Date: 2023-07-20
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 10.0

Day 26 - The Finish LineThe final 10 miles has finally arrived. I can¢t believe we made it this far. Last night in the shelter with Vanessa we were all in bed early, about 8:15. The kids still had a hard time settling down for bed so we asked Vanessa if she minded if they listened to The Hobbit audiobook. She was so sweet and said that sounded great. So in the gathering darkness of the forest we listened to tales of Bilbo and the dwarves also traveling through a dark forest. During the night a heavy rain fell. Between hearing the mice running over the roof and the raindrops loudly plunking onto the metal roof, we did not get much sleep.  I was out of my sleeping bag around 5:40am to get water boiling and retrieve the bear hangs. Erin got up soon after and we started waking the kids. Everyone was excited to get an early start and finish the Trail.  Vanessa would also be finishing at Standing Bear so we all had the same goal today. We got on the very wet trail a few minutes after 7am.  We felt certain the rain would be returning soon and end our rain-free hiking streak so we were moving quickly.  About 3 miles into the hike there is a 0.6 mile side trail to a viewpoint. We decided we did not need to add an extra 1.2 miles to our youngest son¢s hiking plan but the oldest son and I would go for a look and then catch the others. Vanessa also came with us. She¢s quite adventurous and in incredible shape and she didn't want to miss a good view. The three of us hightailed it for 15 minutes of hiking and then some rock scrambling up to an old stone lookout tower. The views were the best we¢d seen on the entire AT so far. We were on the very edge of the Smokies and the view looked out over the surrounding lowlands and valleys for mile after mile. Back on the main trail we caught Erin and the kids (our youngest had been crying over missing the view) and we made it to the last shelter in the Smokies. We all ate a quick lunch and were interested to see this shelter as it is the last shelter that still has a chain link fence at the entrance. At night you actually close yourself and all your food inside to keep safe from bears. A reverse zoo of sorts.  It didn¢t feel very welcoming and I was glad we hadn¢t stayed there. It was bitter sweet as I wrote our final entry in a trail register, signaling the completion of the So Dang Sweet family adventure on the AT this year. After our quick lunch we were back on the trail continuing a rapid descent. The temperature was rising rapidly as we descended. The air was now thick and muggy and the forest undergrowth increasing. Our old nemesis, poison ivy, was everywhere again and the conifer¢s had been replaced with Oaks, Hickory, Beech and Poplar trees. Now we could hear the road noise from I-40 down below.  A harsh sound, reminding us of how peacefully quiet the forest had been the past few days.  We soon made it to a road, crossed a bridge, walked along a stretch of interstate highway on-ramp with trucks passing terrifyingly close and then walked under the I-40 underpass. We only had 1 mile to go. On we trudged with mixed excitement for the end and longing for continuation. It felt as if we were caught up in a current, whether we were ready for the end or not, we were rapidly approaching it and there was no stopping our course. We came out of the woods a final time onto a dirt road. A sign said ¢Standing Bear - 0.2 miles¢.  A UPS driver was walking up the road on a hike. He said he rarely sees hikers this time of year. He drives the nearby section of highway daily in his UPS 18-wheeler and stops for a 3 mile hike each day. He would¢ve chatted with us all day but we had a hike to finish. We said goodbye and started up the hill as 2 cars were ambling up the dirt road. We were telling the kids to move to the side when two of them shouted ¢It¢s our minivan!!¢ And sure enough it was. Sherpa Al and Sherpa Josh were delivering our van at just the right moment. We were so excited to see them again, the guys who first drove our van away almost a month ago when we were scared and excited and walking into the unknown with complete strangers driving off in our van. It seemed so fitting that they would witness the beginning and end of our journey. We let them pass and we walked our last 0.1 miles up the dirt road, all holding hands, crossing the finish line¢¦ together. 4 weeks after we started and here we were at the finish line. 250 miles of trials and triumphs. Our calves were stronger, our stomachs hungrier. Our appreciation for simple things had grown and our kids were capable of more than we imagined. So much to process, so much to think about. That could all wait until tomorrow though. For now, hot showers and a dinner were as far into the future as we cared to look.