Date: 2020-06-18
From: Newfound Gap / Gatlinburg

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 23.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I was a little groggy waking up in the Gatlinburg motel. Fresh air makes for more alert mornings. We put ourselves together and got breakfast at Crockett's Breakfast Camp next door, decorated with stuffed heads of every kind of animal in the park and specializing in giant cinnamon buns. (more photos over on Instagram)It was a tough hitch out of town, despite a steady and slow stream of traffic going up route 441 toward Newfound Gap and an easy turnout behind us. After close to 30 minutes an SUV stopped with an older couple from "lowland" western Tennessee who often come to hike in the park. As we headed up the mountain the road was again lined with parked cars near every trailhead as people flocked to popular dayhikes. We watched fog curl around the mountains like smoke, which gives the mountain range its name.The day had an unpromising start as fog enclosed Newfound Gap and rain began falling in the first few minutes. By the time we reached Charlie's Bunion, a popular outcropping of rock with striking views, the rain had stopped but the fog was impenetrable. Beyond the outcropping was a blank nothingness. It made the dropoff seem even more imposing since you couldn't see how far it went.I continued along the ridgeline, eventually doffing my rainjacket because I was sweating more than the rain had wet me. The sun struggled to come out. At various points I could see across the valleys. "Smoke" drifted around the peaks as the cloud ceiling stayed below 6000 feet.Met a small contingent from Troop 417 in Florida hiking the entire park north to south. When the leader learned my home state, he mentioned one scout had researched and written a paper on Penn State football history, specifically an incident in the 40s when the team insisted on fielding its black players over the objections of the Cotton Bowl, which eventually relented. The boy was shy and didn't want to discuss his work, but I encouraged him to pursue his passion for history. The scout leader also mentioned they'd met a thruhiker named Slingshot who claimed to be hiking 30 miles a day. Guess I won't be seeing him, unless he burns out and slows down.Had a late lunch at Tricorner Knob Shelter as my energy was waning and was thinking of stopping for the day. Just missed Sunshine. Earlier I had suggested to him pushing for the next shelter in order to get to Max Patch tomorrow, a great view point for sunsets, and he must have decided to meet me there. So before heading back up the trail I quickly scarfed down a corned beef sandwich I had packed out from Old Dad's General Store in Gatlinburg. It was only 4:30, but Joe and another hiker at the shelter had already built a fire and scrounged every last bit of deadwood, all of which was damp. The woman from California, who had been hiking at the same place as Joe, left the trail at Newfound Gap because she was disappointed by the lack of views. Too bad, because this afternoon's views were beautiful.The nearly eight miles to Cosby Knob Shelter went quickly. After a gentle summit of Mt. Guyot around 6300 feet it was nearly all downhill and mostly dirt trail. I averaged 3 miles per hour in this stretch without much effort. There were frequent views to the eastern and western peaks and valleys, with fog-smoke rolling in and out, as the trail stuck mostly to narrow ridges along the Tennessee-North Carolina state line. In some places the ridge was less than six feet wide, with sharp inclines on each side. In another it was wide enough for a helicopter to land, as indeed was marked on the map.Sunshine was eating dinner outside Cosby Knob Shelter when I arrived. Voices came from inside behind the tarp. He said the shelter was full and pointed out tent sites he had found. I pitched the Duplex for only the second time in a flat if stony spot, then went up to eat dinner - a leftover biscuit and jelly from breakfast, and Oreos. After hanging the food bags I learned there were several open spots in the shelter, but the occupants had gotten their dander up because our permits were not for this shelter on this night. Apparently a ranger was checking permits when they started out at Newfound Gap, though we've not seen one in the four days we've been here. Anyway it was not worth an argument as it's a pleasant night and the tent spots are decent. If it had been raining it'd be another story.Tomorrow we finish the Smokies and head on toward Hot Springs, one of the premier trail towns.