Date: 2009-04-29
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

Today was the Smoky Stairmaster: Day 2. A lot of climbing today kept me at the 13 mile day instead of the 20 I was pondering. Everyone who was at the shelter last night is here again tonight, all 8 of us. Strider is a thru hiker from Amish country, PA and he's 6'9" and leaps tall mountains in a single bound. There's also Jason and Nano. Nano is hiking the south half of the Smokies with his sister and brother and law, but is a thru hiker. There's also a ridgerunner here with us tonight, Kentucky Blue, she hiked the whole AT in '07 and is really nice. Finally, there's Andrew and Jonathan, who are thru hiking the park. Those guys came in handy today. So I was hiking this morning and feeling really blue. I was down in the dumps and my mind just wasn't in it. Thunderhead Mtn first thing this morning didn't help either. I get to the first shelter and find Strider and Jason with Bluebird, a woman thru hiker who's been struggling along so far and doing 8 mile days. She slipped and fell this morning, as she described it, "pretty much straight on her face". She had two inch long cuts above her eye, a real bruised elbow, and a sore shoulder. She felt lightheaded and sleepy, and couldn't get her pack on. She got violently ill about a week ago, and now this, her spirit was broken. Andrew and Jonathan come up the trail a couple minutes later and we find out that they are on spring break from Notheastern and they're studying to be Physician's Assistants. Perfect. So, with their medical knowledge and a few things from my first aid kit, we bandage her up and tell her to stay put because Andrew figured she had a light concussion. Another ridgerunner is on their way up the mountain right now to spend the night wit her and take her down to town tomorrow. Suddenly I didn't feel like my day was going so badly anymore, this lady's been through a hell week and still wants to push on, and we all felt like we did a good deed. Good luck, Bluebird. The rest of the day was alright, just a lot of climbing over Derrick's Knob, Cold Spring Knob, and Silers Bald, plus 10 other little ones. Right now I am 2.5 miles from Clingman's Dome and I wanted to get up early and catch the sunrise tomorrow, but it's supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow. It's not worth it if I can't see anything. It's going to be cold, too, we're camping at a little over 5500'. It's 10.5 miles to Newfound Gap, where I can get to Gatlinburg, TN. There's a shelter 3 miles after the gap. If the weather is thunderstorming or if I particularly like the idea of a shower and bed, I will stay in town. If not I will just resupply and save the amenities until Standing Bear Farm, about 35 miles from the gap and 2.5 from the northern boundary of the park. We just got a visit from a group of 8 or 10 deer at the shelter. Grazing and not afraid of us some got as close as 15 feet away. My first real visit from campside wildlife! And it's not a bear looking for my food! Kick: A lot of climbing, and seeing a fellow thru hiker make it this far and may be heading off the trail. All morning I was down in the dumps missing Dani. Kiss: The rain held off all day, waiting until I got to the shelter and providing cooler temps today. And hey, still no blisters or injuries, I ain't got much to complain about. Looks like tomorrow will be my first real rain day. Happy Trails,Transition