Date: 2016-04-30
From: Mt Collins Shelter

To: Grand Prix Motel
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: clear sky

I woke up early today, 5am! Quietly packed up my gear and tent. Wrote in my paper journal a bit and read the guidebook. I got our food bags from the bear cables and wished I had a can of WD-40 as the line squeeked so bad I thought I was gonna wake up the whole camp. At 6:15 I whispered into Luigi's tent its "Pancake Time"! She has wanted chocolate chip pancakes for about a week now. I pushed off about 7am and Luigi wasn't too far behind me. The trail this morning was a nice downhill grade. It followed for awhile the road going up to Clingmans Dome and you could hear the traffic through the woods. We arrived at the only climb of the day which was Mingus Ridge. The trail was laid out in such a way that you hardly felt like you were ckimbing. This section had 2 wild hog containment bridges with a fenced in area which was to protect a group of native beech trees that have been devastated by the wild hog that's not native to the area. It was introduced in the 1950's and has decimated the new beech saplings. Kind of a neat structure. We came down the other side of the ridge and came into New Found Gap. It was kind of an emotional moment for me as this was a section of the trail or place I had been to about ten years ago. I remember the vacation Jeff and I took where we just rented a car and headed south and ended up in the Smokies. We did a hike near New Found Gap and I remember standing by the Appalachian Trail sign looking down the trail thinking of how amazing it would be to do and now here I am in the very same spot doing it ten years later. Very cool feeling, I won't lie and say tears welled up. We came across trail magic which was just setting up, chips, soda and ham sandwiches. We were able to get a ride back into Gatlinburg from a woman who was dropping of a resupply for a woman. It was 5 bucks a person to ride the 15 miles into Gatlinburg. Sold! The plan for Luigi and I was laundry, shower, resupply, pancakes at the Pancake Parlor and the get dropped back off at New Found Gap back onto the trail. We got dropped off at the Nantahalan Outdoor Cebter, the same NOC company that I stayed at a week earlier. This is an outpost location. They offer free pack watch as well as free showers. We dropped off our packs and walked down the street to do our laundry. We changed into our rain gear and did our laundry while charging our phones. Next door was a Mexican restaurant which also had a grocer with super cheap prices. We supplied up and saved a ton. Score! We then walked back to the NOC for our free shower. They told us there is no hot water just so you know, we were like that's fine with us. It was the best COLD shower I've ever had. I got dressed and met Luigi back upstairs and we shopped in the NOC for the remaining supplies. I needed boot laces, body glide and some lunch items and a few power bars. Once that was all complete we hiked back down the road to the Pancake Parlor. We opened the door and walked in. The man at the register said I'm sorry we are closed at 3. We looked at our watches and it was 3:15. The look on Luigi's face as she has been craving chocolate chip pancakes for two weeks and has not been able to obtain them for one reason or another. She said "that's it, we are staying overnight" so we walked to the Grand Prix and got a room for 23 bucks a person. We then went to Texas Road house for dinner and the Royal Couple walked in so we ate together. Tomorrow the plan is PANCAKES through hell or high water and then hitch hike back up to New Found Gap to get back on the trail.