Date: 2012-05-30
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Day 15
Miles today: 18.4

Fuck the police. So today started off on a sour note. We all had powerful hang-overs because of all the low quality alcohol we drank last night. And we were extremely sore and blistered from that marathon that we hiked yesterday. So, one by one, all of the other hikers trickled out of the shelter until it was just Jude, Evan, and me left there nursing our bodies and minds. After we had all gotten packed up we decided to have one more nice long safety meeting before we started our day's hike. The 1-hitter was going around just like in any normal safety meeting... when a park ranger turned the corner of the shelter and busted us right fucking in the act. There was nothing that we could do. The ranger had innocent intentions, he's ridgerunning to warn hikers that Roaring Fork Shelter is closed due to a pesky bear, but he showed up at the worst possible time. Poor Evan had just taken this huge hit and he was simply stuck there stating the park ranger in the eyes waiting to exhale. To make matters worse, Jude's jar of weed was sitting right out in the open. So the ranger calls Even around back for a "private chat." And Evan, like a boss, reaches into his pocket and discards the stash and the bowl right as he is turning the corner to exit the shelter. Without missing a beat, I jump up and scoop the stuff up and hide it accordingly. Unfortunately, a defeated-looking Evan returns a few minutes later and tells us that the ranger wants our stash. So I cleverly open it up and dump over half of in into my toiletries bag. Maybe it isn't so clever because I literally did it right in front of the ranger; but he didn't say anything so no harm done. He did write Evan a $425 ticket however, and told us to scram (like the hiker trash we are.) Happy Memorial Day weeked.    Stupid piece-of-crap Pigs ruining our good time. I'm not saying it wasn't our fault. We were smoking weed at 10:00 AM inside of a shelter that sits just passed a major road crossing on one of the busiest weekends of the year in the Smokies. And I'm not saying that the ranger wasn't just doing his job protecting the innocent children of the Smokies from us amoral thru-hikers. But he totally could have let us off with a warning. Or maybe just left us with our stash... I feel like I've been raped. We should be afforded certain luxuries while hiking from Georgia to Maine, and not having to worry about getting busted for smoking weed should most definitely be one of them. Jude feels really bad because it was his weed that got Evan busted, and he's got a bit more financial breathing room than either Evan or myself do right now, so he volunteered to pay for the entire citation himself. Thanks Jude. We're just gonna call it a very expensive lesson learned, move on, and get the hell out of the Smokies as quickly as possible.   The rest of the day was fairly rainy and unforgiving. Lots of really steep technical little climbs. Grey skies. Slippery rocks. Rain and whipping wind. There was also a plane wreckage just off-trail right around Snake Den Ridge, just to make the day seem more somber and foreboding. Charlie's Bunion was most definitely the highlight of the day because the weather cleared out for a bit and, with it, lifted out spirits in a way than only mother nature can. After skirting Mt. Guyout and Cosby Knob, I ran in to the dad and his kids whom we spent the night with in the shelter last night. During our little stop-and-chat I let it slip about what happened to us this morning with the Oinker. And, to my surprise, the dad felt sorry for us so he busted out some joints right then and got us all lit to help make up for it, his kids included. Now this is the kind of treatment we should be getting out here. After Cosby Knob and Low Gap it was another excruciating climb up to the summit of Mt. Cammerer. The 1.2-mile round trip to get to the lookout tower and back was a bit too far off-trail on a day like today so we just filled up on water and pushed on. We dropped about 2,500' down to Davenport Gap Shelter and decided to call it a day, too tired to go on. But, alas, there is no rest for the weary in this world. In true Smokies fashion, our peace was shattered by a very distraught, very green group of tourists who thought that we could somehow help them solve all of the problems with their gear. the boys and I were in no kind of mood to share a shelter with this group tonight so we actually just re-packed our bags and got back on-trail, but not before I left a scathing note in the log book about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for any would-be SoBo's who might be entering it for the first time. Luckily we were exactly .9 miles from the northern terminus of the GSMNP and are freaking elated to be getting out of this terrible awful backwards place. We're back in the actual wilderness where camping is allowed, waste is managed properly, there is room to breathe, and you're not living within a police state! About 2.5 miles passed the Smokies we hit Green Corner Road and 1/10 of a mile down the road we hit the Standing Bear Farm and Hostel. It was such a good decision to hike on passed the shelter. This place is cozy and rugged at the same time. Very comfortable and well-equipped. The owners are hands-off and pretty much let you do whatever you want. The store has an honor system cash deposit box. This is just what we needed after having been chewed up by the Smokies. My overall experience here in the Smokies has been resoundingly negative I would say. The place is beautiful but I probably won't ever go back now that I've hiked through. Definitely won't recommend this park to friends. Gatlinburg can also fall off the face of the Earth. I'm out.