Date: 2004-03-31
From: Siler's Bald Shelter

To: New Found Gap/Gatlinburg
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

I start practically every journal with an exclamation. Today's could be Sweet! Wow! or Holy Toledo!, but instead I will start with "AMAZING"! I hiked 12.5 of the most beautiful and difficult miles of my life today. I awoke to 2 inches of snow on the ground. Every hiker (not named Indiana Jane) was abuzz ,like a child on Christmas morning, upon waking up to the snow. Little did most of us realize that it was stil 6:30 AM. I took time to get ready and then took a picture of the beauty that enshrouded the trail. I had awakened and was now walking through a gorgeous masterpiece of art; now to find the least noticeable spot on the canvas to color with yellow crayon....   Seriously though, when I began hiking I was lost in beauty. I was headed 4.5 miles to the highest point on the trail: Clingman's Dome (6,600'). Due to the precipitation the Smokies were "smokier" than ever and I could barely see 100 feet ahead of me. Walking without seeing your destination can be rough on the trail or in life, but if you trust in God as your guide on the path the destination is worth it. As I walked I realized, I often try to look ahead to my own mountains of "career" or "marriage". It is fine to hope for these big destinations, but when you walk staring far ahead of you without looking at the path laid right in front of you something happens - you slip on a slippery log and fall flat on your face. On the trail today I slipped more than once trying to look too far ahead. I did not hit my face, but my side and knees were victims many times. When I climbed to the highest point on the trail at 10:30 AM and realized where I stood, I forgot about the falls though. I WAS 6,600 FEET IN THE AIR TODAY, WHOA!   As I walked down the mountain everything started to change subtly. It started to lightly snow when I was on the top so I slid snow gear over my shorts and shirt (yes I wear shorts in 30 degree weather while hiking). The snow did not seem like much as I departed the mountain, but it continued to pick up. After an hour there was no doubt that the snow was there to stay for a while. The trail was covered in white, pine trees hung 3 feet lower than usual, and the footprints of those ahead became increasingly less visible. I was fortunate to catch up to "Indiana Jane" and by 12:15 we had covered 4 miles through the powder. The walking was still fun however, like when you are cold but you are out sledding.    By 12:30 this feeling of fun changed as water began to wick into my socks and gloves. Even my overpriced rain gear was but so dry. I was VERY WET and VERY COLD and knew that the 7.5 miles I still had planned for the day was very unlikely. We decided to push 4.5 miles to Newfound Gap where the Smokies are crossed by Rt. 441, the only major road that crosses the Smokies. The going was rough and falls were many. I could not feel my hands or feet. I sensed the excitement of "make it to the gap or...freeze", but was torn between loving the adventure and hating the mixture of wet and cold. To say that the last 4.5 miles were anything but gruesome would be a lie, but as the snow neared 8 inches I realized something: this was simultaneously the most challenging and most beautiful section of trail I have covered. The problem is that it is hard to notice beauty when you are simply struggling to put one foot in front of the other.    At 3 PM we made it to the gap. A man in a truck (trail angel) offered us each a cookie and asked where we were going? We said: "to town" and he told us to get in his truck. His name was "Shortcut" and he hiked in 2000. He took us to the Grand Prix Motel where we would dry off, sleep, and do laundry. We went to Texas Roadhouse where I had a light meal: 4 rolls with cinnamon butter, peanuts, 3 cokes, 2 cheese N bacon potato skins, 2 ratlesnake bites, a chicken tender, a caesar salad, some fries, and an 18 ounce Porterhouse steak - Medium Rare. Now I've finished a few postcards and were going to chill with Red and Jeep. What an "amazing" day. - BEATBOX   ttt (these are 3 crosses if anyone wonders)