Date: 2008-01-24
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter, GSMNP

To: Newfound Gap, Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

A quick note on today's pictures. My cell battery died yesterday, so I took lots of pictures today with my Pentax camera. As a trial and just to give you some idea of what it looked like today on the Trail, I took pictures with my cell phone of the view screen on my Pentax....hope it works till I can get the photo card to Mrs Gorp.I woke up at 5am after a good nights sleep. My plan is to try and make it into Gatlinburg today.I needed more coffee today, so I brewed 24.78 of Starbucks and ate 1 1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. :-)The temperature at 5am was 25 degrees and it got pretty windy out over night.My peanut butter doesn't spread well at that temperature. :-)I forgot to mention in yesterday's journal that there were three apples at Siler's Bald Shelter and they were frozen solid.I started packing up at 6:45am and the temperature had dropped to 21 degrees.I started walking at 7:15am and it was down to 20 degrees.That was actually a good thing! I like it when it's cold enough to keep everything frozen....much easier to walk and stay warm.What a difference today walking on frozen snow. I got the .8 miles to Goshen Prong Trail way quicker than I expected to.The wind was whipping up pretty good...maybe 15 to 25mph and the temperature had dropped to 18 degrees.That ended up being the low for the day, but the high after that was just 20 degrees....so I walked on frozen snow all day and made good time.I took lots of pictures because it was absolutely beautiful out today!I had about a 3 mile climb to Clingman's Dome...the highest point on all the Appalachian Trail at 6,643 feet.The wind finally made my hands start to go numb, so I had to stop and put my gloves on.It had also picked up to mostly 25 to 30mph and fog kept blowing through, which eventually changed to snow.It snowed most the rest of the day, but would clear every once in a while and let the sun pop through.I had been following coyote tracks again today. He wouldn't make any tracks now, but they were clear when he walked through the slush and it refroze solid.That little bugger walked my way most of the day. :-)The snow near Clingman's Dome was 12 to 14 inches deep, but it was frozen and glazed over so solid that I almost never broke through it today.I took a few pictures of the dome from the Trail, but kept walking in hopes that the road to Gatlinburg would be open.The walking got much easier going downhill. I think I was making almost 2 1/2 mph for a while.I just couldn't get over how beautiful it was.The snow would come in along with the gusty winds and I'd have to duck my head for a while, but in between the gusts, I was taking in all the winter scene at this elevation.I got down to Collins Gap and started climbing Mount Collins.I summited that, and then descended to the side Trail to Mount Collins Shelter.I was glad to see that because I knew I was making good time.I only had 4 1/2 miles left to get to Newfound Gap.I thought about if the road was closed that I would just keep walking. I knew I had plenty of food to get me the rest of the way through the Smokies....but I really wanted a big salad and a steak tonight. :-)I kept walking and got to Indian Gap. The Trail comes out to near a road there and there's a garbage can! I LOVE garbage cans!! :-)I dropped my pack and got rid of all my garbage. I thought I might not be able to at first because the bear proof container was frozen shut, but I got it opened with a little convincing. :-)Did I mention that I LOVE garbage cans? :-)It was another climb out of Indian Gap...I'm guessing 400 to 500 feet.On the climb I got to see the fourth set of bear prints in the snow that I've seen in the Smokies.This was by far the smallest set of prints...I'm guessing maybe a 100 pound bear.I stood there and looked at where that little bugger walked...right up the mountain and into some brush that didn't look like anything would fit in.I had been following some tracks in the snow of some backpackers ever since I passed by Mount Collins Shelter.It looked like a group had walked in one day and out the next. I could tell they were having fun because they were walking in the snow even where there wasn't a trail.I also came up to where someone had left to water bags with drink tubes and the water inside them was frozen solid. They also left 8 bottles of beer which was also frozen solid.I crossed a fenced area that's there to keep wild hogs out. It was about 1/3 of a mile long.The 4 foot fence was now only about 3 foot high. I wonder if they thought about snow levels when they came up with that idea. :-)I got to near Newfound Gap. I know because the snow removal trucks had plowed snowballs down the side of the mountain and onto and past the AT.One of the snowballs was over 2 feet in diameter. :-)I kept walking and just before I got to Newfound Gap, I saw a car. THE ROAD WAS OPEN!!....steak tonight!! :-)I climbed the last little bit and saw there where about eight cars at the gap.I walked over to where I was going to hitch a ride and I dropped my pack.I had to quickly get more clothes on because the wind was whipping through that gap at least 40mph....maybe more.The third car slowed down and offered me a ride to Gatlinburg! I didn't have to stand in that wind too long. :-)I got in the car and thanked John Harb from Knoxville for picking me up. :-)The roads were graveled and John drove nice and slow. We talked the whole way down to Gatlinburg.I think we may see him on the Trail backpacking in the next few years....huh John? :-)He dropped me off at the Quality Inn. Thanks again John...that ride was a big help!I got a great deal on a room for two nights. It has a king bed, a huge jacuzzi and a gas fireplace!That's right....two nights! I'm in no hurry to get anywhere. :-)I did have a big salad, a baked sweet potato and a 16 ounce ribeye for dinner.....after my first jacuzzi of course! :-)Another great day on the Appalachian Trail! :-)