Date: 2016-10-18
From: Newfound Gap

To: Silers Bald
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Today was the beginning of the southern section of our hike through GSMNP. We spent last night in a nice motel in Bryson, NC and got organized for 3 day hikes, including 2 overnights at shelters. The biggest issue we have, by far, is the water situation on the trail. The southern portion of the GSMNP trail has been in drought conditions for several years and this year it¢s been very severe. When we applied for the GSMNP hiking permit, the website identified a number of shelters where the water source has completely dried up and no water is available. We usually carry enough water for the hike, but we rely on the shelter water sources for cooking water for dinner and breakfast and to refill our bottles for the next day¢s hike.So, for the last several days we¢ve been quizzing hikers who we encounter on the trail about their experiences with water on the southern sections. We¢ve heard consistently that several of the usual sources have dried up, but we¢ve also learned that some secondary sources have been located. These may be no more than a puddle in a wet spot, but as long as we can dip out enough water to fill a couple of bottles, we can get by.Today wasn¢t our longest hike, but the challenge was to get across Clingman¢s Dome ¢ the highest point on the AT (6,700 ft). And before we got to Clingman¢s we had to cross Mt. Collins. Collins isn¢t quite as high, but still a tough climb and then a pretty steep descent. Once past Collins, we immediately started up Clingman¢s. The weather was cool and mostly cloudy when we started at Newfound Gap, but as we crossed Collins and headed up Clingman¢s the fog and mist closed in and the long-range vistas disappeared. When we finally made it to the observation tower at the top, it was damp and chilly. We stopped to eat a bite and moved on quickly to stay warm. There is a road to the top with a parking lot, and shuttles and tours run from Gatlinburg. The weather forecast called for sunny skies and the area at the top was swarming with visitors ¢ all disappointed that they couldn¢t see past a few hundred feet. It was breezy at the top and we headed down as quickly as we could move. Our target end point for the day was Silers Bald Shelter and we were relieved when we finally spotted it. One other couple was there when we arrived, so we were assured of space inside the shelter. But they quickly told us that there was no water at the shelter ¢ despite the fact that other hikers we met told us there was water there. The couple said they had just returned from hiking to another shelter to get water and carry it back! Princess wasn¢t convinced, so she headed down the hill toward where the water used to be. There was one rusty pipe, quite dry and then a little further down the hill another rusty pipe ¢ also dry as a bone. But the ground around the area was damp so she went further. Eventually she found a trickle of water over a rock so she scraped out a depression, waited on it to fill with water and settle, and started dipping water out of the hole with a cup. The flow was steady enough that within 30 to 45 min she was able to fill and filter enough water for our needs. Through the course of the evening a number of other hikers came in and all were able to get sufficient water. The shelter was advertised to hold 16, but more could squeeze in and it was a busy night. We made some new friends, and then turned in early around 7. The noise didn¢t subside until about 10 and then the snoring started. One of the hikers had a claxon alarm on his phone that went off at 5 am. Several started packing and cooking, so we decided to do the same. We weren¢t sleeping that well anyway and we had a long day ahead of us with more quests for water.