Weekly update

Today was physically challenging. It was 15 miles of perpetual uphill. Every time I thought I was at the top, more uphill…

I started my day at the NOC leaving around 10 AM. A late start to the morning but got a great night’s sleep and a good warm breakfast. So many people last night were headed to sassafras shelter which around 7 miles, I had to get further since I have a reservation at The Hike Inn for Wednesday. So I made it to Brown Fork Shelter.

I met a man at stecoah gap named Lonnie giving out fruit. He said he owns a hostel in town and had really good prices ($25 per bed for a real bed). I accepted the fruit, declined the hostel.

I arrived at brown gap by 7 PM. It was steep and difficult.

Set up the hammock. Cooked dinner. Hung my bear bag. And now in bed.

The next day, I stayed at The Hike Inn in Fontana Dam, NC. Lilly shipped me a package that included a sleeping pad and resupply for 5 days of food. The package was delayed. Due Monday for delivery, Wednesday and Thursday, the package was still not there.

I gave myself 5 minutes to be frustrated, mad, and upset at USPS. Then I decided to roll with the punches. I went into Robbinsville and resupplied on food.

The rationale for this mail supply was the fact that I started the smokies this week. The smokies are heavily regulated and you are required to sleep in a shelter if there is room. Because I sleep in a hammock, I don’t have a pad to insulate from the ground. The pad is for both comfort and warmth. Because usps delayed my package, I was without this integral piece of equipment. The first day into the Smokies I walked my furthest – 19 miles. And I slept on the wood platform without any pad. It was uncomfortable to say the least. But I’m a person who follows rules.

The next day, I went 13 miles and the shelter was full. I slept in my hammock. Today I walked 10 miles to newfound gap and got a hotel in Gatlinburg. I passed the 200 mile mark of the hike. I also passed the highest elevation on the trail at clingmans dome. I got a picture in front of the fire tower but the clouds and fog made it impossible to see anything until later in the day when it cleared up.

In the smokies, I met two individuals from Vermont, Turtle (38) and Shark tooth (27). I’ll probably join their trail family for a bit as we seem to pace and do mileage similarly. They’re super wonderful and great to be around. It’s a big turnaround from two weeks of walking in silence/podcasts/audio books.

Yesterday, even, I got really in my head and thought I was done. With the help of Lilly and support of everyone, I knew I couldn’t leave the trail because of a bad day.

Gatlinburg is kind of a wild town. Getting into town was an absolute hoot. 4 hikers waited 30 minutes for a shuttle. She came about 10 minutes after we got to newfound gap (15 miles out of Gatlinburg). We snatched a ride with the lady in her minivan. Estimated weight of people, animals, and gear was almost 1800 pounds. We’re not sure the minivan was supposed to have that much weight in it.

Joshua was meeting me at the hotel I rented. Turtle and shark tooth were still looking for a room. The shuttle driver said that she had space for $70 which is the cheapest you’d find in town. She let me do my laundry at her apartment and fed all of us… It was really nice. Joshua and I hung out for the remainder of the evening and enjoyed the weather. As I finish this post, rain is starting to fall and should continue until noon.

Some posts I’m planning: food/water on the trail, daily planning/intraday planning, wildlife. So, some pretty interesting topics for those who don’t hike (I think).