Date: 2022-04-22
From: Campsite

To: Campsite
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: clear sky

What a day to push for big miles and time to take a nap in the middle of the day. I found a good pace right out of the gate leaving the campsite this morning and the miles just rolled by. There were some good climbs and descents but there were also some nice rolling sections where I only gained and lost less than 200 feet. Those miles just slipped by.I made it to the top of Mack¢s Patch around noon. It was warm and sunny with big puffy clouds. I could see all the way back to the Smokies I had left behind as well as see all the way around. I will most certainly be coming back to enjoy sitting up there again. While I was up there I called my mom, I ate lunch, saw a couple get engaged, and took a short nap. The nap was the only mistake. By the time Ronin caught up to me I could feel my skin burning. I am a little pink but it will fade in the coming days.Just before we left Mack¢s Patch we met Clarenda and Brian. Clarenda is from Canada. Brian is from Alabama. They were an odd but nice couple. They obviously met online and were figuring things out. They were exploring the local area and curious about us being Thru hikers. Clarenda has been to the top of mount Katahdin a couple of times. She says it¢s a beautiful view. We told them to explore the section between the end of the Smokies and I-40. There are a ton of wile flowers and a gorgeous waterfall. I had taken my time and soaked my feet in the cold water there.Ronin and I still had the goal of reaching a 20 mile day in order to Nero into Hot Springs. So we pushed it hard. We made the climb up and over Mount Bluff. To our disappointment, we discovered that there isn¢t an actual bluff on the mountain. We agreed that the ¢bluff¢ is all the false summits that the mountain has. It was a brutal and hot climb up. I would not want to make that climb at that hour again. The way down was drastically different. It was so smooth. We coasted along dirt paths in a field of wild flowers and small green plants with old oaks scattered around. It was the eastern side of the mountain, so the evening sun was in the west, and we were in the mountains shadow. The temperature was cooling off. We talked and just let the evening bring us down the mountain. We pushed it a little late in finding a campsite on the side of the mountain. Ronin knew of one from the FarOut app. It was 7:30pm when we got there. There was already someone set up and there really wasn¢t enough room on the tiny ledge for more than two tents total. I insisted Ronin take it and I found a flattish spot with my head slightly raised in between two roots. It was a nice spot except for being right on the edge of a steep slope that ran into the small stream maybe 10 feet from me. I figured if I rolled off at least the bushes would stop me before I fell off the ledge the stream was running off of. With not enough room I didn¢t bother with a tent. I put my plastic footprint down, air pad, and sleeping bag right on the ground. I am cowboy camping out under the stars. With the ledge being so small there wasn¢t really a place to put my bear canister so I closed it and left it sitting next to me. The other persons bear bag and robins are within eyesight and not very well hung. So if a bear comes we all had bigger issues than our food. I think we will be fine. I¢m so ready for a bed and shower in Hot Springs tomorrow.