Date: 2018-03-20
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: DerrickÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: moderate rain

The winds calmed last night at the command of an extremely loud burst of thunder. Then came the rain to calm the thunder and eventually the rain would submit to clearing skies. The stars still shined brightly when I stumbled down the trail a bit in search of an ever elusive cell signal. No joy! When I returned to camp to retrieve our food bags from the bear cable system the stars were fading with the rise of dawn.Minus the duo from the Siler Bald Breakfast Club, everyone was up and out early in hopes of beating the rain. Which Way and I also hoped to push a few miles past our planned 12 mikes in an effort to get a little closer to Newfound Gap (and access to Gatlinburg) ahead of the approaching storm. All was well during the first 3 miles of our hike, with cool temps, calm skies, and soft terrain. We planned to filter water at the next shelter (3 miles into the hike), but realizing we may have passed it by, I pulled up the Guthook app on my phone to learn that the side trail to the shelter was .1 miles behind us and then it was another .2 miles to the shelter. Rather than turn back, we decided to suck it up until the next water source about 2.5 miles up the trail. The climb up Thunderhead Mountain was steep, yet quite scenic at first, with grassy fields and orchards lining the path. We paused about two-thirds of the way up, for a view of Rocky Top Mountain (as in ¢good ol¢ Rocky Top, Rocky Top Tennessee...¢). Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that yesterday we hit the NC/TN border and that the trail kind of skirts the border through most of the Smokey Mtns. The shelter we stayed in last night was on the Tennessee side of the border, as will be the next several shelters.The last third of the climb up Thunderhead Mountain was over steep, wet, and rocky terrain. Some rocks were large enough to cause us to take paus and carefully choose a line up and over. Other parts consisted of small loose rocks down in a rut. Needless to say, it was slow going. Making it a bigger challenge was the fact that we were out of water. No worries, my sister, Kari, had given us each a honey sucker back in Robinsville that we were saving for such a moment. The honey-sweet sucker quenched our thirst and provided the boost of energy we needed to summit Thunderhead. Now we had been seeing signs of bear all day (e.g. scat, fur, clawed trees) and could even smell a pungent odor likely from their urine (it was either that or the Breakfast Club was hiking just ahead of us). Wait! Bear signs plus remnants of honey sucker on our lips and sticky fingers, thanks Kari. More rock obstacles greeted us on the descent from Thunderhead. We encountered several south bound section hikers along the way, including one young man resembling a forest elf and a group of overdressed college students. We finally arrived at a sign pointing the way to our water source. Unfortunately, it was about 200 yards down a steep hill. To make matters worse, the handle on my Katadyne Filter broke off during the process. The filter has been clogged for a couple of weeks, making it harder to push the pump handle. Despite cleaning the filter, it quickly gets stopped up with sediment in the field. We will be using water treatment tablets until we can get to town to purchase a new filter system. Still two miles out from Derrick Knob Shelter, the rain began to fall. Wearing shorts and t-shirts, we walked up to the shelter sopping wet and cold. We quickly ducked behind the shelter tarp to put on dry clothes. Rick and Hops were already there, along with the core group of the Breakfast Club. We made some lunch while contemplating our next move. Meanwhile, a couple we passed on the way up Derrick¢s Knob, came into the shelter for a quick respite, then moved on. Hops told us that we just missed the patriarch from the Crawford Family giving the other seven a ¢pep talk¢ as they were ready to make the 5 mile dash to the next shelter (which only holds 12 hikers). Our decision was made. Although it was only three o¢clock, we did not want to risk hiking in the cold, wet rain, only to arrive at a full shelter with limited daylight remaining. There is a stone fireplace inside the shelter, so I worked with Frizzle and Nugs (original Breakfast Club members) in gathering wood and providing some warmth inside the tarp. Together, we sent a different kind of smoke up the chimney. Of course, Which Way, in her kindred motherly spirit, easily entered into conversation with the group. Building bridges. Dinner shortly followed lunch. Other hikers stroked in, including RC, Little Furry Animal (from an old Pink Floyd song), who hiked all the way from Fontana Dam, and at least one hiker who slipped in after dark. We found a spot to lay our sleep mats and bags on the top shelves of the shelter. We laid awake a bit longer, listening to the rain hit the roof. Then the noise stopped. Snow!   ¢Next StepElevation Data:Ascent - 3,360Descent - 3,100Grade - 9.0Weather:Day - 45 / ShowersNight - 22 / Rain/SnowOver the Horizon: Clingman¢s Dome Note on Photos: Additional photos of our hike (e.g. views, bear scat, broken filter, bear cable system) can be found under Menu-Photos. It may take a day or two to get them all loaded, as a strong signal, ample battery, and time are required.Update: Unable to load entry until 1300, 21 March. Safe at Silers Bald Shelter (TN) after hiking all morning in snow. Pressing on to for a couple of miles to Double Stream Shelter.