Date: 2008-04-16
From: Double Springs Gap Shelter

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: clear sky

BS and I woke up early because it was frigid, and the most effective cure for that that I have found is moving. We also wanted to hitch into Gatlinburg to dry out and eat a real meal. last night we arranged to share room costs with Pod and Rhody. We were the first to leave camp, and it looked like they were going to follow shortly.Today was interesting because we summited Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the AT at 6,643 feet. Woohoo! Sonce we'd been climbing so much since we entered the Smokeys, today's climb wasn't even all that noticeable. We accidentally took a wrong trail, but realized it before too long since we were descending instead of ascending. Everyone is bound to do it at some point on the AT. Today was our day and I will forever be paranoid about it. As we descended the mountains into Newfound Gap (Road that leads to Gatlinburg), the snow cover dwindled significantly. Another bit of Mother Nature's bounty that surprised and amazed me: thousands of seemingly delicate little wildflowers were emerging from the snow unscathed... more unscathed than me, even. I don't know how they survived and the mystery of it only makes me appreciate the natural world more. One rule I have set for myself on the trail is that I will not hitchhike alone. And no worries... I always hitchhike with a towel. So when BS and I arrived at Newfound Gap, we were a bit surprised. Neither of us realized what a tourist attraction that place was. It marks the border of NC and TN, which had long since lost it's glamor for us since we'd been crossing and recrossing the border for days. Anyway, neither one of us are seasoned hitchhikers, so we decided to just start asking the tourist for rides. I thought I had struck gold when one family asked us to take their picture. They were really friendly and started asking us a bit about our hike. IT's amazing what a conversation stopper asking for a ride cam be when you smell like a carcass. THings got weird. The father started stuttering. I quickly put and end to it and muttered something about being able to get a ride from the early 20 somethings at the other end of the parking lot. We strolled over to them next. The usually locquatious BS was suprisingly quiet during all of this. It seemed that this was the one situation where the woman with a lot of experience and few boundaries was a bit uncomfortable. So, the 20 somethings. As we get closer, I'm sure we're in luck. They have skateboards, long hair, tatoos and peircings. Risk takers, I assume. Out for adventure, and maybe open minded about giving smelly strangers a ride. As I get closer to their SUV, my hopes are dashed when I see how much they have packed into their car. As I'm again becoming nervous about standing too close lest they smell that carcass scent, my eyes are drawn to the roof rack. There, my shocked eyes find, the severed head of a buck. My God I was glad they didn't have room for us. They said the head was just something they "picked up." Friends, when was the last time you "just picked up" a buck head? We ended up thumbing it and a great young fellow named Cory picked us up and drove us to the Smokey Mountain Brewery.It was there, I realized with horror, that my warm jacket that contained my wallet had somehow fallen off my pack. After over 200 miles of packing and carrying it the same way. Add this to the list of thigs that went wrong. Lost bounce box. burnt shoes. Now I had no checks, no wallet, nothing to tie me to my finances. IT was strangely freeing on some levels... but not on many. I decided not to freak out about it since there was really nothing I could do about it anyway.Then Pod called. He found my jacket, with wallet intact, and brought it to the room that night. I owe him big time. And it didn't stop there...