Date: 2007-04-19
From: Derrick Knob shelter, NC

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter, NC
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Our travels today keep us a mile up in the sky with the trail varying between 4800 feet and 5600 feet elevation. With some fresh snow the hiking is difficult even though the change in elevation is not too pronounced. At Silers Bald, near the end of the day's journey, we get a clear view of tomorrow's destination: Clingmans Dome.Tommorow there will be a chance to go into Gatlinburg for supplies. I had planned on NOT doing this because it's a long side trip, and not a very pleasant one, at that. When I entered the Park 2 days ago I was carrying 7 days' worth of food. I wanted to get through the Park as quickly as possible, without a side trip to Gatlinburg. That was the plan then. But what about my flat mattress now?Fire Hazard to the rescue! While discussing tomorrows plans, Fire Hazard mentions that she intends to go into Gatlinburg for supplies, and that she will be glad to pick up a new mattress for me. Thanks, Fire Hazard! If you don't mind suffering through the touristy confusion of Gatlinburg, I'll be happy to remain in the pristine mountains. Fire Hazard says ok, and promises she won't be long off the trail.TRAINMAN¢S SIDEBAR COMMENT: GatlinburgGatlinburg, Tennessee! Most hikers hate this town, but some have learned to tolerate it as a necessary re-supply point halfway through the Smokies. The problem is this. The Appalachian Trail through the Smokies is 72 miles long and takes 6 or 7 days to traverse. There are no towns, no grocery stores, no minute markets, no nothing along this stretch that is reasonably convenient to the trail. To avoid going into Gatlinburg, hard core hikers simply carry 7 days¢ worth of food, adding a few extra pounds to the weight of their packs. Some hikers don¢t want this much of a challenge so they carry the normal 4 days of food and go to Gatlinburg for re-supply. Those visiting will usually stay overnight and return to the trail the next day. This puts them one-half to one full day behind those who don¢t leave the trail.Undoubtedly Gatlinburg was a nice town 60 years ago, but now it has morphed into the worst case of an over-built, over-promoted, tacky tourist trap one could ever imagine. By its own nature it is the antithesis of most wilderness-loving hikers. It¢s generally easy to hitch a ride into town, being only 15 miles west on US route 441. Once there you discover that accommodations are plentiful: there¢s over 100 motels just in this one town! By deduction this also means that there must be about 200 restaurants here. Wow, sleeping and eating has never been easier! Be careful walking to the grocery store, though. With 18 municipal parking lots to choose from, there¢s a lot of traffic in town. But at least the sidewalks won¢t be crowded: all the tourists are firmly planted in their cars searching for the next attraction and that elusive empty parking space.Speaking of tourists, there are lots of diversions here to keep the whole family happy. How about an aquarium, aerial tramway, Motor Nature Trail (undoubtedly unique to Gatlinburg - no pedestrians allowed?), Christus Gardens, Dollywood, go-karts, mini-golf, large-golf, ¢Marriage License Center¢ (always open, no waiting), motion simulator movie, Ripley¢s Believe It or Else, space needle, alpine slide, Fannie Farkle¢s Foot Long Corn Dogs, indoor ice skating, World¢s Largest Mirror Maze, ghost house, Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum (17,000 examples on display, see ¢em all!), car museum, earthquake thrill ride, on and on and on it goes, ad nauseam. No wonder why most hikers HATE THIS PLACE!But don¢t just take TRAINMAN¢S word for it. Here are two descriptions of G-burg that I found on-line. ¢I hated Gatlinburg. I felt like I was at a State Fair. There were more T-Shirt shops with Rebel flags then anything else. The shops were mostly dirty and with little trinkets that were extremely overpriced. Though everything was within walking distance, there wasn't much to be seen in Gatlinburg. I was under the impression that going up on the mountain would provide unique shops and breathtaking views, however, none of the above applied. I wish we would have never wasted the money to go down there. Everything we saw down there WE COULD HAVE SEEN IN OHIO and saved a bundle on gas.¢¢I live here, and this place is a veritable tourist prison. Aside from people who forgot how to drive on vacation and pedestrians who are blind to crosswalks, the town is crowded and overpriced. Imagine Las Vegas, wedding chapels and everything. Now remove the casinos and replace them with mini-golf places and throw in cookie-cutter novelty shops and a Ripley's Believe it or Not Complex. There. Now you have Gatlinburg. A place of no culture and all kitchyness. After all, where else could you get away with having a one room Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum as a TOP TOURIST ATTRACTION?¢In all fairness, many people DO like this kind of stuff. But hikers, collectively, DON¢T.Enuf said, let¢s get back to the trail.