Date: 2008-03-22
From: Mt. Collins Shelter (5870')

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter (5920')
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: clear sky

I slept pretty nicely last night except a mouse nibbled on an open wound on my knuckle. That was one of the most unpleasant feelings in the world feeling his teeth on my knuckles. I tried to grab him and throw him but he escaped. I ate oatmeal again and was out around 8:40. The hiking was beautiful again with ice on the trail in some parts. The Smokies have given me some of the best hiking weather ever. Cool in the 40s with the sun out. I couldn't ask for much more. I was really worried because of horror stories about the weather I had heard but it held out for me. I think thats why I've been doing so many miles. It's hard to stop when the weather is this nice and the mountains are there for the taking. I didn't stop at the first shelter because I still felt pretty good. I think its from all the food I ate last night. I passed the gap to go into Gatlinburg and there were tons of people there. Some people were walking up the trail a bit with their families to catch some views. I felt really out of place, but it was nice to see people enjoying the weather like I was. The next shelter was approaching and I was still feeling great and hiking along a ridge with great views. There was a cool viewpoint and the sign before it said something like "Contain children" as a warning which I thought was funny. This section reminds me of Maine a lot. Cool weather with staggering views and the smell of pine all around. It's very pleasant and easy to hike in, but I could see how the weather could be nasty. It had been sunny for 3 days without precipitation and there was still snow and ice along sections of the trail. I stopped at the next shelter for a late lunch. The shelter was about 0.5 off the trail and the water was even further but I was making good time so it didn't really matter. I ate hot gritz with pepperoni (which expired a month ago) and hot sauce, as well as granola. I breaked for a little over an hour and when I walked the 0.5 back up the trail I saw Bigfoot and John and hiked with them a bit. It was 5.5 or so to the next shelter and it didn't take that long. There were some weekend hikers and a couple of thru-hikers I hadn't met yet. The weekenders were listening to a bluegrass radio station they said switched to blues at 7. I wish that radio station were back home or at school. The folks at the shelter were a good group of people who genuinely enjoy the woods. They are locals who come up and hike when they can which is really cool. I might get out more if I lived near the Smokies too. There are some hikers that think every ounce of human impact on an area destroys that area for everyone and for eternity and look down their nose at people who don't like by the same guidelines. Theres another type of hiker that packs in cigarettes, beer and whisky and builds a fire so big you can cook on it in the morning. I like to think I fall somewhere in between and can appreciate the best parts of both types of extremes. Some of the weekenders in the shelter wer the smokin, drinkin, fire buildin type which made for a good night. There is still a respect for the woods and rules and because they're out here almost every weekend they keep out the real crazies. I ate two mashed potatoe packets with hot sauce and some of John's seasoning, the rest of the pepperoni, and then a snickers and a Luna bar. I ate a lot because I figured I could just resupply tomorrow. The fire was burning til I went to sleep and the flickering made the shadows of rocks look like mice running across the shelter floor. It was another beautiful day and night in the Smokies.