Date: 2003-04-19
From: Derrick Nob Shelter

To: Davenport Gap then Gatlinburg, Tn.
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: few clouds

start Derrick Nob Shelterdestination Davenport Gapdestination Gatlinburg,TennI woke up early this morning, even before the sun came up.I grapped my stove and quietly went outside to fix breakfast.I got my food bag down while my water was heating.The moon which was still pretty full was still high in the sky.It was really a treat to drink a cup of hot tea while the earth came alive.I listened as the birds becan to sing and even heard the last sounds of a Barred Owl saying goodnight or rather good morning.I ate a big breakast of oatmeal,bagels peanut butter and Tang.I would need any extra energy I could find for today's climb.The climb up to Clingman's Dome is 10.1 miles and a gradual climb all of the way. My knee is much better today but still bothers me on any decent.Our plan is to get to Clingman's Dome and hitchhike down to Newfound Gap to hopefully meet Mudbutt for dinner and a ride to Gatlinburg.Several times I pass Pushing Up Daisies.I think that she could talk to a tree if she thought it would talk back. I come upon a Boy Scout Troop on top of Rocky Top.I ask the leader if I can have a few minutes with them.I share my efforts about my hike for Polio Plus with them and share about Rotary. It is probably a 5 minute program. They act interested and ask questions.just as I am finishing ,Pushing Up Daaisie comes trudging up the hill. She takes a break and says to everyone "That hill really kicked my buns". One of the leaders says my program was good but hers was better! We all bust out laughing. It is during one of these times that I pass her and somehow I get off on the wrong trail.Only I didn't know that at the time.So here I am hiking along listening to a radio station out of Chattanooga.Now here is something to put things into perspective.I have been on the trail 3 weeks,I have hiked almost 200 miles and I am listening to a radio station within a 10 hour drive of my home in Florida!That is kind of depressing.I head down the trail for a while before I realize that I have not seen a white blaze in quite a while.This is definately a trail though, a nice rocky wet trail.It is on this trail that I vie for Mudbutts title as I try to slide under a couple of down trees and get stuck. My pack catches on a stub of a limb and I slide to the ground, very wet ground I might add! The grass is slippery and wet,and I cannot move forward or backward. I wonder how long I will hang here suspended like a pair of pants on a clothes line before someone comes down the trail. I am not very optimistic because I have seen no one on this trail at all! Of course I begin laughing and have a fit right there on the trail.After I get to where I can think rationally,which is a while for me,I figure out that if I undo mypack and slide out of it,I can crawl along the edge and worm my way under the remaining tree.That works,but I am covered in mud and soaking wet on the back of my shirt and shorts.It was kind of like the limbo in reverse. I come to a sign on the trail,where someone had left a note for a hiker to bear left and meet her in the parking lot.I take this as a good sign.At least there is civilization ahead and more importantly another hiker is on this trail.I bear left and it is not long before I emerge into the parking lot at Clingman's Dome.There is Just Jenn waving frantically at me.She and Maledrop have been on the trail with us the last few days.She says she has been here an hour waiting for Maledrop and he has not shown up.I vaguely remember PushingUpDaisies saying you would come out of the woods on top of CLingman's Dome and hike down a half mile to the parking lot.Here I am at the parking lot already.Turns out JustJenn had left the note for Maledrop,so her and I both missed the trail somewhere.She was not covered in mud though and I was not about to ask here how she got around the downed trees back there.I dropped my pack and headed up to the dome. have been here several times but the weather has always been too foggy to see any kind of a view.Almost to the top,here comes PushingUpDaisies and Maledrop.They have been waiting at the top for us!I almost go the rest of the way to the top to see the view.After all it is a beautiful day,clear and warm.PushingUpDaisies says we can see the view when we get back on the trail so I don't go.I have a feeling I will regret this decision later. It does not take long for PushingUpDaisies to get us a ride down to NewFound Gap to meet mudbutt.A couple, Greg and Cheyrl graciously gave us the seven mile ride.Maledrop,has decided to come into town with us,while JustJenn goes on.He is not feeling well. We are asked what the first food we are going to buy in town is,for PushingUpAisies it is big macs,maledrop wants a cold beer and I want Krispy Kreme donuts. As we unload our packs,I tell Greg about my hike for Polio Plus.He is very interested.Greg asks us if we are going to eat dinner together tonight,and I say yes.He hands me 20.00 for polio and 20.00 to buy each of us the food we had said we were going to by.Iam amazed once again at Trail Magic.We borrow a cell phone to try to call Mudbutt with no luck.As the parking lot clears out,we decide to try to get a ride into town before everyone leaves.It doesn't take PushingUpDaisies too long before she has us a ride into Gatlinburg. We are looking for a place to stay for the night.These two think cheap,I think Hot tub.The hot tub wins and we get a room at Le Conte View Motel.total miles 10.2