Date: 2005-10-21
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter, TN

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter, TN
Miles today: 26.4
Weather: clear sky

26.4 miles todayDouble Spring Gap ShelterGreat Smoky Mountains National Park I woke up at 5am and layed in my sleeping bag for a while. At 6am, I started my coffee and ate breakfast. I had 2 fried pies and some dark chocolate. It was worth going to another store yesterday to get my fruit pies...they are really good for breakfast and 2 of them give me an 800 calorie start to the day. I'm still carrying too much food to get me to Wesser, NC. My pack is heavy and I don't have alot of room in it. It rained overnight, but mostly just a lite rain and just long enough to get my tent good and wet. I packed up and hiked out and by the time I got about a mile down the trail to the top of Mt Chapman, I was treated to a beautiful sunrise. It was hard to keep walking because it was so nice to look at. I got lots of pictures. When I got to Pecks Corner trailhead, I sat down and did some surgery on my Superfeet. I've got one spot on the right toe next to my big toe where a calous in the middle bottom of that toe was so thick that it was bothering me. I just cut a hole in the Superfeet where it was rubbing. I hiked on and when I got to Charlies Bunion, I sat out on the edge of the cliff and ate lunch. I tried eating alot to make my pack weigh less, but I could only eat 1 1/2 sandwiches and drink that 20 ounce coke Dick sent with me. I hiked on and stopped at Icewater Spring and got some water, then stopped at the shelter and signed the register. Between that shelter and Newfound Gap, I ran into alot of people that had come up from the parking lot at Newfound Gap. It was good to see people actually get out and walk some. When I got to Newfound Gap, it was like a madhouse. I've never seen so many people there as there was today. I emptied my garbage and hiked out of there in a hurry. I finally finished that carrot I've been working on for 2 days. I had a 1600 foot climb up to Clingman's Dome...the highest place on the A.T. I could see it as I got to within about a mile and all I could see was people on the concrete structure, so I didn't get off the A.T. to go up there. I just walked right on by. I ran into a girl by the name of Graceful who had hiked north earlier this year from Ga to Mass before she got off trail because she got Lyme. She said that she got her trailname because she is so graceful when she falls. :-))) The weather was perfect all day today, but late in the hike it started looking like rain. It did start raining a little after I got to Double Springs Gap Shelter. I set up my tent, but went inside and ate dinner. I was talking to Old Timer who does alot of section hiking. After I finished eating, I went out to my tent for the night. I loved it today everytime I got above 6000 feet because that seems to be where the strong smell of spruce kicks in. I'm really starting to like hiking in the Smokies more each time I come through here. The views have been awesome all day long. Alot of my walk today has been on ridges whhich sometimes were fairly narrow. This is the first time I've hiked it in October. There were way too many people that were driving cars at Newfound Gap and at Clingman's Dome, but there aren't many people on the trail. I plan on walking into Fontana tomorrow. (Just a little note for Chief.) :-))) I'm up to 21 leaves in that leaf catching game that I'm NOT playing this year. :-)))