Date: 2013-12-21
To: Smokies Winter Preparation Trip
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Since I am starting mid-July next year, there is a chance that I will still be hiking next December - ouch! So, I thought it would be a good idea to do a practice hike at about the same time. I went back in December of 2012 to the Hazel Creek area, so I am no stranger to winter hiking in the Smokies.I planned this trip to include shelters and campsites, so I could test both my shelter sleeping plans and my hammock. I don't carry a lot of pads, or very thick pads, since my plan is to sleep in the hammock most of the time, so when I have to stay in a shelter I use all the bits of pad that I have with me. I have an old torso-length ridgerest that I use to give my pack some shape, a sit-pad that I put under my shoulders, and a back-pad from the pack that I put under my feet. I'm much more comfortable in the hammock!Here was my schedule:Day 1: 15.9 miles - Tricorner Knob Shelter - Parked at the Big Creek Ranger Station and took the Chestnut Branch trail up to the AT. I started at first light, about 7:30. It started raining about 10 minutes later! I had my raincoat on, but didn't bother with rainpants until I made it the 2 miles up to the AT. Only I couldn't find them in my pack! Oh well, I continued without them (I had left them at home). The rain was steady until about noon, when it stopped. By then my pants were soaked. Made it to Tricorner Knob shelter about 4PM. Laid out my pants under the sleeping bag o try to dry them. Had the shelter to myself until about 9 PM (I was in my bag asleep) when 4 guys showed up. They were volunteers, and had come up from the TN side, bringing a door for the privy. So I shared some of my volunteer experiences with one of them the next morning. They sat up late sipping whiskey but I slept through most of it.Day 2: 12.6 miles - Icewater Spring Shelter - Woke to an inch or so of snow on the ground. My pants had dried as well as they could, so I set out in the snow at first light again. This was beautiful, if difficult, hiking - 13 miles in the snow. Staying warm, but not o warm that I sweated, was the main goal for the day. There was very little visibility all day, so I bypassed Charlie's Bunion, knowing I would be retracing my steps past it the next day, and hoping for better views. Spent the night alone in the shelter.Day 3: 15.7 miles - Campsite 47 - Woke to a beautiful sunrise and clear skies. Stopped at the Bunion this time to take some winter photos. Took Dry Sluice Gap Trail down off the crest of the Smokies. The snow got less and less until it was almost all gone down at Bradley Fork. Joined the BMT at campsite 50, and went up and down to Enloe Creek. Got there at 5PM and the bridge was out! Crap! So I took off my pants and socks and did a very cold ford, then scrambled down the trail to #47, reaching camp at dark. There was no good place to hang the hammock, so I hung it on the old metal trestle bridge. Ate a cold super, but had my warmest and most comfortable night in the hammock.Day 4: 10 miles - Laurel Gap Shelter - The climbs really did me in today, so I was glad of the short day. The shelter still feels and looks new, so it is very nice. Saw two other hikers today, bringing the grand total for the trip to 6 other hardy souls. Sprinkled snow again after dark.Day 5: 12.1 miles - Over Mount Sterling and back to Big Creek Campground. Lots of snow still lingering on Mount Sterling. Great views from the fire tower. Then a long downhill back to the truck.Total 66.3 miles in 5 days/4 nights. As usual, my feet swelled up again on the ride home - I'm afraid I will have to consult my doctor...So it went very well - survived rain and snow and sleeping in the shelters. But if I am still hiking this time next year you can just shoot me. December in the southern mountains is cold, wet, and dark. Not enough daylight to make a lot of miles. I spent every day feeling rushed - no time to just sit and rest...