Date: 2006-03-26
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Russell Field Shelter to Double Spring Shelter. By far, the most difficult day of the A.T. 16.4 miles. Felt like 35. Snow everywhere. 6-12 inches of snow with drifts up to three feet. All trash camouflaged. My earliest start so far: 6:30am. Restless¢s radio said the weather would clear up today but the sun never even winked at us till after noon. Still, utterly beautiful. Branches painted with rime ice and snow, like thick, cottony spider-webs. It was a picture day if there ever was one. There were some stretches that I never saw a white blaze for over a mile or two, and had to trust only tracks in snow. It was like that during most of the ascent up Thunderhead Mountain (5527¢). I was half convinced we weren¢t even on the trail anymore¢just hiking through deep snow for the heck of it¢eventually we would come to a spot where we¢d have to backtrack and do it all again¢¦but then suddenly we were standing on its crown with a sign telling Buree and I the elevation. Thunderhead is supposed to offer one of the best views of the area but we saw only clouds because we were standing in them. We took a break at Sugar Tree Gap¢only the halfway point of our day and hiking five hours already. ¢Is your hose frozen?¢ I asked Buree (meaning the water-tube on her hydration pack). She nodded. ¢Since yesterday¢I haven¢t been drinking much water.¢¢Yeah, me either.¢ When it¢s that cold out (the high had been in the low 40¢s during the last two days) you have to remember to blow the water back through your tube every time you drink. Otherwise the water in your tube freezes and the unfrozen water inside your hydration pack can¢t get sucked through the hose. But sometimes the moisture from your breath is enough to stop it up anyway. My hydration pack was always insulated inside my backpack, but at times even that water became slushy. My other water source was my Nalgene bottle, which I kept in one of the exterior pockets. Also slushy, but at least accessible¢that is, when I was able to break the frozen seal and unscrew the lid.My boots and socks were completely saturated by now¢more than they had ever been the previous day¢feet starting to get cold, numbing in places. Took a short break at Derrick Knob Shelter, and removed all the ice from my boots, aired off my feet, wrung out my socks, and then put them right back on. Night Rider caught up with me at the shelter, wearing only tennis shoes¢soaked. He wasn¢t a fan of the snow at all, and when we left, he was practically flying up the trail, trying to get out of the Smokies as quick as possible. I must say he inspired me. Not that I didn¢t like the snow¢it was beautiful¢seemingly magical at times, yet I was tired of trudging through it step after step. I just wanted to be sitting down at the shelter with dry feet and a fresh pair of socks. I kept up with him for perhaps a mile but eventually fell behind. Later on, I heard Redneck say: ¢Night Rider passed by me today like I wasn¢t even moving.¢ That sounded about right. Weather finally cleared while ascending Siler¢s Bald. Siler¢s had the deepest snow of the Smokies, with drifts as high as three feet. Occasionally I¢d watch one of my hiking poles nearly disappear before finally hitting solid ground. I was just glad I hadn¢t been the first hiker to go through it, and had pre-made post-holes to aim for with every step. During the last mile and a half to Double Spring, I felt like a man possessed. Could not stop taking photos. Random clouds stirring about but mostly clear skies resting above pillows and sheets of white, and the kind of lighting that¢s perfect late in the afternoon before the sun begins to fade. Unfortunately, it will be some time before I¢m able to add them onto this site (Be patient readers ?). Like the previous shelter, Double Spring had a fenced wal, but with no door, and no sheets of plastic or windscreen of any kind to help us out on what would probably be the coldest night of the trip thus far, as we would be sleeping at 5500 feet. Restless and a middle aged man named ¢Sun Dancer¢ from New Mexico were already there, lying in sleeping bags. They directed me to the water source, which I planned to use as soon as possible. The quicker I got out of my boots the better. Not the best water source¢a little difficult and slow to fill up bottles. I managed to get one of my gloves wet in the process. Buree, Redneck, Two Shoes, and a guy named Calumet (from Calumet, Michigan) entered the shelter sometime later. The sun seemed to race towards the horizon that night and even with a fresh pair of socks, my feet would not seem to warm up. I would have paid top dollar for a pair of those feet warmers, but the nearest store was in Gatlinburg, half a day away. Cooking dinner was a painful process as I found myself rubbing my hands together and blowing in them about once a minute. As a result of the cold, I did a poor job washing my dishes and also offered Redneck a bribe involving beer: ¢When we get to Gatlinburg, and to our Mexican restaurant,¢ I began, for that was tomorrow¢s intended plan. ¢I will buy you the finest Mexican ale they have to offer¢¦¢¢Yes?¢¢If you hang up my food bag for me.¢ Anything to get out of putting on my boots again. Croc sandals and socks were fine for walking around on hard-packed snow, but the snow beneath the bear cables hadn¢t been mashed down enough yet, so unless I wanted wet socks again¢¦Redneck hesitated (perhaps he¢d had a similar plan of his own) and then said, ¢Alright, I can do that¢¦and it most likely be Negro Modelo.¢¢Done.¢The other hero of the evening was Calumet, making multiple trips outside through the snow to bring back a ton of wood (far from dry), which eventually he would get to burn. Once he had the fire going, a few of us hung up socks on a line to dry, and propped boots up in strategic locations around the fire to hopefully prevent them from being frozen in the morning. After Calumet was done with the fire and had settled down, I took over fire duty¢making me feel warm for the first time that evening. Restless had his earphones in, listening to his little transistor radio. ¢It might get below twenty tonight¢¦Florida beat Villanova today¢¦¢Eventually, after everyone else had passed out, I crawled into my sleeping bag in between Redneck and Restless. On my visit to the water source earlier, I had cleaned out the ice from my hydration pack, making it drinkable again. Now as I tried to drink, I found it had already frozen. Jeez.The sleeping platform was on the decline again, but I decided I still wanted my head down by the wall in order to stay warmer. I also draped my tent overtop of my sleeping bag, providing some more insulation for my legs, and spread the rain fly atop my torso. Tried to stay up and write, but it had been such an exhausting day that I quickly faded.   ***Random Register Entry:                                                 "If not for the white blazes                              All I could do is trust the snowy tracks in front of me                                                         And I would                                                         Trust them"