Date: 2013-03-26
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Even though I had been in my sleeping bag for 12 hours and it was light outside, I had no desire to be the first on the trail or to get out into the biting cold. It seemed that no one else was in a hurry either as we all began to stir but stayed snugly in our bags. It had continued to snow during the night and finally Triple Step decided he was brave enough to blaze the trail. All of Trouble's water bottles were frozen so I gave her one of mine. It continued to snow big heavy wet flakes that clung to everything and made a beautiful, albeit treacherous, winter wonderland (see photo section for more pics). The white blazes marking the trail were often difficult to see. I discovered one of the best ways to know you are on the trail is to look for fallen trees where the trail maintenance crews had cut a section of the tree for the trail. I figured it was a safe bet that people weren't randomly cutting sections out of a fallen tree unless a trail ran through it! The snow was now about a foot deep and drifts up to my knees where I had to "post hole" my way through it. I wish I had my snow shoes that were sitting in my garage in Maine. Quaker and Trouble (Canada) (and her dog Melkie) decided to hike together since we were similar speeds and we felt it would be safer in a group. Word had spread down the trail that the Smokies were closed to hikers because of the heavy snowfall and even experienced hikers were getting into trouble. We started out with a strenuous climb up Cheoah Bald (5,062 ft). On the decent there were several places where we sat on our bottoms and just slide down the rock rather than risking falling on the snow and ice. By noon Trouble and Quaker wanted to sit down to eat lunch but I didn't want to sit in the cold. I was feeling more confident so I struck out on my own, knowing that I had a safety net with them behind me. Even though I was blowing air back into my hydration tube to keep it from freezing, yesterday my water bladder partially froze. Today I learned to pack my bladder against my back (inside my pack) and my body heat kept it from freezing. As I approached Stecoah Gap I could see the cars whizzing by on a paved road below. It was very steep and I found it dizzying and very disorienting. I was glad when I reached the gap and was climbing out the other side. Soon I began the climb up the notoriously steep Jacobs Ladder. Even though I didn't cover a lot of miles today, the weather and steep terrain made this one of the most difficult days yet. The deep snow causes you to walk differently resulting in more muscle fatigue. About 45 minutes after I arrived at the shelter, Quaker, Trooper, and Melkie arrived. Also staying at the shelter tonight are Triple Step (Connecticut, I think), Condor (California), M80, his wife Trooper, and his diabetic detection dog Willow. M80 got his trail name when he used an M80 firecracker to scare away an aggressive bear who had his food. Losing food for a diabetic can be an extremely serious situation. My favorite gear today are my Goretex Salomon trail running shoes that keep my feet dry in rain, mud, and deep snow. Some people say they don't like Goretex shoes because they retain moisture, but I have been very pleased with mine.