Date: 2006-03-27
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: clear sky

3-27-06Spence Field Shelter to Mt. Collins Shelter19.8 milesOperation "Smoke the Smokies"Day 2Today I stood on top of the world....I woke up today with the determination to do twenty miles and get out of range of the company that had stayed with me at the shelter last night. I didn't mind the snoring (I did spend two weeks with Uncle John and managed well enough), but it was their blatant in-your-face smoking that was going on inside the shelter. There were five smokers, and even before we went to bed they were all smoking in the shelter, not wanting to face the cold outside. And during the night I woke up five or six times to the smell of someone smoking a cigarette while lying in their sleeping bag. It was foul and inconsiderate! I don't mind that people choose to smoke; I just want them to have consideration for those around them.I was one of the first people to get up, so I made my breakfast, and was the second one out and hiking, right behind Red Dog. The trail was fairly packed down and visible, but the snow, ice, and slush made for terrible walking conditions. Which is why I'm surprised I made it as far as I did.The first big climb of the day, Thunderhead, I knocked out relatively quickly, even with the trail conditions as they were. The views from the mountaintops were spectacular today, very clear blue skies and sunny. It was definitely in the forties and maybe in the fifties. I learned today I can't wear my sunglasses uphill; I sweat, they get foggy, I can't see a damn thing.The sun was bright and the day was warm, and everything was starting to melt. The trees would drop off big globs of wet snow on your head and body, a welcome occurrence when one was hot from hiking. The snow and ice on the trail soon turned to slush for some parts of the trail, leaving me to slosh through big muddy sections sometimes. I could tell halfway through the day that the insides of my boots were wet and my soaks socked; it was a good thing they were made of wool, so that my feet were still warm.At 3:15PM, I pulled into Double Spring Shelter, located about 13-14 miles from the shelter I had spent last night in, and 6-7 miles before the next shelter. I entered exhausted, greeting Red Dog, who was already there. I lay for about five minutes, resting, and wondering how I was going to make it to the next shelter, or if I should even go on or just stay here. I was looking for some sort of sign on what to do. Just then I heard a "click" of a lighter; Red Dog was smoking a cigarette. There was my sign; I was not going to deal with the smoke brigade again.So off I went, to climb the highest mountain on the AT: Clingman's Dome. Standing at 6,643 feet, it was no small potato. But the climb was steady with little variation in slope, and I had gotten my second wind back there at the shelter.I reached the summit at around 5PM, and climbed the spiraling ramp to the top of the observation tower. I was greeted with a magnificent 360 degree view of the Smokies: Mountains galore!But more miles were to be had before the day was done, so I pushed on through the cold slush. My boots were soaked through and my feet were wet and clammy, but my spirits were high that I could finish this day. I had to- you can't camp in non-designated areas in the Smokies. My last challenge, Mt. Collins, was an arduous journey up, but I took my time and was soon heading downward again. Too far downward I though, and I started to dread the mountain I had climbed was Mt. Love, and not Mt. Collins. But before I got too worried, the sign popped into view showing the way to the shelter. Overjoyed, I quickly made my way there.Greeting me when I got to the shelter were Betty (Energizer Bunny), Doodle and Casey Jones, Calumet (meaning "Peace Pipe"), Craig, Amy, and Randy, whose trail name was now Nor'easter. I cooked up beans and rice, and made the hellish journey to the water source (I drank a gallon of water over the course of that day), and went to bed. Out like a light.