Date: 2007-05-28
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: overcast clouds

The morning has a distinct chill; we are just 80 feet shy of 6,000! After my morning ritual, which includes saying goodbye to the other hikers (Josh has left shortly before me), I set out for the day. I'm thinking of making Groundhog Creek Shelter my destination, or maybe the campsite mentioned by Wingfoot... But, then again, it's only two-miles shy of Groundhog, so why not just push those last two-miles?The 7.7-miles to Cosby Knob Shelter, where I wanted to make my abode last night, is quite easy compared to many of the tortures I've been submitted to South of here, that I chide myself for not pushing on last night! Then again, since I don't carry the maps, replete with topographical maps and elevation profiles, how was I to know that the grade would be this easy? Last night, Josh asked me if I ever consider quitting. I tell him, "Only when my physical pains are such where I fear permanent injury, which I don't think is worth it." I asked him his very question, to which he responds, "Every day." I was initially sadenned, fearing he might quit; so, I am quite relieved to hear him say, upon my arrival at Cosby Knob Shelter, "Man, that section was EASY!"Just before my arrival at the shelter, I meet a hiker who's also in the military. In the midst of our short conversation, he informs me that he left some MREs here, for any hungry hikers. The MRE is quite a treat. For starters, it saves me some of my own food for tomorrow (I end up eating it anyways), and it's a nice change from PopTarts, energy bars, and trail mix! My MRE consists of roast beef, vegetables, fruit, a cookie, crackers with peanut butter and jelly, and an "electrolyte supplement". I have just consumed well over 1,000-calories at lunch alone!From here, the Trail is almost completely downhill to Davenport Gap. I have been recommended the Mount Cammerer Tower, as it is A.T. legend, they say. It became so popular for hikers to sleep inside, one hiker told me, that there was a time when a register was left in there! I bypass the tower, eager to get out of the Smokies. This isn't out of any disdain, but just a desire to move on. There's a ways to go before Virginia, with the Trail straddling the Tennessee/North Carolina border almost entirely until Virginia! I want to move on, continuing with good mileage days! I live close enough to the Smokies (within 6-hours), that I can come up here to visit this glorious tower another time!The long descent has magnificent views, some of the best on the entire Trail. The only downer to this section of the hike, is that it is open to horse usage, I've been told, as there is horse manure EVERYWHERE! You'd think someone fed the horses ipecac! I tire of having to step over and around this mess, wishing this mess was elsewhere, on its own trail, separate from this "footpath for those seeking fellowship with the wilderness."I can hear traffic below, which means that I am nearing Davenport Gap, TN32/NC284, being the Northern border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Appalachian Trail! I then come upon an elderly gentleman, 72-years of age, to be exact, who's watching a bear below; he motions for me to be as quiet as possible. The bear is out of sight by the time he tells me of its presence. We make the walk to Davenport together. I must slow my pace to match his, as he hikes slower than me. What a joy, what an honor this is to hike with this man in his 70s, unwilling to spend his remaining days in front of the television! In the course of our conversation, he learns of my medicinal woe, with losing it two days ago, and immediately tells me that he has 600mg pills of Vitamin I that he'll gladly give me! How many hikers have received Trail Magic in the form of Vitamin I Horse Pills? We pass by the spur trail to Davenport Gap Shelter almost a mile before the actual gap, and I can feel the shelter register's magnetic pull, like a tractor beam from Star Wars, pulling me in like a fish! I resist the pull, though, as I'm enjoying the company of this older hiker too much!At Davenport Gap, he offers to drive me to Standing Bear Farm as he hands me a dozen or so pills. He then pauses, and says, "Well, it's only 3 1/2 more miles on the Trail, so you might as well walk it; unless, of course, you do want me to drive ya'!" I opt for the walk, as it's not much further, and as I'm not into yellow-blazing for myself.So, I'm out of Smokies, and I can automatically tell a complete difference in the forest. It's not ugly by any means, but it lacks the ancient beauty that pervades the Smokies, being a virgin forest. There is an amount of youth in this forest... I don't quite know how to put it. The Trail has a short climb, and then follows a creek for awhile, showing many small waterfalls along the way. According to Wingfoot, I should be crossing I-40---which I can hear---before long.I pass by a young woman with headphones on, who removes them only to ask me how far to the shelter. She is the first hiker I've encountered who shows no sign of wanting to converse. Not even 5-minutes later, I pass 3 other women, middle-aged I guess, who also ask me the location of the shelter. They're a little more friendly, and we chat for a few short moments.During the trek to I-40, I slip and fall 3-times. I haven't fallen at all, on the entire Trail south of here; yet, here I fall not once, not twice, but thrice times! The footing is much more loose than south of here, less travelled I gather, resulting in "slippery" treadway.Just before I-40, the Trail crosses the Pigeon River, which is obviously low due to the lack of rain. You see, this situation is a Catch-22. Most hikers want to avoid hiking the rain as much as possible (I didn't mind my one rain walk back in Georgia!), if not completely; yet, they need water to survive, thus need running streams. Thus, they need rain! This year there hasn't been much rain; but, that also means that the Trail has been very dry, with very low water sources!Under I-40 the Trail goes, then up a dirt roadway for several strides, before entering the forest again. Upon entering the woods, the Trail steeply ascends at least a dozen steps, which grate my knees, causing me to curse the pain. From here, the Trail is windy, with short ups-and-downs, one after the other. When I started in the Smokies this morning, just shy of 6,000', it was quite chilly. Now, I'm under 2,000' in elevation, and it is blazing hot. I'm still wearing my pants and long-sleeve shirt! I have simply pushed up the sleeves and unzipped the short. On this leg of the Trail, I pass a family. Only the father speaks, asininely commenting, "I bet you're hot!" Yet another "self-righteous" hiker, boasting, even if only slyly, that he is better at it than me! Oh well, I don't claim to be a professional hiker... which really means a hiker who is paid to hike!The Trail comes up to another dirt/gravel road after crossing a stream. One of the rocks in the streambed has a bear paw-print, painted in yellow, saying, "Standing Bear Farm" with an arrow pointing to the left. According to the sign, it's only 200yards. I read it as saying feet at first, and find myself frustrated as I know I've walked more than 200 feet! Glancing back through my memory bank, and Wingfoot, I see that it really said yards.So, here I am at Standing Bear! According to Wingfoot, they have a small store here, with enough supplies to carry one over to Hot Springs. I stop, remove my pack and boots, slipping on the camp shoes I bought back at Neels Gap. I purchase a soda and an oatmeal cream pie, polishing them off within moments. I mention to the young-lady working there (Angela?) that I'm likely pushing on to Groundhog Creek Shelter. She thinks I'm nuts, as I've already hiked just over 18-miles, and she says that it's a pretty killer climb out of here. I realize this isn't her being a saleman, trying to get my money by bedding here for the night; but, that she's dead serious! So, decide to stay, I do!Here, I meet Swoop, who's been "stuck" here for several days, along with Royce. They, along with those who know they've been here for several days, joke that they need to rename this place to "Quicksand Farm"! Ant is also here, whom I've read in the shelter registers. He's from England, likely in his 40s, if not his lower 50s, and an outstanding hiker! He's section-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, and has done portions of the Andes and Himalayas. He says that the Appalachian Trail is by far the most difficult, and that it's kicking his butt! He mentions one of my least favorite early climbs, from Georgia: Sassafrass Mountain! What a relief to know that I'm not the only hiker who thought that climb was killer! Rockdancer arrives, also. He's 55-years old, and section-hiking Southbound. He thru-hiked Northbound a few years ago, and upon reaching Baxter Peak atop Mount Katahdin, realized how much he absolutely loved his time out here! In fact, he loved it so much, that he started walking South! He's been section-hiking it Southbound ever since! A number of others are here, most of whom aren't hikers, so far as I know, but are just here for the party scene.I check my email on the dial-up computer (it's been YEARS since I've used an Internet connection this slow, it seems!), purchase some more food to get me to Hot Springs, and make myself at home. Around 10pm, I climb into my bed, eager to get a good nights sleep, as I hadn't last night due to my LONG conversation with Casey! I don't regret this conversation in the least; I just want to sleep long and hard tonight, in a real bed!Outside, there is so much noise, from music blaring to loud conversation, that I am beginning to get annoyed. The payment method here is the honor system, and I'm to the point where I am not planning on paying the $15 for the bed, reasoning that if there can't be rules established such where people can actually USE them, then I'm not going to pay for it! It then dawns upon me that part of this trip is about the social aspect, so I decide to go out and see what's going on. Just as I sit up to put my pants on again, Rockdancer comes in, saying that someone is grilling ribs! I head out, eager to eat if it's free! It turns out to be, and there's also some complimentary cherry moonshine going around! I'm not a heavy drinker at all, believing moderation to be the key to properly enjoying alcohol, but I do love a good drink! This moonshine is top notch, and quite strong, so I don't drink much of it; but, I do eat much of the ribs!After hanging out, staying up later than I want to, again, I head back to bed. There's still an inordinate amount of noise outside, but I've had too good of a time hanging out to be too pissed anymore, and I'm also too tired to really care, either! I drift into sweet, sweet sleep. Hiking 18.1-miles on as little sleep as I had (I slept maybe 4-hours last night) is not recommended!