Date: 2008-04-17
From: Double Spring Gap shelter

To: Icewater Spring shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: scattered clouds

A big thanks today to Sgt. Rock and Baltimore Jack for the trail magic of sodas at the road crossing! That tasted great. It was cool to meet another trail legend out here. I had gotten a lot of info from sgt. rock's web page when doing research on camping hammocks. Got to hang out and talk with them both for a while. Fun.Also, big news - we passed the 200 mile mark today! Yipee! I am currently at mile mark 207.6, and i only have 1968.6 left to go! ha ha ha! One step at a time... but i got thru 200... sweeeeeet.AND.. in the views department, i am 3/3. muahahahahahaha! Tomorrow we have charlies bunion, and then i forget what the other two were. But i might get 6/6. The next weather front is due here on Saturday, day after tomorrow, which will be my last day here in the park, so i may be able to pull it off...The word to describe today's hike would be "squish". The trail was super muddy today with all the snowmelt. We got a good start, just before 8am.... chewbacca was up and getting his stuff together at 5:30, so we woke up and got out earlier than normal... we got up to Clingmans Dome by 9:30. Highest point on the AT!! Of course we climbed the tower there and looked all around. Visibility was just about 75 miles... i could barely make out mt. mitchell, which the sign said was 75 miles away. cool... Now i never have to climb that high again... he he he...The hike down the north side was treacherous with snow! Actually, it wasn't... it got a little dicey here and there because of the melt/refreeze, and i almost fell on my butt a couple of times (thank you my marvelous trekking poles for keeping me upright)... that would have been unfun to hike in pants with a wet backside...So the trail today was kind to us, some big climbs, but all in all not too bad. They put a lot of the climbs up the side of the mountain, so it was more gradual, rather than going for the most direct route to the top... Today's trail was set up more like they do it out west. But, like i said earlier... squish, squish, squish, through the mud and assorted puddles all day. Embrace the mud... you cannot escape it... unless you like bushwacking through the snow covered forest...which reminds me - today's hike took us mostly through conifer forests all day.. first it was Christmas tree forests (snow... Christmas trees... almost like christmas, but no santa...). Then later it was a mixed bag of spruces, hemlocks, and other pines... i like these kinds of forests..We got to the shelter around 4... i had time to wash my socks, then make dinner and clean up, all before 6pm..we built a fire and watched the sunset. This shelter has a good view to the east.. the moon is bright, and stars were starting to come out when i came in. Tonight we have a full shelter again, with several tents too.. it's me, gobbles, hokewa, coach (formerly known as bob), snap, snack, enoch, moccasin, ed benton (i don't know his trail name yet), another thru whose name i don't know yet, and some section hikers. Fun group. it seems we are all heading to tri corner shelter tomorrow, so i should see them all again.Good hiking day....