Date: 2003-04-24
From: Lemon Gap, NC 1182

To: Garenflo Gap
Miles today: 7.8

We left Belleville at 10:48AM, Wed April 23, 2003. We picked up our rental car in Knoxville and drove to Super 8 , I-40 exit 217 at Dandridge, Tenn. We went out and got subway sandwiches and took them to the room. Next morning we went thru Hot Springs, NC before leaving a car at Garenflo gap. Its 10:26 AM on the 24th of April. We are sitting here at Lemon Gap, getting ready to hike. Just saw 2 gentlemen go past us. Northbound thru hikers, (George)Old Smokey Lonesome from Florida, and 10 minutes later, Buffalo Bobby. We gave them oranges, talked a few minutes, and they moved on down the trail. George is having a good time on the trail, but misses his wife, hard to believe. We are on our way.We are at Walnut Mt, shelter at 1.1 miles on the trail. Its 11: 10 and we are sitting here having a Coke. We are reading the shelter journal and taking a short break, and enjoying life. It was a sunny morning but getting overcast now. We are getting a lot of views up here, not many leaves on the trees. Flowers are out, with Spring Beauties and Wild Geranium.We are leaving Walnut Mt. shelter at 11:32, sun is back out, very beautiful day, must be 60 degrees. We are heading down to the next gap which is called Cale Cap, we will take a break there and take our shoes off and enjoy the sun.Its 11:56 and we think we are at Cale Gap, resting in the pines, enjoying the day. The temperature is perfect; we have the shoes off, cooling the feet. Hey, we are having lunch?We are leaving Cale Gap at 12:25, heading up Bluff Mt., certainly appears to be Bluff Mt.12:46 at Cat Pen Gap, nice cleared off area, grassy, with a dirt road going up a little knob nearby. Nice camping spot here, and we go up the trail to Bluff Mt. from here. We are on Bluff Mt. now at 3.7 miles, the half way point of today¢s hike. Not quite. Its 1:19pm.  Kind of a long climb up here but it didn¢t seem hard. It¢s all down hill from here. Views are hazy and cloudy, cant see too far, but back to Walnut Mt. and possibly back behind that, the Smokies.Its 1:42 on the trail and we are trying to get good pictures of Squirrel Corn, Its very similar to Dutchmen¢s Breeches except it is all white, rounded lobes on the flower. Got some pictures.Its 1:50 and we are down for a rest on the side of Bluff Mt. We are taking our shoes off at a nice breezy campsite at a curve in the trail.Its 2:19 and we just left our resting area. We were 4.2 miles down the trail, just 100 feet from the blue blaze water trail that took off. We are heading down thru the forest; it¢s a cool cloudy day, a beautiful hiking day, as usual. We are going to walk for an hour. Its 3: 20 and we are taking a break at about the 6 mile mark. Neat campsite here on the bluff, looking way down into the woods.3:50pm at the intersection of old dirt roads, supposedly 6.6 miles in with .8 miles to go. Good camping spots up there on the old grassy roads, but we are heading off for the car. 4: 09 we are back at the car at 7.8 miles. Now to do the car shuttling and find a motel room.After hiking we stopped at the Smoky Mt. Diner, in Hot Springs, for supper, still stinky and dirty from hiking. It was good food. Then we went to the Hot Springs campground and car camped for $10. Got a hot shower at the campground.