Date: 2017-04-26
From: Clingman's Dome

To: Ice Water Spring Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 29 on the Appalachian TrailApril 26Miles Today: 10.7Total Miles: 209.8This morning was my hardest morning getting out of bed. We ended up staying up until nearly 12 last night and we're supposed to get up at 6 so we could get going and make the 8:30 shuttle from the NOC to Clingmans Dome. My first alarm went off and I instantly snoozed it. Next alarm went off 15 minutes later and I managed to wake up but sat in bed for the next 20 minutes or so trying to fight the urge to close my eyes again. Eventually I decided the best way to wake up would be to walk to the convenient store to get coffee so out the door I went. A short walk later and I arrived at the store.. closed until 8am. No biggie, the general store opened at 7 so I went back to the room, waited 10 minutes and then Parakeet, Bon Appetite and I walked down. Instead of coffee I went with a red bull which quickly got me on my feet and motivated for the day. My bag was packed and ready to go soon after getting back to the room. Everyone headed out to the shuttle pick up location at 8. We took some pictures together and hung out a bit. We watched as a pick up truck rolled in to the parking lot. He put down his window and said he would take as many people as he could fit in the bed of the truck up the mountain. Without hesitation we grabbed our gear, threw it in and hopped in the back. We all squeezed together in order to create some heat. It would be a cold ride to the top for sure. On our way up the mountain we had wonderful views of the surrounding mountains, water sources and valleys. It was a complete bluebird day and we couldn't have asked for a better one. A half hour later we arrived at the parking lot for Clingmans Dome. There were a few other hikers there when we arrived, one of which had a guitar. Parakeet walked over and soon began strumming away. She played a beautiful song that made the views that much better. Afterwards we began the half mile climb to he observation tower where the trail started back up again. We all went to the top of the tower to check out the views we couldn't see on Monday due to the fog. I'm glad we were able to come back because the 360 degree view from the top was absolutely amazing. After taking in the views for a while we started down the trail and I was quickly sailing along. The trail was almost identical to the White Mountains and I was easily picking out the perfect line of travel and almost running down the trail hopping between rocks, logs and roots. It didn't take long for me to get 5 miles in to the day to Indian Grave Gap where Kinsman and I decided to have lunch. We laid in a very nice grassy area next to a parking lot for nearly 2 hours, ate lunch, enjoyed the hot sun, and I did some catching up on journaling. It was a perfect way to take a break in the middle of the day. Bon Appetite and Parakeet walked in towards the end of our break and decided they would hang out a bit as well. Since the next Gap, Newfound Gap, was less than 2 miles away we all headed out and made our way there. On our arrival we were greeted by some trail angels doing some magic. We were offered hotdogs along with some other trail snacks. I was give two hotdogs which I smothered in mustard and had down in a few large bites. They were fantastic and hit the spot after hiking a couple more miles. We all sat around and chatted with the angels for a while before heading off for the shelter. After departing from the trail magic at Newfound Gap, I began the climb to Icewater Spring Shelter which was a short 3 miles away. Right at the start of the trail coming out of the gap was a sign listing the mileage to certain areas along the trail. At the bottom of the sign it said "Mt. Katahdin - 1,972." On my way by I put out my hand and pressed it to the sign on the 1,972. At that moment I felt more like a thru-hiker than I ever had before. I had broken the 2,000 mile mark and I realized the AT is so much more than just another hiking trail. For the first time I felt a connection between myself and the trail. I can't explain it, it's just something you have to experience for yourself. The 3 miles to the shelter passed quickly and when I arrived there were tents spread out everywhere. A good sign for those of us who don't like staying in the shelters as this means the shelter is full. However, the area around the shelter was already littered with tents and there were few spots available that would be suitable for the night. After looking around, I was able to find a decently flat spot with very few rocks and roots in the way. Definitely not an ideal tent site but it will do for the night. By the time I had my tent set up, Bon Appetite and Parakeet arrived. They were both able to find spots for their tents as well. Soon after I made dinner. By this time is was already 7:30. After dinner I walked down to the shelter with my 32oz High Life and found Bon Appetite (BA)  and Parakeet making their dinners. I sat down with them, cheered with BA who had also packed a beer out from town and took a big gulp. I had just earned my trail name. BA dubbed me as "Champagne" due to me carrying out Miller High Life from nearly every town we've been to since the start of the trail. High Life's slogan is "the champagne of beers" for any of you who didn't already know. We sat around for a bit longer before I felt like retiring for the night. After such a late night last night I was hoping for an early bed time tonight to make up for it. I headed off to bed and crawled in my tent right around 9 to write my journal entry for the day. It's now past 9:30 and I'm about falling asleep as I write.