Date: 2013-03-20
From: Derrick's Knob Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 18.0

Well Derrick's Knob Shelter was not nearly as warm and comfortable as the shelter at Mollie's Ridge. The wind seemed to come in through cracks in the stonework and under the eaves of the tin roof. Part of the roof was made of a clear plastic and from my spot on the top of the sleeping rack the moon shone directly in my face. Between the moonlight and the cold this was my worst night of sleep so far on the trail. I have grown somewhat fond of sleeping in shelters though, especially these in the Smokies which have stone fireplaces inside. There is a greater sense of community and adventure when you have ten or so hikers out here in the wilderness sleeping in the racks with the glowing embers from the fire keeping the building somewhat warm. I can't help but feel transported back in time to what it might have been like as a native american or early settler in this area ( though our down bags, backpacking stoves, and the stone shelters would certainly have been luxuries unknown to them).I made a greater effort to get ready quickly this morning as I knew we had a long day ahead of us. The night before, Slapp, Dragon, Woodrow, and I learned that it was supposed to be a bitterly cold night with a good chance of precipitation, so we decided to try to push 18 miles today to Newfound Gap. This 18 miles included a fair bit of eleveation change, including Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the entire Appalachian Trail.I left the shelter around 8:30, after Joe, Slapp, and Fly. Woodrow left with me but soon pulled ahead. It was a beautiful morning and as long as I kept moving I wasn't too cold. It was the first day in a long time that I actually hiked in my Smartwool brand merino wool leggings and shirt. ( In my opinion these two items were my best investment for the trail. I am consistently warmer than my companions when wearing them and they are super lightweight. They also are odor resistant which is a really nice feature. These are some of the only items I could not buy used or on clearance and cost over 200$ for the set. They are well worth the cost and I would buy them again in a heartbeat.)After passing a lot of Spring Break hikers that looked somewhat miserable (isn't Spring Break supposed to be warm and fun? Who chooses freezing to death in the Smokies over pretty girls in bikinis on a warm beach?? Oh yeah....me....) we stopped in and snacked at a couple shelters where we found plenty of trash. In one of the shelters someone told me there was actually a used diaper in a trash bag, which left us all puzzled (maybe a good idea for these cold nights...I wouldn't have to get up to use the restroom in the night!).As we neared Clingman's Dome we started seeing evergreen trees and walking through a lush forest filled with falled trees covered in bright green moss. The pines smelled great and I was finally seeing what I expected to see in the Smokies. Up until now we have been hiking through leafless trees and it has been somewhat depressing. Winter is not my favorite season. The downside of these forests is that the trees provided shade which kept snow and ice on the ground at higher elevations. The climb was gentle and the ice was not really thick enough to cause real problems. There were several balds on the way up which offered outstanding views to the north and the south. To the north you could see Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and to the South was the steroetypical view of the Smokies. Clouds intertwined with rounded summits fading to blue all the way to the horizon. I have seen this view a lot now but it is still just as beautiful and even more satisying as the number of mountains which I have climbed and passed increases.At the summit Slapp, Dragon, Roswell, Joe, Woodrow, Fly, and I took some pictures and enjoyed the views from the manmade tower. There is a road where you can park half a mile from this tower and there were plenty of tourists up here taking pictures. It was very strange to break out of the wilderness to a paved road filled with people that... just,.... drove here?? It didn't make the experience any less rewarding but I enjoyed the views and the solitude that some of the vistas on the climb up offered more than the experience at the tower. Not to mention that it was cold up on the tower, Roswell and I had ice in our beards.We heard from tourists that the visitor's center half a mile down the paved "trail" was open so we were sure that they must sell refreshments and snacks. Dragon, Woodrow, Roswell, and I walked the half a mile down just to be disappointed. They had some weird trail mix bars for $3.50 each and some expensive bottled water. Not even any tap water to fill our empty water bottles. Oh well. Good thing it was a cold day and we weren't sweating too much.I am typing too much so I am going to go enjoy the hot tub with Dragon, Slapp, Woodrow, and Fly. This is a cliffhanger huh... I'll finish this day's entry in just a while!The half mile walk back up to the trail from the visitor's center really sucked. It was a steep road and I have grown to hate walking on pavement. I'd rather have done several miles on the trail than that steep section of hard black pavement alongside overweight tourists--though it was satisfying to smoke them going up the hill, something I know I could not have done three weeks ago.Back at the trail head, I saw AJ (a hiker who came in late to the shelter last night, he hiked from Fontana Dam to Derrick's Knob Shelter in one day, 20 something miles) and the NY sisters, Cricket and Trisha. The sisters went up to the tower, Roswell came up and he and AJ went down the trail. When Woodrow and Dragon caught up we all started the descent.The climb down Clingman's was the most treacherous section of trail I have hiked so far. It was not as steep as over sections we have done, but the trail was completely covered in a layer of thick ice in places. I was bringing up the rear and having a harder time with the ice than my companions from New Jersey. I had just been thinking earlier in the day about how I had not yet fallen on the trail. Well I broke that streak. In a scene straight out of Warner Brothers i hit a patch of ice and momentarily shuffled my feet in a weird sort of dance before they completely went out from under me and I fell hard, landing with my forearm and ribs on a rock. Woodrow and Dragon heard my colorful language and stopped down the trail. After a few moments of silence..."Leprechaun? You okay?" I was fine, but it was a good reminder to go slow... each step could end the entire trip with a bad injury. We took our time going down and time after time the only thing that saved me from completely falling were my trekking poles. Crampons for my shoes would have been nice to have, but I can't justify the extra weight for the limited usage I would get out of them. It is better to just walk carefully and avoid ice whenever possible.Down the trail we passed Joe and AJ, then caught up with Fly and Slapp at the place where the trail splits to go to the shelter. Fly decided to come with us to town and we hiked the remaining 4 and a half or so miles to Newfound Gap. The hike was pleasant and we passed plenty of hikers doing small sections going south. We have seen more people around the trail on this day than probably in the entire rest of the trip combined.At Newfound Gap we quickly found rides into town. Shuttles were no longer running and a taxi quoted us $45 to come get us. No Thanks. I asked a man with his family in a pickup truck and at first he said he couldn't help us, he was going the other way. Then I think he found out the road to Cherokee, NC had been washed out by a landslide and he came back to the parking lot where we were. "Still need a ride? Get in the back."Slapp, Woodrow, and I piled in the back of his pickup and Fly and Dragon got a ride in a minivan with a nice couple from Wisconsin. It was a cold but beautiful ride to town and I loved riding in the back of the truck down the winding mountain roads, through tunnels, and alongside rapid whitewater rivers. My down jacket and fleece/wool cap kept me plenty warm. Slapp only had his rain jacket on and wasn't as comfortable. We got to downtown Gatlinburg and the smell of food hit us like a hammer. It was all we could do not to jump out of the truck at the first restaurant, or any of the number of places advertising funnel cakes and beer and hot dogs. This town is like a fair in the middle of the mountains. A strange place. The people giving us a ride hunted around for our hotel for a long time before we told them just to let us out, we were wasting their time and couldn't find it!I shook the man's hand and gave him some gas money which he tried to return, but it wasn't much and it sure beat paying for a taxi. We walked to the address google maps listed as the fairfield inn and it was another hotel. The lady at the front desk helped me to call around to try to find out where we were staying. I must have looked hungry because she told me to help myself to a cookie which she had baked. It lasted about 2 seconds so she encouraged me to take more. Slapp and Woodrow came in and she found out we were hiking the AT and she told us to take all of the cookies! She directed us to the correct location for the Fairfield Inn (about 2 miles away) and we got to walking. We saw a trolley stopped near the aquarium and I ran up and asked if he was going our way, the answer was yes so I gave $2 to cover the 50 cent fare each for the three of us. We got plenty of looks going through town carrying our packs. It didn't helped that I was wearing a bright red down puffy jacket, wool leggings, and athletic shorts. I looked like a real Srat Star (sorority girl). I chatted with the trolley driver and he told me about this girl he used to like that hiked the AT a few times and he took us right to our hotel. A few showers later and we were back at the trolley stop, heading down town to the Microbrewery for dinner. It was the same trolley driver that picked us up, and he remembered me so I didn't have to pay the fare. He dropped us off at the hub and got on the radio and told the other driver of our next trolley line to let the hikers ride for free. What a guy. The next trolley driver told us where to get off and soon we were seated at the Smokey Mtn Brewing Co ordering beers as it began to rain and snow outside. We all ate a good bit of food. I had 2 of the house stout ( not guinness but good, and my mustache with the foam from the beer was in full effect), a cheeseburger with barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, and bacon, with a side of broccoli and macaroni and cheese. The waiter came to ask us if we were ready for our checks and Woodrow and I asked for food menus. Less than a minute later we decided to order a large pepperoni and black olive pizza. By the end of that we were closer to full. It was a great meal and setting. Beers were $2 each after 9:30 and the woman playing guitar and singing was excellent. The snow outside coming down hard was more than enough justification for hiking to town early and paying the extra money for another night in the hotel.We got a cab ride back to the hotel and Dragon and I walked to a gas station to get some beer. Back at the hotel room we relaxed and watched the Lord of the Rings. Civilization sure has its perks.... but pull out sofas aren't one of them! I think I may have slept better on the floor.... I am getting used to sleeping on the hard ground and it is nice in its own way. Nevertheless, we all slept soundly and loooked forward to a relaxing day in Gatlinburg... and a free continental breakfast which we were sure to destroy!