Date: 2013-04-06
From: Double Spring Shelter

To: Newfound Gap - Gaitlinburg, TN
Miles today: 10.7

Day 27- 4/6/13 Double Spring to Newfound Gap to Grand Prix Motel 10.7 milesI got up at 4:15 am with the group and several other hikers to head to Clingman's Dome for the sunrise. I didn't sleep at all last night in the shelter. One, I was wet and sweaty and had no dry clothes, so I was trying to sleep in my liner and sleeping bag and still freezing. Two, Bones who is becoming legendary out here snored all night. He clearly has sleep apnea and it is not a rhythmic snore at all. At times it is just a loud, desperate gasp, then monster and dinosaur sounds and freakish squeaks mixed in my horror screeches. One shelter we stayed in was supposedly haunted and I joked that even the ghost didn't sleep there because Bones was there and the ghost was like, "my god...there is a monster in my shelter!"Everyone left before me except Moonshiner, so I hiked up three miles in the dark pine forest by myself and a crappy headlamp guiding my way. It was a creepy feeling, all of your childhood fears show themselves and you constantly worry that you are being followed. It didn't help that the ice was falling from the trees, constantly making me think someone was in the woods watching me. The sunrise was spectacular. I got to the top of Clingman's not a moment too soon and the sun peaked able the horizon. At the top there is a spiral tower that rises into the sky about thirty feet, towering at a base elevation of 6655 feet Clingman's has 360 degree views of everything around. You can see mountains in the distance that you hiked days, even weeks ago. After the dome for three miles downhill there was an ice luge. Just a week ago there was three to four feet of snow on the mountains at the higher elevations. So the combination of a north facing mountain, trodden, packed snow, varying temps and shaded pine forests the trail had frozen solid like a bobsled course. I had to try to walk on the unmolested snow along the sides of the trail, pick my way from rock to rock, yet the rocks were also covered with black ice. I fell in total about ten times all day, a few in the morning on my climb and the majority cascading down the luge. The majority of the time I would fall backwards on to my pack, however one time Oops happened to be about thirty yards in front of me, all my other falls were solo and unwitnessed. I slipped sideways and came full force down on my left side. It was like I was fish that came loose from the line and I flopped smack on my side. Oops heard my fall and I would venture to guess that he may have even felt it. I laid there in agony, silent and processing the pain. I didn't say anything for nearly thirty seconds nor did I move, then I sat up and just started laughing hysterically.Most of the hikers that ventured down the luge bailed out at the first crossing. Moonshiner a 65 year old man, really nice and laid back said, "I didn't get this old by being stupid!" Somehow our group made it out to Newfound Gap. At the gap there was a sea of cars and tourist in the parking lot. A couple from Florida, forgive me that I don't remember their names, was handing out trail magic. They do this every year for a week and spend their vacation helping hikers. Unbelievable the charity of these people. They had bologna/.cheddar sandwiches, soda, donuts, stove alcohol and were just the friendliest people, not even hikers! We split up and hitched into Gaitlinburg and I rode in the back of a pickup truck. I reflected on my day and was loving my life as a thru-hiker as I watched the Smokies melt away as we drove down out of the mountains.