Date: 2018-04-13
From: Laurel Falls

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: clear sky

Waking up to the sound of the river and waterfall was amazing. However, the sound of water made me have to pee! Realities of hiking and the reality of being in your tent for 12 hours haha.I woke up around 7:15 and began packing. By 7:35 I was sitting down for breakfast... A poptart! After finishing my rations, I began the hike out of the falls. It was a tough one! The weather was cool enough for pants, a quarter zip and my hat and gloves but as soon as I started uphill I ditched them and was in a t-shirt and pants. Weather today was expected to be about 70 and sunny so I was pumped!On my hike today I saw few people. A few day hikers headed south bound who were good for a quick "how are you" before we passed each other. I may have run into one other thru hiker. Seems the trail is thinning out a lot or I'm in between a bubble. There seem to be a variety of bubbles based on grouping and start dates. We have run into a few so far!I descended down to a highway in Tennessee that led to Hampton, TN. Hampton looked a bit different from the mountain than the Hampton I'm use to. I was hoping to use a bathroom facility at the gap labeled in my guidebook but it was locked. Must be too early in the year! Either way I took a break on the Sandy Beach at a pavilion. Reminded me a lot of Pawtuckaway Lake! I didn't even see any tourists I could attempt to Yogi. It sure was a lonely day!10 or 15 minutes later I began hiking again. The trail meandered along the lake side then over a dam that had created the lake. It was nice and the weather was getting warmer. Along the path, a US forest service note warned hikers that the trail was closed to anyone besides US forest personnel, fire, police, EMS and thru hikers because of bear activity. I felt pretty special being able to hike it! The shelter a mile from the beach area was closed too because of the same reason. Even more loneliness! To top it off, the first person id seen in over three hours was a south bound trail runner. Couldn't even get in a hello before he was gone! What a day!I started up some tougher ascents and by 2pm reached a shelter for a late lunch. On the ridge line looking east I could see a huge cloud of smoke billowing from the trees. Throughout the afternoon it grew in size and I was sure it was a wildfire. I heard helicopters in the distance and when I got to the shelter for lunch I talked with a section hiker about it. Lucky for us there was a river between us and the fire and the AT doesn't seem to go that way but still sketchy. I called home to see if they saw any news about it but nothing so, nevertheless, I kept hiking!I sweat so much today that my shirt was covered. Water has become more scarce lately and so I really have to plan out my water each day. At streams and springs, people often put rhododendron leaves in the current to create a sort of spout enough to fill up your bottle. It can be tough sometimes. I'll have to post a picture of what I mean sometime.I hiked on and by 5pm had pushed 23 miles. I cranked out big miles these past two days to make my two days into Damascus a bit easier. As I arrived at the shelter, I realized again that I was alone. This is the first time I've had a shelter completely to myself. I set about doing chores, digging a hole for you know... And preparing for the night. I spoiled myself with a Mt house meal after having hiked 49 miles in two days. I snacked on Oreos and a Hershey bar which are literally my two favorite foods in the world then enjoyed some daylight time with no worries and no obligations after hanging my bear bag. The nice weather has allowed me to dry all my stuff out completely. It even has the faint smell of wildfire to mask the horrid scent. I'm now laying in the shelter listening to the wind pick up and avoiding the smoke in the air hoping this fire doesn't become an issue! The shelter is so quiet void of people that a deer ended up coming down the hill. I stood and watched him for a while. Until he continued on his way.P.S: I really wish everyone reading this could see the look on a thru-hikers face when they arrive at a gap or road. Even after only a few days in the woods everything seems so fast and foreign. We have such a dazed look and I know it's really weird for myself. Thank you John and Linda of Franklin, NC for continuing to follow my hike!