Date: 2017-03-23
From: Spence Field Shelter, NC

To: Newfound Gap TN/NC
Miles today: 23.9

Day 16: Spence Field Shelter, NC to Newfound Gap, TN/NC - 23.9 miles:At some point nine miles before Spence Field Shelter, I crossed into Tennessee for the first time. For the next couple hundred miles, I will crisscross between Tennessee and North Carolina as the AT follows along border. After the Roan Highlands of northeast Tennessee, I will exit North Carolina for the last time as the trail cuts towards southwest Virginia. Despite another night of shifting, unable to find comfort, I guess it's safe to assume I found sleep somewhere due to lack of any real exhaustion.Up at 7:30am, morning chores accomplished, I procrastinated in the shelter, avoiding the cold of the morning outside. I watched a couple of hikers cooking their breakfast on a fire beneath a stone chimney on one side of the shelter, the smoke catching the rays of the morning sun as it raised and found its way out of overhead cracks in the ceiling. Eventually I decided it was time to get moving, the only way to work off the stiffness that sets in, practically aging me 50 years, between the periods of hiking.I was the first hiker to leave the shelter, wishing the others well as I limped off, and wouldn't see any of them again for the remainder of the day. Spence Field is named so due it being an expanse of short-to-medium length grasses with few trees within the otherwise wooded coverage of the surrounding mountains. With the cold instantly freezing my hands, I knew the trail would eventually continue to climb as it made its way towards Clingmans Dome, now 17 trail miles away. Like yesterday, today would be another day of ups and downs, gradually ascending upwards in the process. I joked in my head that if you were to trip and fall in this section of the Smokies, you would most likely roll upwards. The first peaks I would top were Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountain, both topped in shorts grasses, low bushes, or rock outcroppings with few trees, offering great 180-degree views of the mountains to the east, south, and west. Now an hour after sunrise, it didn't offer quite the magic you might experience as the first shafts of sunlight light the mountains in a glow of orange fire, but it'd make for a close second.I reached Derrick Knob Shelter in six miles, ducking in behind the tarps used to protect some of the shelters from wind entering the otherwise open fronts, I took a quick break to down some water and a few pieces of chocolate. I chatted with a hiker, packing up and getting a late start, who told me they were planning only seven miles for the day. I would pass their daily goal within the next two and a half hours, wishing to myself that I could feel accomplishment in that few miles. However, because I can't, onward I'd continue. I would would pass another 26 hikers today, a total of 70 over the past two days, which helps to show the Smokies are awfully crowded. Half of today's count were located at Silvers Bald Shelter, sitting around in the sun just outside the entrance of the shelter, mentally preparing themselves for the approaching climb up Clingmans Dome, still 1,200 vertical feet above. The beautiful, big, blue skies were all the motivation I needed to keep powering on, only stopping for a minute to stretch my legs, before continuing.Two miles later I reached Double Spring Gap Shelter to find it empty. Again I tucked in to escape the cool breeze that'd blow all day, to enjoy a much-needed drink of water. Today's stretch would only being a couple opportunities to find water, and I'd cover it all on only two liters. Continuing up Mt. Buckley, the peak just south of Clingmans Dome, my pace drastically slowed, or at least felt like it, as each step up the steep slopes seemed labored. The summit was topped with several spruce trees, filling the air with the scent of Christmas, something I've always enjoyed in the higher elevations. After cresting the summit, I stumbled upon two turkeys walking north along the trail. Though aware of my presence, they reacted calmly and cooly, slowly and silently merging off beneath the coverage of thick brush.Within a half-mile later, I finally summited the highest peak on the AT, Clingmans Dome, topping out at 6,667ft. Among the spruce and dead trees around the summit, sticking up towards the blue sky like broken teeth, the Clingmans Dome tower rises above all else. A long, spiraling ramp winds up and around to the observation deck above. From the top I could see the highest point east of the Mississippi, Mt. Mitchell, roughly 70 miles away as the crow flies. To the southeast, several fingers of Fontana Lake were still visible. To the west, resting at the foot of the Smokies, parts of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Ask sat in the sun and downed a lunch of summer sausage, spam, and chocolate, I chatted with a '12 thru-hiker who is revisiting parts of the AT before a cruise at the start of April. He offered me a ride into Gatlinburg should I make it to Newfound Gap, but with plans to only reach Mt. Collins Shelter in another three miles, I thanked him and continued on. Within a half-mile later, his words sank in, gripping me,and I was unable to shake it. I made up my mind that I'd shoot for Newfound Gap and head down into Gatlinburg. With music in and cruising, willing my tired legs to get me seven more miles.Up and over Mt. Love and Mt. Collins, my legs strained and my mouth grew dry as I downed the last of my water atop Clingmans Dome, assuming I was only going three more miles to the Mt. Collins Shelter. At 5:30pm, I exited the trail into the large parking lot at Newfound Gap, bustling with tourists enjoying the views from the gap, the road to Clingmans Dome still closed for another week. I limped to a patch of grass in the center of the commotion and collapsed for a few minutes as my legs and feet screamed at me after the 23.9 miles I asked of them today. As I was reserving a room at the Motel 6 in Gatlinburg, a man approached a hiker standing near me and offered us both a ride into town. A fan of the book, A Walk In the Woods, by Bill Bryson, he was taking pictures of where the AT enters and exits the gap, and had noticed us amidst the constant coming and going of vehicles. Soon enough we were zipping down the winding roads towards Gatlinburg below.As we neared the place I'd be staying, I spotted Toepick sitting in a window of Cici's Pizza. After dropping my stuff in my room, I met up with her and we'd spend the next 45 minutes catching each other up on the past two days, finishing off an unhealthy amount of pizza, and drinking an even unhealthier amount of Coke in the process. As I wrap up this journal, my stomach isn't feeling too hot; I'm hoping it's just the overload of crappy pizza and nothing more serious. Toepick, having returned from taking Scout into northern Virginia, had spent some time at Newfound Gap today offering trail magic to hikers as they passed through. She is splitting a room with a female hiker, whose name I've I already forgotten, that she met while offering trail magic. After eating, we returned to the motel in a green Kia she has reserved until Monday. I went back to her room, just a few doors down from my own, and was greeted by Odin who appeared happy to see me again. I hung out for a little over an hour, the three of us chatting about our trail experiences so far. Odin has developed a limp, an unknown injury to his front right paw. Toepick will keep an eye on it through the weekend, taking him to the vet on Monday if necessary.Having ended the day several miles ahead of my intended goal, and having originally planned to not meet Toepick at Newfound Gap until late morning tomorrow, I won't be in as big of a hurry to return to the trail tomorrow morning. With a return ride already cemented, we plan to sleep in a little, if possible, and return to Newfound Gap by 10-11am. This should still allow me to hopefully cover my mileage goal by tomorrow evening. For now, it's nearing 11:30pm, I've showered, though still smell, and have updated myself with happenings in the sports world. Hopefully sleep finds me soon, and with it the dreams of the soft curves and firm peak of Clingmans Dome.