Day 17: 9.7 miles hiked (trail mile 165.7)
Eager to reach Fontana Dam, we broke down camp by 7:30. We hiked with Caramel, M&M&M, Gandalf, and Rocket Man most of the way in. Right before reaching Fontana, we met Marcher, a man who seemed a real traveler like the kind folk bands sing about, who said this trail makes him feel proud to be an American. We also met So Uh, as well as Dr. Evil and her thru-hiking chihuahua, Lola: Instagram.com/ChiOnThePeaks
SoUh offered us a ride to the Lodge, which we accepted. At the lodge got a big lunch (to go) from the restaurant which we ate out on the patio, picked up our resupply box which my family sent (packed cutesy little presents for us like a couple flower headbands), did laundry at the laundromat down the road, and ate dinner at the restaurant with the same crew we’ve been with the last few days. We each took a long soak in the tub in our room. We are both quite sore and debating whether to enter the Smokies tomorrow or wait one more day. For our Smokies hike we will be carrying seven days of food; food weight is one of the reasons this is considered one of the most challenging sections of the entire AT, besides the huge elevation changes.
Aunt Becky and Aunt Pammy surprised us with these extra stylish headbands in our resupply box.
Day 18: 12 miles hiked (trail mile 177.7)
After a good night’s rest—and looking at the weather forecast for the Smokies—we decided it is in our best interest to move now and take our first zero (a day of no hiking) after we exit the Smokies. There appears to be a winter storm coming in that we might just miss, and we want to avoid temperatures in the teens while we’re in these mountains if we can. atweather.com has been an excellent resource; it allows hikers to view the weather forecast by state and by shelter. Weather can of course vary greatly between shelters depending on the elevation and which side of the mountain the shelter is on.
Along with the other hikers, we used the hot water tap in the hotel lobby to make cups of instant oatmeal and drank those as we packed. We are excited about the contents of our resupply, which contains a Backpacker Pantry meal for every night in the Smokies. This makes clean up fast and easy and will be great for making good mileage.
There were a few items we decided not to carry from our resupply box, so we left them in the hiker box. In this hiker box I found a Patagonia (known as Pata’gucci on the trail) rain jacket in Chris’ size, and in great shape with just one spot patched. Really nice find since Chris’s old rain jacket was starting to have its waterproof liner wear off. We left Chris’s jacket in the hiker box in case someone needs a wind breaker or is just desperate. We also found a couple granola bars that sounded tasty, and a handful of Smuckers jam packets which are worth their weight in gold. The only thing we were unable to find in the hotel resupply store was jam or dehydrated fruit, and pb&j tacos have become our lunch staple.
We took the hotel shuttle to the point we left off on the trail yesterday and began our hike with Donatello on a short road walk across Fontana Dam. While crossing the dam we saw our second bald eagle soaring over the water. When we approached the edge of the woods, we deposited our Smokies permits in an overflowing metal box at the trail head and started our slow ascent into the mountain range.
Can you spot the Bald Eagle?
Today was a major ascent into the mountains and almost entirely up, all day long. We climbed the tall, rickety Shuckstack fire tower and were awestruck by the beauty of the Smokies. Clouds settle all around the mountains and we are often either inside or above them.
Caramel, M&M&M, Rocket Man, and Gandalf
Toward the end of our hike the fog became super dense. We made it to Mollie’s Ridge Shelter just as the sun was setting and, because of the high chance of rain, decided to sleep in the shelter for the first time. The shelter is a standard three-walled structure except this one is two levels, has a fire crackling in the fireplace, and a large overhang so if it rains, we will stay nice and dry. There is a ride-runner staying here, so the place is well-kept. We are in our sleeping bags on the top center level. This will make packing up nice and quick tomorrow.
We also hung our bear bags on the bear cables. Because bears are so prevalent in the Smokies every shelter has bear cables. It’s so much easier than using our twine that I’m giddy about it. We saw lots of bear scat (identifiable by thick globs of black bear-hair) along the trail today, so we know they are here.
Bear scat is full of thick black bear hair!
We also have a view of some city far below and off in the distance (possibly Gatlinburg)—all the beauty and none of the noise.
Day 19: 12.1 miles hiked (trail mile 189.8)
Neither of us slept very well in the shelter. It is very different from the quiet of a tent. The shifting and snoring of others (especially Gandalf)—plus the pitter patter of mice feet—made for a long night. I eventually dug out our ear plugs and we were able to get a few hours of sleep. It was a good chance to try out the shelter though, since it was the same group of hikers that we’ve been with for almost a week now. We are still trying to be wary of the pandemic and tent as often as possible and mask in vehicles. I’m glad we took the opportunity to shelter sleep. If anything, it gave me a deeper appreciation for our tent.
When the sun rose, we were surprised to see a young stag outside the shelter only a few feet away. It was unbothered by our presence, as if it knew it was safely within national park lands.
We drank instant oatmeal out of our Nalgenes, and took off around 10am—a late start, but we did spring forward an hour thanks to daylight savings. The hike itself was lovely though rather uneventful, consisting of some steep ups and downs, more bear scat, and lots of fog. We enjoyed hiking the last mile with So Uh, pictured below enjoying his lunch with a view.
We were both dragging today but were relieved to hear—once we made it to Derrick Knob Shelter and ran into Blue Jacket, Spots, and Snapshot—that we weren’t the only ones who struggled with the steep grades in today’s hike. We are happy to be back in our tent tonight. Tomorrow, we may take it easy and only do a 7.5 mile hike to the next shelter. The only other option is 13 miles which would mean summitting Clingman’s Dome, the highest point on the AT, towards the end of the day. Tomorrow is also supposed to be high winds. We are going to get out of camp earlier than today and see how far we make it.
Blue Jacket
Day 20: 13 miles hiked (trail mile 202.8)
Out of camp at 9:15. We shared a Nalgene bottle of apple cinnamon oatmeal. So good. I hope the oatmeal routine doesn’t get old, although it probably will. We filled up a liter each at a stream because the Smokies have considerably less frequent water sources then the parts of the trail we’ve hiked so far.
The wind howled all day long, making for an exhilarating hike. We stopped for our pb&j tortilla lunch at Silar’s Bald Shelter so that we could eat while sheltered from the wind. By the time we made it to Double Spring Gap Shelter, it was only about 1:30 or 2, and the adrenaline we had from hiking in such windy conditions—as well as the rain forecasted for the next morning—inspired us to press on and summit Clingman’s Dome today in windy (but dry!) conditions.
In the Smokies hikers must plan their mileage from shelter to shelter because it is required to camp within visibility of the shelters to minimize environmental impact. Sometimes this forces hikers to cover more, or less, miles than they might otherwise chose to hike. Today it would be more, and we had an exciting hike up to Clingman’s Dome, the highest point on the AT.
Our surroundings underwent a major transformation as we passed into a very green and wet zone. It felt like an enchanted forest; vibrant green moss coats every surface, young spruce and fir trees sprout from nurse logs, and the aroma of pine needles and sap dominate the senses. Even in the wooded sections the wind cuts through the branches and all around us tree branches whipped back and forth, and entire trunk and root systems wobbled in the earth, making the soil undulate like liquid.
A nurse log with lots of life growing from it
We summitted Clingman’s Dome around 4pm (shortly after crossing the 200-mile mark!) and took a brisk walk to the top, where the wind was so powerful that it was a bit frightening, even weighed down by our packs. The winds at the top of the mountain were about 45 miles an hour according to the AT weather app, and surely more on top of the tower. I grasped the railing tightly and snapped a couple photos before we hurried to complete the last 4 miles of our hike to Mt Collin’s Shelter.
During the last leg of today’s hike, we saw some major telltale signs of the bark beetle, which is wreaking havoc on forests all over the country, including in the Smokies.
It looked like a storm was rolling in, so we opened to shelter-sleep again tonight. We squeezed in next to Snapshot and Spots; super grateful to be sheltered from the wind and incoming storm.
Day 21: 8 miles hiked (trail mile 210.8)
It rained on and off all night. Tucked into the second story of the shelter, directly under the tin roof, the sound of rain on tin sufficiently drowned out the snores and rustling of the 12 or so other hikers sheltering from the rain with us. We got a slow start, along with Spots and Snapshot, waiting out the morning showers. The rain lightened up around 10:30 and we headed out for an easy 8-mile day to the next shelter, Icewater Spring.
Chris scales a fence meant to keep wild hogs out of a protected section of the park
We passed Newfound Gap around midday. It was crawling with tourists - a bit of a shock after being in the woods for three weeks. One thing that really stands out is how strong dayhikers smell to us. Not just some of them, either. Literally every dayhiker we pass smells intensely of chemical fragrances, likely a blend of dryer sheets, lotion, perfume, etc. Even more mysterious, we can’t smell the other thruhikers although logically I know we must stink to high heaven.
Hiking up, we met a dayhiker couple who asked if we were thruhiking, and when we answered yes they offered us a couple of Cliff Bars! The Cliff bars energized us, and we powered through our last climb to the next shelter. As we made our way back into the woods, we realized that we have reached the point where the woods have begun to feel like home, which is a really nice feeling.
Breaking at the next shelter we reunited with Spots and Snapshot. We also met a family of 6, kids ages 14-19, who have already completed the PCT and CDT and are now thruhiking the AT to Triple Crown together. They hike long miles of 20-30 a day and claim the AT is the hardest trail they’ve done of all three. We frequently hear this which is a surprise to me as I was under the impression that the AT was the ‘starter’ trail of the big three. I suppose the constant dramatic elevation changes are what give the AT an edge, although the other trails certainly have their own unique challenges like long desert stretches or less trail support.
Not long after we settled into the shelter, Caramel, M&M&M, Gandalf, and Kitchen Sink arrived after a short adventure in Gatlinburg. Dance Party, Ramen, Spring and The Dream showed up after. It’s fun how we are starting to hike and camp with, more or less, the same thruhikers every day. The Curator (formally M&M&M) and Rocket Man played push hands against a picturesque mountain sunset backdrop, which was comical to watch. Chris and I looked on from the warmth of our sleeping pads.
Bear bags suspended on bear cables outside the shelter.
Thruhikers all get in our bags/quilts just before sunset and grow completely silent seemingly all of a sudden each night just as it reaches complete darkness. Tonight, just after the silence settled in, someone said “goodnight, everyone” into the darkness and the entire shelter (about 17 of us packed in like sardines) erupted into laugher. It has rained almost every night in the Smokies, and we have been opting for shelter stays almost every night, along with basically all other thruhikers.
Carrying a sopping went tent is just very unappealing because of the added weight, and the fact that it gets all the rest of your gear wet. We are starting to adjust to the shelters. I just keep my ear plugs on the ready in case of heavy snorers and am at peace with the fact that a mouse might scurry over my quilt at any moment, which has happened at least once already.