Date: 2013-04-01
From: Birch Spring Gap

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: broken clouds

The rain stopped during the night. I packed up a very wet tent, had breakfast¢¦.and hiked out. The first 2 1/3 miles of today¢s efforts were a gradual up until I reached Doe Knob on the TN/NC state line. By the way, you will find that a lot in the Smokies¢¦straddling the state line! You walk in and out of both states as the trail meanders. Sometimes your walking finds the left foot in Tennessee and your right foot in North Carolina!At that point, I was looking forward to reaching Ekaneetlee Gap which was a mere 1.4 miles further. According to the guide book, there was a water source at Ekaneetlee Gap¢¦and I needed water! Entering the gap, I looked around but saw no water source. I had the equivalent of ¢three swallows¢ left in my Gatorade bottle¢¦and I really didn¢t want to bushwack my way around the area hunting for water. So, in my infinite wisdom, I determined that I had sufficient plenty to ¢make it¢ with what water I had. BIG MISTAKE!! The next water source was at Mollies Ridge Shelter, about 112 miles on down..uh, excuse me..on UP the trail! When you leave a gap, then you go up¢¦and I ran out of water a half mile later, cussing myself profusely for not having searched it out. I finally reached that next shelter at Mollies Ridge and resupplied, drinking plenty on the spot to quench my thirst!I had to take a moment and take a photo of the grassy area near Mollies Ridge to send to my wife. Using my cell phone camera, I shot the area that I knew would be full of wildflowers in another month or so. You may remember in an earlier post I mentioned a trip other Alabama hikers and I took in June 1985. Well, on that trip, we stayed at Mollies Ridge on what was actually my future wife¢s birthday. On that long ago trip I went out into that grassy area full of wild flowers and picked a bunch for Nancy and took them to her in the shelter¢¦the first flowers I ever gave my wife! I sent the photo by text.Onward I trudged. I have for years come to the Smoky Mountains for the trees, the views, and enjoyment of being outdoors. I had all that where I was¢¦but with the addition of lots of mud and ice on the trail making it difficult to walk. In places the trail is more like a trough. So many people have ¢trod¢ up and down the Appalachian Trail, especially the sections running through the Great Smoky Mountains, that the trail has worn down. Water sits in small puddles and pools at different points. With the cold weather we were still getting, ice was the natural result. Shaded parts of the path and cloudy days had prevented much of the ice from melting so far.Spence Field Shelter, where I planned to spend the night, came into sight about 5:30 pm¢¦Postman was already there, along with two section hikers. In addition, four students on Spring break came in just before bedtime. There was plenty of room for all. Smokies shelters are somewhat larger than many of the others earlier on the trail, holding about 12 people. It used to be that the Forest Service required chained fences with gates to go across the front to keep bears out. Now, the fences are gone and large tarps hang on the front, open side to keep the wind out. So, dinner¢¦brief time for chatting..and it is time to hit the bag!