Date: 2023-04-21
From: Icewater Spring Shelter 

To: Cosby Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: broken clouds

I made a last minute adjustment to my original plan. I was going to go from Icewater Spring Shelter to Tri-Corner Knob Shelter to Davenport Gap Shelter, get a shuttle and resupply, then get back on the trail the same day. However, when I got to Tri-Corner it was only about 2:30pm and I had already kind of decided earlier at Icewater that I really wanted to get off the trail and get to a place where I could take a shower and do some laundry. If you look at some of the picture I took of myself, you may notice white lines on my black shirt. That is salt left over from evaporated sweat. I had also been wearing the same pair of socks for several days (I regret sending the other pair I had home) and I was just at a level of grossness that I could no longer tolerate. The only issue was that because you are required to stay at the shelters while in the Smokies, I'd have to walk an additional 7+ miles on top of the 13+ I'd already walked to get to Tri-Corner. So, I told myself that when I got to Tri-Corner, I'd take a break, get something to eat, and see how I felt after 45 minutes or so. Well, after all that I felt like I still had some left in the tank, so I made the decision that I would hike the 7+ miles to the next shelter. Now that I'm here, I think I made the right decision. I won't know for sure until probably tomorrow and I see how my joints feel. But I've already called and made reservations at The Discerning Hiker hostel for tomorrow night, so I have a hot shower, laundry, and a warm bed to look forward to. The only thing that kind of killed the good vibe that I was feeling about the 20+ mile hike was when I got to the shelter it was packed. It was the most packed I'd ever seen a shelter area yet, even more than in the very beginning when everyone is all bunched up together in the bubble. There had to have been at least 45 people total. There were so many that a large number of them had to go to another area about .2 miles to the south. I don't know why there were so many, but I think because it was Friday, a lot of them were section hikers and it is a shelter that is close to the northern border of the Smokies. So I will have to sleep in my tent. It wouldn't be as big of a pain except it's supposed to rain tonight and the location the I'm at is at the bottom of a hill on one side of my tent and a giant fallen tree on the other. So, if it does rain significantly, my tent site will probably act like a bathtub. But there are so many people that there really aren't any better sites that I could find.I also met another hiker who had a full blown, 3 foot tail. I actually first saw him when we were on the shuttle leaving Gatlinburg. I then talked to him briefly at Newfound Gap, and then a little bit more at Icewater Spring. His trail name is Strange Bird and it's certainly apt. From the little I talked to him he seemed like an interesting guy. He's the kind of person that has opinions that he's not hesitant about sharing, but not in an arrogant I know I'm right kind of way. Anyway, from what I could gather, the origins of the tail had something to do with a ripped pair of pants. I don't remember the context, but he told someone that he'd always wanted a tail and so instead of fixing the hole in his pants, they gave him something that was supposed to be like a tail. Well, he didn't like it because apparently it didn't behave in a way that he thought a tail should. So he fashioned himself a new one using some metal and other materials. Now when he moves, the tail moves in a way that he thinks it should. Unfortunately I didn't even think about getting a picture. Breakfast: 4 Kind peanut butter breakfast bars Snack 1: Several dried apricots Lunch: Peanut butter tacoDinner 1 (or if you're in Europe, Supper): Mountain House Pro-Pak Chili Mac: Pretty good. I'll get it again.Snack 2: A couple more dried apricotsDinner 2: Good To-Go Thai Curry. This was pretty good but I didn't read the instructions before I opened it. It was supposed to soak for 20 minutes, but by the time I got to the shelter, found a tent site, and got all settled in, it was already starting to get dark. I think in a rush I didn't let it soak long enough and some of the rice was still pretty hard. I also didn't end up eating it all because I was tired and just wanted to go to bed.