Date: 2017-04-29
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 32 on the Appalachian TrailApril 29Miles Today: 10.5 Total Miles: 247.2Another long night in the shelter last night. At least it was the last required stay in a shelter for the rest of the trip. My stays in shelters will now only occur if it is to get out of the rain for a night. Tossing, turning and listening to people do the same and snore all night does not add up to a restful night. Not having a restful night leads to having a long freakin day on the trail just like I did today.I was woken up around 5:30 by several other hikers who lacked any common decency. They didn't hesitate to make as much noise as they wanted as they were packing up and getting ready. I managed to fall back asleep for 30 minutes or so and then woke back up. Instead of trying to go back to sleep I put my headphones in and listened to some music to get my day started. After a half hour of music I began breaking my gear down. Kinsman had already left the shelter to get an early start and BA and Parakeet got up soon after myself. Due to being tired, groggy and somewhat irritated with others I moved quite a bit slower during my breakdown than usual. I putzed around and ended up waiting for BA and Parakeet to be ready to leave before heading out. We started the morning together and we're all planning on stopping at the Standing Bear Hostel along the way to grab some food. We headed downhill for a mile and then we hit the northern end of the Smokies. I couldn't have been happier to finally be leaving the GSMNP. It was wet, cold and miserable for most of our duration in the park. My favorite part of the whole park was the trail on the way out of it. After leaving the Smokies we continued on a way and came to I-40 where we had to cross underneath the major interstate and continue back on to the trail. Soon after crossing the interstate we got to the hostel and we're rewarded with cold sodas and food.We all sat around the hostel for about an hour as we ate, drank, and chatted with other hikers who were doing the same thing as us. By the time BA and I left it was 11:30 and it was starting to get hot. With a big climb of over 3000ft ahead I wanted to get on my way. Parakeet decided to stay behind to charge up some of her electronics. BA and I took off and began our climb. It was brutal right from the start and I knew it was gonna be a long afternoon. After pushing a little more than 2 miles I came to the first good source of water. There were a few other hikers grouped together looking at something that I couldn't make out from a distance. When I got closer they told me there was a large rattlesnake in front of them. I moved in closer and got a good look. This thing was huge compared to the snakes in used to seeing in NH. It had to be at least 4 feet long and several inches around. I was glad to have not come across it in the middle of the trail by myself while I was hiking. I watched it for awhile and then proceeded to get some water and eat some snacks. After 20 minutes of rest, BA walked in and was ready to take a break himself. We sat around for another hour before I decided to take off and finish the rest of the climb which was another 2.3 miles. Not too bad but it was steep and the heat of the day was draining my energy. After struggling with the mountain I eventually made the summit which was a nice grassy bald and had an FAA control tower at the top. I checked out the control tower for a bit and then started my decline into the camp spot for the night.2.5 miles from the summit I arrived at Groundhog Creek Shelter. Not being required to stay inside of it, I happily trudged right on by and found Kinsman already setup in a perfect camp spot for the night with several spots for tents for myself, BA, and Parakeet. It was just after 4 when I arrived and I was beat the second I stepped in to camp. I slowly put my tent up and got evening chores done so I could relax the rest of the night. With my tent up, water filled, and gear arranged I started to cook my dinner which consisted of a chicken ramen and then a single serving mountain house beef stroganoff. I had them both down shortly after making them and began to feel a little more energized. I checked out places to stay in Hot Springs and booked a cabin for our group for Monday night and Tuesday night. It's going on 8 and there's been no sign of BA or Parakeet. They may have ended up setting up camp somewhere else along the way. Hopefully they will be able to catch up so they can stay with us in Hot Springs on Monday.