Date: 2006-06-09
From: Newfound Gap to Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Newfound Gap to Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

June 9, 2006 Newfound Gap to Peck¢s Corner ShelterDay 23. Newfound Gap to Peck¢s Corner Shelter (10.4 miles)Denley is on his way home. We dropped him off in Knoxville last night in time to catch a 12:45 a.m. bus, his choice not ours!I have planned two sections to hike in the Smokies. Because we are now located in Pigeon Forge, I plan to enter at Newfound Gap and hike south to Fontana Dam and then back to Newfound Gap and hike north/east to Davenport Gap. I decided to do the east section first, hoping to meet ¢old¢ friends from earlier in the hike. When I first left Newfound Gap, I faced a Trail that went up forever ¢ well, at least three miles. It was rocky and seemed SO steep.   Before I got to Icewater Spring Shelter, I heard a voice behind me, say, ¢Hiker,¢ and when I moved to the side, a young hiker went past me. He stopped, turned and looked at me and I realized it was Noah from the Neel Gap hostel.   His friend Aaron was close behind him. Noah¢s first comment was, ¢My, you¢ve lost weight!¢ I like him! They went on and I made a stop at the shelter to take off the new separate belt that I was trying. I had put my water and snack pack on this belt hoping it would work. The new buckle was not adjusting well, so I decided to continue without it. Then it was out of the shelter and on to Charles Bunion.Charles Bunion is a large, rocky outcropping created by a landslide following a disastrous rain in 1929. The Bunion provides fantastic views of the surrounding area, including Mt. LeConte. Noah and Aaron had arrived earlier and they were climbing out and WAY down on the exposed rocks. Kids! I was content to stay on the Trail, take a few pictures, enjoy the view and then move on.I continued on through several steep ups and downs. Frequently the Trail was only a couple feet wide with maybe a foot of ground on each side and then sharp drop-offs on both sides. If it hadn¢t been for the trees and brush growing along the side, it would have been very scary for me with my aversion to heights. Along this part of the Trail are sweeping mountain vistas and overlooks with magnificent views, which is a BIG change from earlier portions of the Trail. The change is simply unbelievable! I had started out the morning moving quickly, but as I neared the shelter, I was losing steam. Some of that might be due to the higher elevations. After spending three days in the lowlands, I was feeling the difference and having a hard time adjusting. I finally got to Peck¢s Corner Shelter turn-off and not any too soon, walked downhill for .4 of a mile and arrived at the shelter just after 3:00 o¢clock. I thought about going on to the next shelter, which was 5.6 miles away, but I was just too tired. The shelters in the Smokies are a bit different in design from the earlier shelters I had seen. Instead of having a loft, they typically have two sleeping platforms with the top platform being only 3-4 feet above the lower platform. The shelters hold about 12-16 people. When I arrived there were already four young men there. I found out later that they were high school pals and were trying to establish a tradition that they hope to maintain as they all go their separate ways, to college, etc.Then about 6:00 p.m., two older men arrived along with a young couple that were thru hiking from Springer Mountain to Damascus. The older men had Trail Names of ¢Always Late¢ and ¢I Forget It¢ (given to this guy because he could not remember his Trail Name). The younger couple were Joe and Natasha. They are not using Trail Names at this point, but in Georgia they were known as ¢Crusty¢ and ¢Musty¢ and neither would claim either name. They said the two names fit both of them. This shelter was a mile high and I hoped that a night at this elevation would get me conditioned for the upcoming Trail miles.