Date: 2003-06-01
From: Campsite outside Hot Springs, NC

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: clear sky

"Hike Your Own Hike."--AT Thru-Hikers MottoThings looked much brighter this morning. We were awakened at 6:30 when the Boy Scouts hiked past our tent. Hoover's ankle was much better today, so we packed up and hiked into Hot Springs. It was a beautiful descent into the valley, with wildflowers, waterfalls, and views of the city around every bend in the trail. We got into town just before eleven a.m., and decided to stick to our plan to get a shuttle from Hot Springs to Newfound Gap, hike part of the Smokies (Newfound Gap to Davenport Gap), and then continue on back to Hot Springs and our car. AT hikers believe in hiking their "own hike." Believe us, no one else would want to hike the mess we're hiking! But as long as we cover all of the miles, who cares??? After hiking half of the Smokies and returning to our car in Hot Springs, we'll decide what to do with the car and how we'll finish the stretch between Newfound Gap and Neels Gap. It's not a clean, traditional thru-hike, but it's certainly interesting...In town we arranged a shuttle to the Newfound Gap, a three hour trip. We hit the trail into the Smokies at about 2:30. We had planned to hike just four miles to the first shelter south of Newfound Gap. The weather was perfect--crystal clear, sunny, and mild (70s). We decided to take advantage of the views, and hike on another 6+ miles to Pecks Corner shelter. The trail in this section of the Smokies follows the ridge line. The AT is narrow--as narrow as eighteen inches in places--with mountains dropping off steeply on both sides. This is called ridgewalking, and the views are spectacular! Charlie's Bunion, off the AT on a short side trail, was one of my favorite sites on the AT so far. We could see miles, and it is some of the most pristinely beautiful country I've ever seen.It was nearly dark by the time we reached Pecks Corner Shelter. We were a little anxious about whether there would be room at the shelter, and we wanted to get there before dark. We rushed ourselves where the footing was a little rocky, trying to beat the darkness. I reinjured my left foot and literally limped into the shelter area just before nine p.m. The other hikers shifted around to make room for us in the shelter, but most were in their bags and ready for sleep. We quickly settled into our bags tired to relax enough to get to sleep.I should mention here that, because of bears, hikers are required to sleep in shelters throughout the Smokies. If there is no room in the shelter, thru-hikers are allowed to tent nearby, but it is discouraged for reasons of safety, and to reduce the environmental impact of tenting on the shelter areas. All shelters in the Smokies used to be "caged"--cyclone fences across the front of the three-sided shelters. Recently, however, the park has started removing the fencing and educating the hikers to reduce bear incidents. They found that hikers inside the "cages" would try to lure bears closer by throwing food out to them, all for the sake of a photo opportunity. This behavior trained the bears to approach shelters for food, and taught them to associate the smell of humans with a free lunch. Peck Corner Shelter is an open "uncaged" shelter, so I spent the first hour considering whether any "trained" bears remained in the area. By the time I'd relaxed enough to consider sleep, all of the other shelter occupants had fallen asleep. Even through earplugs, a fleece hat, and my sleeping bag, I could hear a symphony of snorers, and--with an aching foot-- I resigned myself to a no-sleep night. My first night on the trail in a shelter was going to be a long one...