Date: 2008-04-12
From: Double Springs Gap Shelter

To: New Found Gap - Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Always need to tell how the night before ended. As thru hikers, we tend to go to bed very early, sometimes as early as 6:00. What would you do have hiking 15 miles all day and it is cold? Our shelter was complete with a red-tail small squirrel. We all hoped he was the king rodent and would keep all the smaller mice away. I felt very sorry for the group of young kids with four leaders who came dragging in out of the torrential rain storm. They seemed not very well prepared for the weather. Not even a small stove to heat soup, but just cold snack food. Naturally it took them a while to settle down. Mathewski tried to offer them tea and help out as best he could, but they refused. It rained and thundered throughout the night. I was hoping that the cold front would blow through by morning. Well so much for hopes. Just as we were stirring at 6:30 a.m. (remember we went to bed at 6:30 p.m), a huge thunder clap woke us with a little hail thrown in to make it interesting. Did I tell you this was the shelter that in 1983 a couple were electrocuted while sleeping? Made us want to bury our heads. Bigglesworth and 2 Mile, who the night before talked over plans for at least an hour, mouthed Plan B. (Go to Clingman and hitch a ride to Gatlinburg). I'm on an accelerated hike to meet Sandy, so for me it was jump off the second deck and hit the trail. Today we were climbing Clingman Dome at 6643 feet, the highest mountain in the south. The rain changed to fog through an evergreen forest with three miles to the top. Again due to a turned around sign, I missed the AT trail to the top and hiked 1/2 mile on some miscellaneous trail. Thru hikers note that!!! By the time I figured out the error, I hiked .1 miles to a parking lot and then up a tourist road back up to Clingman, a 1/2 mile. The dome which is constructed out of concrete spiral walkway gets you above the trees to a 360 degree view of...FOG. Actually they had metal information photos of all the views, so in a sense I saw the surrounding views. Yea! I did get a few photos, but the wind was howling and I was freezing. Thought for sure I would get a cell phone signal. No! I even tried all four directions. So Bigglesworth and 2 Miles decided to hitch and I was on my own. Would you believe not 200 yards down the trail the skies cleared. No way was I going to go back and climb the tower. You'll have to use your imagination. Photos to follow. The afternoon was a lovely hike through pine forest until I started to see the effects of the Fraser Firs and Red Spruce dying en masse. These are all along the trail. You hiked by root balls 20 feet wide with very shallow root systems wrapped around huge rocks that were exposed. The whole northern end of the park is like this. I met another ridge runner Billy "Good Will" who was very helpful and said last year there was a huge blow down in April. I'm not hoping for a repeat performance this year. Went through one area that was fenced off to keep the wild pigs from entering. It was to preserve the sassafras grove. All in all a very delightful hike. When I came out at New Found Gap, it was a culture shock. Tourist bus and dozens of overweight people. I even had one couple who asked if they could take my picture with their baby in a carriage. I wanted to say could I have one of his gold fish? Oh my, the contrast in hiking the AT and being in the real world. I have probably dropped eight pounds and getting life down to the very bare essentials. So decided why not go be apart of the real world for the night. Just as I was trying to figure out how to hitch into Gatlinburg, a couple wearing backpack asked, "Do you need a ride into town?" ¢Moosehead¢ and ¢Cul-de-sac¢ had thru hiked the year before and were my trail angels. They dropped my off at the motel fifteen miles away. I had a fabulous dinner at The Park Grill. All the waiters were dressed in ranger outfits. I had a steak and loaded, and I mean loaded, baked potato. Back to a warm room and hot shower. Fly right, Ravon