Date: 2017-03-25
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter, TN/NC

To: Standing Bear Hostel, TN
Miles today: 18.4

Day 18: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter, TN/NC to Standing Bear Hostel, TN - 18.4 miles:The log held true last night and I lived to see another day, having not rolled off into the darken abyss as I slept. Despite the usual tossing and turning, I know I slept in the early morning hours because I had a series of dreams, my first since beginning my hike. At some point in the night I shifted, hitting a trekking pole in the process, causing my rainfly to collapse in on me. Other than that, I remained warm as I listened to the wind howling through the trees above me, happy that it wasn't blowing below because my trekking poles wouldn't have withstood the beating.In the morning I downed a thousand calories worth of pop tarts and a honey bun. I then utilized the fallen log that held me in place overnight as a poop-log, taking care of business while still beneath the cover of my rain-fly. After packing up, I climbed back up the mountainside to the shelter where the majority of hikers were slowly packing and heading out. I stood in front of the fireplace listening to the crackle of an early morning fire, the heat warming my numb fingers. I watched as Double Barrel, who's been hiking with Mama Bear and Little Foot, live up to his trail name by stuffing two bear canisters into his 75L pack, barely able to close the top, and part of me died inside for him. Little Foot shuffled to get his trekking poles, along with his mom's and Double Barrel's which were taller than him, and clumsily returned with them.I set off at 8:30am, into the fog blanketing the peaks, and was eventually closing in on and passing hikers that started before me. Within the first couple miles, as I climbed Mt. Guyot, a dull pain developed in my left leg, running from my hip, through my knee, and down to my foot. I did my best to not favor the leg, for that usually only makes things worse, but it caused me to have to catch my breath several times throughout the morning as a sharper pain occasionally appeared. The pain would subside a bit as the day rolled on, but would remain the entire time and cause the descent put of the mountains to be a bit more difficult than it otherwise should've been. My guess is a pinched nerve due to sleeping in an exaggerated bowl-shaped position throughout the night, curving at the hips in the process.At one point in the morning, a fighter jet of some kind flew over, the roar of the engine filling and ricocheting off the valley walls to the west. Believing the Russians and North Koreans would soon follow, falling slowly beanth the canopy of parachutes, I thought about running off to recruit hikers for a Red Dawn-esque resistance. Minutes later, as the roaring intensified and returned, I was sure the pilot was looking for a lowly hiker to release his napalm on. Either my mind simply ran wild or the pilot found another hiker, but I was ultimately spared and continued on.The day would pass in a blur as I averaged 3mph, stopping only once for 20 minutes to eat a small lunch and chug some water. I noticed the first signs of grouse, or fool hens, the sound of a drum coming from the brush nearby, slowly gaining in speed. I knew better than to go searching for it. They're known as being dumb and, instead of taking flight like most birds, will hide until you're nearly on top of them before shooting up in a burst of commotion, sounding like a helicopter in the process. I would continue downhill for another few miles, passing by (Bill) Cosby('s) Knob Shelter at the halfway mark. A little over an hour later I reached the Great Smoky Mountains National Park northern boundary and turned in my permit copy, completing my trek through the Smokies in four days, officially smoking the Smokies in the process.After passing a small road and climbing a small hill back I to the woods, I stumbled across trail magic a hundred feet or so in. Two styrofoam coolers sat on the ground and were stuffed with Coke, PBR, chips, and chocolates. I quickly downed a bag of Lays chips and a Coke, leaving the trash in a bag tied in a tree. After considering what I knew would be a smaller number of hikers to reach that point today, I grabbed another Coke, stuffing it in my pants pocket, and hiked on. Two miles later, the sound of humming traffic filled the warm air as I neared I-40. I began dropping towards the interstate, following along the low, though steady flow, of a creek that dropped into the larger Pigeon River below. The trail meandered along the creek as it gradually dropped down the mountain, forming small pools that, a couple months from now, would be a treat to rest and cool off in.I exited the woods onto a bridge spanning the Pigeon River. I paused to snap a picture of a rafting guide, sitting in his raft below the bridge, instructing three people on what to expect in their ride ahead. A moment later a father and son stopped in their vehicle behind me, asked if I needed anything, but I assured them I was near the conclusion of my day. I passed under I-40, vehicles whizzing by between Knoxville, TN and Asheville, NC, and made my way to a steeply-graded staircase leading back into the woods on the opposite side of the interstate. A mile later after paralleling a couple hundred feet above the interstate, the trail crosses a gravel road that leads to Standing Bear Hostel, I popular spot for hikers to drop into post-Smokies. With camping, a bunkhouse, private rooms, a decent resupply selection, and a place to purchase and enjoy beer, the hostel offers anything a hiker could want, whether staying or simply dropping in.I ended up arriving at 2:30pm, an hour and a half before Toepick and Odin were due to pick me up, so I enjoyed the time being lazy, chatting with hikers I hadn't met before, and downing three Coke's. My feet and knees began throbbing as soon as I stopped moving and are still doing so as I wrap up this entry at 10:30pm, eight hours after finishing hiking for the day. Toepick and Odin arrived at 4:30pm, Odin still limping on his paw, but looking a bit stronger. I showed them around the hostel, but we were soon gone, heading towards Newport, TN, around 20 minutes down I-40. Another Motel 6 is home for the night. Having filled up on food at a nearby Ruby Tuesday - a burger with onion rings, bacon, cheese, and BBQ sauce, and a couple trips to the garden bar - I'm back to feeling regular again. Although my original goal was to reach Hot Springs, NC, another two and a half to three days away, before my next zero, I've instead decided to utilize one tomorrow. After cruising through the Smokies in four days, plus the addition of today's leg pain, I think it'd be wisest to take a step back. It'll also help give Odin another day to bounce back from his paw injury.Hoping tomorrow brings as little physical activity as possible. Will be back at it on Monday.