Date: 2005-04-21
From: Newfound Gap

To: Smokies
Miles today: 0.0

Wednesday April 20:I woke up at the hotel around 8:00 and I felt pretty good considering the late night I had the night before at the Karaoke Bar. I ran to the hotel office, (The hotel was extremely nice), to get some change to do laundry since I hadn¢t done it the day before and I read the USA today on the way down in the elevator to get my change. The USA Today is becoming my main source of worldly info. I tossed my clothes in the washer at the hotel and then started packing since check out was soon approaching, as it was nearly 11:00. I took a quick last shower and when I went to out my clothes in the dryer I learned it was full and running and wouldn¢t be done until after checkout and so put my clothes in a laundry bag provided by the hotel and I left with Stephanie to eat breakfast and dry my clothes in the laundrymat next to the pancake house I eat breakfast at everytime I am in Gatlinburg. I tossed my clothes in the dryer and then we went across the street to the pancake house which serves the best pancakes in Gatlinburg or pigeon forge and I should know because I have eaten at all of them. It is a restaurant that Stephanie and me found accidentally one time and it is far away from the town and we found it because one time we were camping outside the city and stumbled upon it. It isn¢t nice on the outside, and the inside is clean but not fancy. The tables are decorated with funny advertisements from the 1800¢s and early 1900¢s. Their pancakes are amazing though and I have never waited longer than 10 minutes to get my food, they¢re awesome. After my standard ¢in town¢ breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, sausage, and coffee, etc. we went back to the laundry for my dry clothes. I saw my friend Kelly walking to the post office and so I grabbed my clothes and we took him to the PO and back to the hotel. We then shuttled people back to the trail and took Saxy on an errand and then me and Stephanie went to eat a last good meal and I got ice cream. At baskin robbins they gave me the wrong ice cream in my sundae and so I got the second big sundae for free also with the right ice cream which was awesome! I eventually went back to the grand prix hotle where the other hikers were staying so we could shuttle them and I back to the trail for a short three mile day. I didn¢t know if we could all fit but we crammed into the rental of stephanies, and it creeped up to newfound gap and we got dropped off. I said goodbye to Stephanie and thanked her for a great break from the trail. It was great to see my friend from home and I really appreciated her visit. We started hiking around five o¢clock and four of us went to the next shelter and there was a couple there with a dog and we felt compelled to tell them that dogs were banned from the park and they could get a five thousand dollar fine for breaking the rules in this VERY strict park. We all partied that night and were glad to be back in the woods after Gatlinburg, and the couple passed around some very very expensive tequila that we drank that we all enjoyed a sip of. It was a great night and I slept great with my memories of Gatlinburg.Thursday April 21:I was the last one to wake up in the shelter since I was now initiating my more laid back hiking attitude of enjoying myself and taking it easy and everyone was shocked. I rolled of the shelter leisurely around 9:00 to hike my slow and short 11 miles to the next shelter. I walked slow and right when I got to the shelter, It started thundering and I managed to stay pretty dry. The hiking was all ridgeline and it offered incredible 40-60 mile views of the park in North Carolina on my right and on my left. Me and Kelley got to the shelter about the same time and he started a fire in the shelter which was really nice in the rain, and I settled in, took a nap, and got ready to start my new book about Andrew Jackson and the war of 1812. I cozied up in my sleeping bag to read for the afternoon, warm in the shelter, reading and watching the thunderstorms roll in¢¦It was definitely another good day, even with the rain. Everyone showed up, and it was a very enjoyable night with the same crew from Gatlinburg, and grump was even there. Grump is an old, retired preacher from west VA. and he carries about ninety pounds, but he hangs with us pretty good.