Date: 2017-10-02
From: New Found Gap

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

We started off the second half of the Smokies with two very long days. But where the first half was more or less like walking in the woods just about anyplace - From Mt. Buckley North the Smokies are spectacular. We had breakfast at the hotel and the driver from "A Walk in the Woods" (I highly recommend them - on time, friendly and helpful) was early for our pick-up which was just fine for us.The ride back up to Newfound gap was a beautiful one, and shortly after getting dropped off at the parking area we were on our way north. Wingman was feeling better after having a good rest, and the views along the way lifted his spirits. I thought when we first got to Newfound gap that he was going to bail on us when we got to town, but he was determined to finish this walk, and the beauty that surrounded us made the miles fall away. The northern section of the Smokies is one of the few sections I would go back and do again - it is that magnificent.We made Ice water spring shelter in no time and took a break/watered up. We had reservations for this shelter for the previous night when we were in town and had staying at the shelter as an option if we only wanted to do an in and out of town, but the lure of town meals and all the trappings that go along with being in town had us all opting for a longer day today and not skipping town.Continuing North, we made Charlies Bunion in no time, and the side hike there was well worth it. We stopped and took many pictures and spoke with other hikers there, and then walked on. We stopped at the side trail for Peck's corner shelter to see if we could get water, but none was flowing so we pushed on.We marveled at this section of trail, and how the folks that built it did such an amazing job connecting the peaks via ridge walks - many of the connections were man made by the CCC before WWII.We made Tri-Corner Knob shelter late in the afternoon as our pace was slower than usual, but it was more important for Wingman to finish the trip than for us to push too fast, and the views today had us stopping frequently to take pictures or just look.No matter how you slice it, a 15 mile day and almost 6,000 feet in elevation change makes for a long day. A group of hikers were already at the shelter, some of whom were at Icewater Spring the night before and noted that there had been room for three more hikers than were there. We set about making camp, getting water and hanging our gear. This shelter is the most remote in the entire Smokies, and is a beautiful spot with great water and a damn nice privy - one of the few in the Smokies.We were up and out later than usual on our last full day on the trail, but the late sunrise and being in a shelter makes for a slower up and out. I so miss tenting on the trail, and hope I don't have to use a shelter for many miles after this trip. It is just so much more effort to keep control of your gear and work around other hikers stuff. Folks at the Tri-Corner Knob were considerate and seasoned hikers, and we were all around the same age which meant we all had a bit in common. At this shelter we met Roadrunner and Bambi, who we would also share our last night on the trail with at Davenport gap shelter. We agreed that whoever got there first would reserve the lower bunk for our group. We expected to be leap frogging them all day long but they ultimately ended up finishing before us. We caught up to them at Crosby Knob Shelter, a shelter that was closed due to bear activity and the closing of which forced us into to 15 mile long days to skip the shelter. Bambi and Roadrunner were just finishing lunch when we arrived. They moved on and we settled in to have our lunch and water up. This was a great place to stay had it been open - but between the signs and motion activated wildlife cameras it was obvious that the area was not safe to camp.By the time we pulled into Davenport Gap shelter it was late in the day again. Bambi and Roadrunner had held space for us as promised, but the top platform was actually nicer given that the shelter had some odd supports that interfered with the lower bunk, so I slept up top instead. The same thing that happened to me with spilled water on the top platform and leaking down onto gear below happened to Roadrunner this time. The folks that did it were a bit obtuse - and Roadrunner was pissed to say the least.Today was also Bambi's birthday - and Roadrunner had packed in a cake and somehow managed not to crush it - and we all sang happy birthday to her as she blew out the candle he place on top of it. I had some extra cookies in my food bag since the ranger had given us additional cookies on the summit of Clingmans Dome, so I gave her a package of double stuffed Oreos for her birthday. Meeting folks and the social aspects of hiking the trail is special. Our chance meeting of Roadrunner and Bambi, sharing a section of trail and shelter along with celebrating a special day with them underscores this.The Davenport shelter is one that I hope to never visit again. It is dank and dark, and is loaded with my personal favorite (NOT) Wolf Spiders. We managed to sleep this last night on the trail, but were up before light and packing up.The last few miles to Standing bear was not difficult, but Wingmans knee had taken a beating after two 15 mile days and lots of elevaton change. We had an extended section of down over the last part of the trail, and his IT band was not happy about it. Wingman who usually loves down and hates up, was not happy but again continued to push on to finish.We caught up with Roadrunner and Bambi as they were heading back to the trail from Standing Bear after picking up some supplies. They would push onto Elmers at the end of their hike where our hike this trip ended at Standing bear. We said our goodbyes, and they headed north while we walked up Green Corner Road to the hostel.We had the cabin reserved at Standing bear, and while it was musty smelling inside, it was nice to have a roof over our heads, hot food to eat and a shower to wash the trail off. Greenie and Wingman enjoyed a few beers, and we all shared in the success of this walk.Greenie and I only have 399 miles left to finish down south - from Green Corner Road up to Pearisburg VA - and then our final push from Monson up to Katahdin. It is hard to believe that after section hiking since 2004 we are almost done with our walk of the entire AT. Our plans are already done for the Spring of 2018, and as I worked on the balance of the south the other day - it really hit me how close we are now to being done - as for the first time, I ran out of trail to hike in my guidebook.