tell me it's going to be 20 minutes - I didn't want to impose on Sherri and Laurie's time, but they were more than happy to wait for me. So I went inside and bought some food (you guessed it - cheese and avocadoes!) Afterwards, they dropped me off at the NOC where I had a resupply, and I ran into Guru (and Little Bear and Atlas). I had plans to stay in a hotel in Pigeon Forge with Bunny, but I couldn't get into contact with her - so Guru gave me a shakedown in the meantime. He told me to send a lot of stuff home, but I'm still a hoarder it seems.
Eventually I find out that I need to make my way to Pigeon Forge alone - about 6 miles away. Turns out, there's a really extensive and awesome and adorable trolley system in the Gatlinburg area!
I had to transfer twice, but it was only 50 cents each time.
I ride the trolley the entire way (I missed my stop), but it gave me the chance to see all of Pigeon Forge - which consists of the following: mini golf after mini golf place, Ripleys Believe It or Not, Wonderworks, Dueling Lumberjack dinner show, Dolly Parton's dinner show, Rock and Roll dinner show, Biblical Times, Beef Jerkey Outlets, the Paula Deen store, sketchy go-kart courses and bungee-jumping, Tanger Outlets, tacky souvenir and t-shirt shops, Fuddruckers, arcades, Buffalo Wild Wings, Bubba Gump Shrimp, Wax Museums, the world's largest knife retailer, pancake houses, free wine tasting, free moonshine tasting, horseback riding, lazy rivers, timeshares, so many hotels, etc etc etc. Seriously, it went on and on.
Finally! I arrive at the hotel and find my friends.
Clean sheets, a hot shower, free breakfast - what more could you ask for!
Though it's awesome to have a bit of a trail family, things now take forever. All we accomplished was resupplying at Walmart (I know, I know, Walmart is terrible - I feel slightly ashamed for having patronized them), and our laundry. Granted, our stuff was so gross it needed to be washed twice.
Peas and Bunny killing time...
I spent my time hand-writing a letter to my pen-pal!
Yay for receiving mail!
By the time we got to the hotel, it was 11pm. I showered, wasted time, and went to bed. Though it was great to get a free night, and I enjoy the company of Bunny, Quail, Punchline, and Peas - I was slightly disappointed that I didn't have the time to explore Gatlinburg. I suggested taking a zero, but I had no takers.
Shelter: Quality Inn in Pigeon Forge ($0!)
Miles today: 4.5
Miles from Springer: 206.8
Miles to Katahdin: 1978.5
Day 25: April 23rd: Unexpected Friends and an Unexpected Zero!
Though we woke up at 6:30 to take full advantage of the hotel's continental breakfast, the group didn't actually leave the hotel until after 11. (In all fairness - Quail and Punchline were attempting to deal with a faulty pack issue - the frame in Punchlines Gregory pack just snapped out of nowhere, and the company was entirely unhelpful.)
Quail and food!
(Waffles, scrambled eggs, biscuits, gravy, cereal, donuts, toast, bagels, juice, etc - it was pretty quality.)
Because the group got a hitch in from Clingman's Dome instead of Newfound Gap, I was 7 miles ahead. The game plan was to do various chores around town and then head out around 4pm to do the final 3 miles. Once the group got everything together, we all got on the trolley headed to Gatlinburg. I got off at the post office with the promise of meeting them at the 3 mile shelter for the evening. I mailed some gear home, did the same fo Bunny, and found my way back to the trolley stop.
I waited for about 3 minutes before a car pulled up beside me - "You're a thru-hiker! We'll give you a ride!!". Yay! The Murphys were kind-hearted and drove me all the way to the NOC so that I could blog, charge my phone, and find my way back to the trail. But as soon as I walked in to the NOC, I ran into Sherri and Laurie! They were just walking around Gatlinburg for the day, so I said "screw the blog, I'm going to join you!" We browsed all the shops (I was sad that I couldn't buy anything at Earthbound Trading Company), and it felt like I was part of their family for a bit!
They said if I make it to the PA/NJ area, I have a place to stay for a night!
While we were shopping, I got a text from Shay saying that she was spending the night in town - I instantly knew I wanted to stay and that I could make up those 3 miles the following day. So I had a place to stay, friends, and the whole afternoon free. After a few hours of shopping, I had had my fill of Gatlinburg. I headed over to the microtel where I met Cam and Lou (the Australians). We decided to spend the evening tasting moonshine, and eating at the Mellow Mushroom!
The pineapple was my favorite!
(I tapped out after a few though - not my thing)
Live music in the center of town
Slightly pricey, but so worth it!
Cam and his buffalo chicken pie!
(I ordered a mushroom pie - so so good)
Tom by the distillery!
Shay and Lou
(Later that night, 3 thru-hikers got $150 fines for open alcohol containers in this spot!)
All in all, a happy zero day. I've worked it out - if I want to make it to Damascus, VA by Trail Days, I just need to average 12.3 miles a day (and I factored in a zero in Hot Springs!), which is totally manageable.
Shelter: Microtel in Gatlinburg ($10 each)
Miles today: 0.0
Miles from Springer: 206.8
Miles to Katahdin: 1978.5
**These blog posts have essentially become my main journal. I apologize for any mundane, unnecessary details about my day.
