Date: 2016-05-08
From: Hot Springs

To: Erwin TN
Miles today: 73.0
Weather: few clouds

April 24 - Sunday - Silers Bald to New Found Gap into Gatlingburg 11.0 milesWell Commissioner and the ohers did get up at tree like they said and off to Clingmans Dome. I staying in the tent until 7:00 as the outside of the tent was covered in frost. By 8 Riley and I were packed and headed to Clingmans Dome at 6,643 feet. Trail started as all others but as I climbed the forest changed over to to a dense thick coverage to include pines and moss xpvering everthing. the smell was a sweet pine smell. I connected with another hiker and he gave me a background on why the peaks and valleys were called Blds and Gaps. Prior to the National Park taking over the land, the hills were populated with famers who had their cows roam the tops eating away the coveraged and the trees logged for timber hence called Balds. The name like Daniel Bld was the name of the owner for that mountain top.I came across three women easily in their 70s hiking the otherway and we chatted. They are locals who come every weekend and hike together. For their age they were in great shape and even had trail names like Graham Cracker, etc. Made Clingmans Dome around noon and what a view it was. The storms had passed and the sky cleared as I climbed the final steps to the top. Several of us laughed as there was aprking lot close by for park vistors and we could hear them complaining how hard it was to climb the quarter mile trail to the top.I left to get to New Found Gap to hitch a ride into town. The indiviual who I met earlier was there and he was a local so he took myself, Cherokee, Cool and and Sherpa into town. Cherokee and I set off directly for Five Guys where we both got the biggest burgers with large fries and large drinks. I swallowed down three full glasses of the sweet tea while just standing there while they prepared my burger.... which I ordered with additional cheese and additional bacon. Caught up with Commissioner and the rest just relaxing for the day. Gatlingburg was really more of a tourist site than a town with no less than 16 shops offering old time photos alone. The main street was more like a midway at state fairs than a main street. Everything was expensive. It cost me 20 dollars to get two new batteries for my Streripen water filter. WOW what a shock.April 25 - Monday - Back to New Found Gap to Tri Corners Gap 15.1 milesThis is where I take a break to tell you a story. As I packed the night before I realized I somehow left my small bag at Silers Bald with about $500 worth of electronics including my IPOD. As the bag and IPOD had my information I was confident someone would call me. I headed to the local outfitters around 8 to get a ride back up to New Found. A trail angel van came by and picked me up first so I jumped on board. Three other hikers that I never saw before were already on board. To make a long story short, they were talking about the bag and the items between themselves so I questioned them. they told a detailed story about another hiker that I knew that infuriated me. Sadly the story was a complete lie as I would find out four days later and I was conned by con men who most likely took my stuff and made the story up when they saw me get on the bus. As the days passed with no phone call I felt sure this hiker had my stuff as others told me he had my IPOD. I left him harsh words in the shelter logs only later to relalize not only was he not guilty but he was actually trying to catch me to return my Ipod. when we finally met at Standing Bear I knew by his face that not only was he not guilty but that I falsey accused a very good and honorable person of being a thief. Without a doubt that was my lowest point emotionally of the trip. I accussed hm of not doing the right thing, and not beng a good man but in the end it was I that was wrong and that day a 22 year old honorable person proved he was the better man. I can only hope that someday I and regain his trust and respect.When I arrived at New Found gap, again the trail angles were on site with more free food so of courseI ate as much as possible then headed out for another long day of hiking. A nice cool sunny day helped. As I hiked i remembers my mother's birthday was just a few days ago so I mentally wished her a Happy Birthday. I mentally told her that I still could not forgive her some some of the things in life like the fact that she knew that I had both a brother and sister. Apparently she and my brother's mom kept in touch right from the beginning after I was born and she kept that secret to her grave. My brother even had a copy of my mother's divorce decree so he knew that I existed but never knew where we lived. We all meat for the first time just a few years ago and although it is great the knowledge that I could have had a great relationship with another brother is something that I will never understand on why parents intentionally huirt their children to get back at a spouse that died decades later. I never know my father as he skipped out and never heard from again before I was one years old.Right after I wished her a happy birthday, several birds in the tree above me started to sing so I can only hope that was a way of her telling me sorryAlso the smell in the air was awesome much like fall leaves but with a slightly sweet and spicy aroma. I took the time to keep breathing in as I hiked and enjoyed the sunshine. By five I arrived at the shelter and already a big camfire was going. It was a great end to a great day.April 26 - Tuesday - Tri Corners to Davenport Gap and the end of Great Smokey Mountains National Park 14.8 milesToday was going to be my last day hiking without Riley. A wakeup and short 4 mile hike the next day and we would be reunited. Every night this week was warm and I was literally sweating in my sleeping bag and hadto sleep on top. I could feel the sweat dripping and my skin sticking to the bag nylon. For once I believed spring has sprung in the South , a belief that would be short lived.April 27 - Wednesday - Davenport to Standing Bear Farm Hostel and Kennel 4.0 milesGot up to another great day without eating so I could get to Riley. As I approached the farm I looked up the road and there was Riley standing in the road and came running towards me when he saw me. We wrestled and I hugged him. As I walked in, several of the campers were sitting around a fire pit and when they saw me they said that Riley was laying with them and suddenly jumped up and ran towards the road - he must have smelled me. I got a bed in the hostel with space next to me for Riely to sleep. That night ther were about 40 hikers there and we all relaxed around a campfire and played Texas Hold em at a picnic table. I think the biggest winner and loser totalled about a dollar - no high stakes here. Antes were a nickle.April 29 - 30 and May 1st. Hostel to Hot Springs 31 milesThe first day I hiked to Max Patch, a large area tha wsa bald due to grazing with a great view. I set up my tent next to three others. Around 7pm a vehcile pulled up along a USFS road and three women in their 70s got out and walked over. The tents were theirs and we chatted. One of the women had a vest with all kinds of hikin patches and told me that until last year she held the record for the oldest woman to complete the Appalachian trail at age 72 three years prior. Pretty impressive and encouraging to see that you can get old and not let you slow down. The temp dropped so by 8 I was alreading in the tent with Riley for the night. The next morning I continued to Deer Park. Notices were already up thatHot Springs had forest fires and that the Appalachian Trail was closed north of Hot Springs. The fire spread to 5000 acres and to top it off Hot Springs was holding its annual Bluegrass festival. Word spread that the town was overloaded with not even spaces for hiker tent. By miod afternoon the skies turned dark and severe storms were building so I stopped short of the town three miles at a shelter hoping to stay dry and not hike into town in bad weather. It was a good choice as the rains began by five and it rained all night. The next morning the rain stopped and I hoofed it into town and got a hotel. Commission was already in town so we agreed to share the room. The town was still in chaos with visitors leaving from the fesival and USFS Hotshots and Smoke Jumpers a,ll camping in town fighting the fire. For the first time I could see the hills behind the town all completely charred. The fire got within hundreds of feet of homes on the mountain side but saved by the fire fighters. Like all other towns, our first stop was a real meal hot and served. Monster storms erupted late afternoon with rain porung from the skies, lighting and thunder everywhere and cold winds rushing down the mountain sides. DQ and Bandito sent me a text message to come and visit as she baked a cake. DQ, a mid 20s female was hiking the trail with her brother Bandito. She is graduating from college in two weeks and they decided to get a suite at the Hot Springs Resort as they wul be getting off the trail next week so she could attend the graduation. Her brother asked her what she wanted as a gist and this trip was her gift from him. Youd could tell the close bond and support these two have for each other over the weeks and I had come to admire them both.May 3 through 8 - Tuesday to Sunday. Hot Springs to Erwin 67 milesI and commissioner had a plan to hike this in five days but weather shot those plans down. I only had enough dog for to get me to Erwin on the fifth day.Out of Hot Spring the trail was reopended. As I hike through the burned forest the first thing I noticed was the complete silence. No leaves to russle in the wind, no animals not even insects. The smell of the fire was a light sickening sweet smokey odor most likey better after the severe storms yesterday night. As I crossed a bridge from town onto the trail the river was flowing heavy from all of the rain but now it was nearly black with ash from the fires. Along the rtail you could see where the hot shots had created control burns to contain the actual bigger fire. As I came close to the edge of the control burned area I could for the first time hear birds chirping in the trees left unburned. Rain began once again as I hikednowe remember my comment about hot nights. Well while in Hot Springs, Marilee sent me a package with replacement dog food for four days. Because it wsa so warm the lat ten days I decided to send home that 18 degree sleeping bag along with other winter gear I had. I reconnected with Commissionre at Allens Gap and a small store. We came across three local men who also were part of the local hiking group. They told us the forecast was for heavy rain that night with temps well below freezing and snow in the mountains. By now it was late afternoon so Commissioner and I decided not to continue to the planned stop but instead detour to a hostel about five miles up for the night. There we met Dr Mom and Dude along with several others all hearing the same forecast. We started a campfire but by 5pm the rains moved in and it poured all night. So we were already a half day behind shedule.We hostelled with Vagabundo, a Virgina State Police Investigator that told us of some of the most bizarre murder cases he investigated. It rained all night but ceased at morning. The temperature was 36 degrees and we were only at 300 feet knowing that day we would again climb to over 5000 feet.That hike was without the worst ever so far. The rain restarted around 10 am and as I climbed I could see the beginnings of snow accumilation on the ground. By noon I was hiking not in rain but in snow pellets that continued for hours. I caught Commissioner at a point where the trail required you to literally climb up and down huge two story bolders that were now wet slippery and dangerous. We talked about our plan to jhie 15 miles but as the day continued were were soaked, freezing, covered in mud where the tail turned into rivers of mud from what now wsa pouring rain and fog so we reached a shelter after only 8 miles and 7 hours of hiking. Others were there as well and we all attempted to sleep in the shelter. Those in tents were also trying to get into the shelter as the rain was now a blowing mist and even in the tents everything was soaking wet. We shared blankets and did evryting we could to try and stay warm and dry - both to no avail and by morning we and everyhing we had was sopping wet even those items under the cover of the shelter. Commissioner and I decided to forgo breakfast and make it to another hostel about 11 miles away. Now we are a day and half behind schedule and I knew that even feeding Riley much of my food we were out of dog food in just one more day. Commissioner decided to keep going as he had enough food and we agreed to meet in Erwin while I went to the hostel.I met both Pinky and Brains there who just returned from a slackpack hike. This is where a hostel will take you to a location on the trail and you hike backwards to the hostel for that night. I decided the only solution for dog food was to plan to slackpack the next day 22 miles with a small backpack the hsotel lets you use knowing that I could make up a lot of time. The hike was both brutal and beautiful as I crossed Big Bald, a huge old farm of hundreds of acres of grazing land aat 5600 feet. Riley completed 22 miles in eleven hours but more importanly we regained a full day. Now Sunday the eighth I have only miles to get to Erwin and the hostel owner driver took me back to yesterdays slackpack starting point at Spivey Gap. I had to feed Riley the rest of my SPAM along with dog food the hostel owner provided by we arrived happy and sound. I am off now to the local Wallmart ot get Riley more food.