Date: 2013-10-15
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Bearfence Mtn Hut
Miles today: 26.8

Here's an excerpt from a thru-hiker who entered GSMNP yesterday,"When we arrived at the trail, you'll never believe this, there was no firing squad. Hikers were not being tazered into submission. In fact, there was nobody there at all, and the only indication that the park was closed was a small, typed sign near the parking area that said, "Due to the government shutdown, park facilities will not be in operation," or something to that effect.I'm a law-abiding citizen and believe in respect for authority. I'm pleased the majority of you agree with and support Crunchmaster's decision to hike on. There are those who may think he is a bad person for making this choice, though I fail to understand the reasoning. When you lie, cheat, steal, kill, or hurt someone then you are deserving of judgement and your character is called to question. What Trevor and other thru-hikers are doing is a form of civil disobedience, one that causes no one harm. Circumstances dictate the course of action he has chosen to take and I stand firmly behind him. I would not do so if his actions caused anyone harm.The AT exists and is maintained by volunteers. The government provides little support in maintaining and operating the trail. It just so happens the trail traverses through government managed sections. I would not choose to day hike or section hike a portion of the trail at this time, knowing that the NP is closed. On the other hand, I can't see this disrupting a hike for those who were on the trail at the time the shutdown occurred, and who have a plan and commitment to reach a goal.I'd welcome anyone who disagrees to sign the guestbook (and yes I understand your desire to remain anonymous - its why I'm having to respond openly here) but please share the logic and reasoning behind why a thru-hiker should not hike on through.I don't believe any of our WWII vets were arrested when they broke down the barriers into the WWII memorial the other day and am pleased that the law enforcement personnel had the wisdom to allow it to happen. While I wouldn't place a thru-hiker on the same pedestal that I would an armed forces vet, the principle is the same. In addition, our thru-hikers aren't breaking down any barriers, they're just continuing their walk through the woods with no expectation of receiving services of any kind.More later when I get a FB post..."Today was a very interesting day! We were on the trail by 7:30. It was pretty chilly out so we really needed to keep moving. We had a big climb right at the beginning of the day. It was a 2 mile climb up to Mary's Rock. We took a short break on top and then kept moving. Just a few minutes down the trail we caught up to Hover Job and Afternoon Delight. We haven't seen them since Delaware Water Gap. We kept hearing cars driving on Skyline Drive as we were walking. We knew the rangers were looking for us! We stopped for lunch at 12:00 on the top of Stony Man. The views were fantastic there so we stayed a little longer than planned. We saw a bunch of deer today. They are not scared of humans so we could literally walk to within 3 feet of them!When we came across the Skyland Stables things got a little scary. There were a bunch of cars parked there and the trail goes right by the stables. The coast was clear so we started crossing the road. When we were in the middle of the road a man walked out from behind one of the cars. We started just running down the trail until we were out of sight. It was a close call but we made it! Minutes later, as we were right next to the road, we heard a car coming so we jumped behind a tree and a ranger drove by. Another close call! We took a water break around 5:00 and still had 8 miles left. We decided to try something new so we all switched packs to see how heavy they were. It felt like I was carrying bricks when I had their packs. However, they were amazed by how light mine was! We only did this for about a mile and then switched back. We night hiked the last few miles and got to camp at 8:30. It was our biggest day, except for the 4 state challenge. We cooked supper and right as we were about to crawl in our sleeping bags we noticed a bear walking up towards the shelter. We shined our lights at it and it ran off. Hopefully we don't have a surprise visit in the middle of the night. Tomorrow, I will be getting off the trail for 4 days for my brothers wedding. I be back on the trail sometime Monday. I will have a short day tomorrow to where I'm meeting my dad and grandma. I can't wait to spend some time at home."Many photos are featured on this beautiful day: