Date: 2012-04-04
From: Tri Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm Hostel
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Standing Bear Farm Hostel. 18.4 milesUp and first one out at 7:20. Beautiful morning with nice views on Mt Guyot. I felt pretty strong going up Mt Guyot and I'm anticipating a long downhill going out of the Smokies. So I hope I can do my first 18 mile day up to Standing Bear Farm Hostel. I know I was exhausted after my previous two 16 mile days but they included a lot of hard uphill work. Today includes a climb of Mt Guyot and Cammerer each about 800-1000 feet a lot less than the climbs when I did the 16 mile days and a long downhill. Plus my legs keep getting stronger. Shananigans and Secrets didn't catch and pass me for over 3 hours. That's pretty good considering they were preparing to leave when I left. I stopped at Cosby Shelter for a snack and they were still there. Shananigans, Secrets, KD, CapsLock, and 2 others are all 20 somethings who walk much faster than me. It is discouraging to have them fly past me, but this is not a race, you have to take your time and enjoy it. It's not who gets to Maine first, it's all about enjoying the trip. It's a long downhill coming out of the Smokies. Mt Guyot this morning was 6300 feet, the Pigeon River just outside the park is 1400 feet. So once again I watched spring come to North Carolina. Through the Smokies everything is still bare, with few signs of spring. Then as I descended, I watched spring appear. First you see small wildflowers and green brush, then trees with buds and trees in bloom (I do not know what kind) then trees with baby leaves. Here at the hostel it is spring. Everything is greening up and trees are starting to leaf out. I reached Davenport Gap Shelter, the last shelter still inside the Smokies about 2:45. Once again Shananigans and Secrets were there. They plan to stay the night there. After another snack, I pushed on. The hostel is only another 3.5 miles. I reached the Standing Bear Farm Hostel at 4:30. At first it I thought it was like some hippie commune with people sitting around, a radio blaring here, some guy playing a guitar over there. But after settling in and getting a shower I found this to be a friendly little place in the woods. I bought a frozen pizza in their store for dinner and cooked in their oven. In the evening a guy and his wife (hikers) played the guitar and a 'country' violin as everyone sat around a campfire while everyone talked and had a great time. This hostel is a little more rustic than some on the trail, but I have seen others kind of like it. They have a bunkhouse which holds 14, a 'cabin' that sleeps about 6, a kitchen which is separate building with a stove, microwave, etc and a small table. Another building is the laundry. In this case they just have a scrub board in a large tub. They do have a dryer, which everyone there put their stuff in all at once. The common shower is semi outside. By that I mean it has 4 walls from about 1 foot off the ground to 7 feet high with a shower head inside. They do have hot water. The store is another small building with all kinds of foods and supplies hikers carry plus soda, frozen pizza, frozen sandwiches, fresh eggs, fruits etc which you can buy and cook while here. Everything is on the honor system. When you arrive they hand you an envelope. If you are staying, you write down the cost of your bunk ($15/night). As you take what you want or need from the store, you write down the item and cost on the envelope. Then you pay up in the morning before you leave. I found this to be a rustic friendly place.