Date: 2008-04-06
From: Franklin, NC

To: Clingman's Dome, TN (11 day report)
Miles today: 92.6

April 6, 2008   Day 27   AT Miles ¢ 196.7         Greetings from Gatlinburg, TN      Below is a update of my progress over the past 11 days.   I am still feeling good with only a few minor aches and sore muscles.            The weather has been gloomy these past few days but it hasn't dampened my spirits.   Looks like the next week or so will be great hiking weather.      I have my replacement hammock and I am back on the trail tomorrow morning from Clingman's Dome, TN.   My next report should be from Hot Springs, NC in about a week.      See Below - Report for 3/27/08 to 4/6/08               3/27/08Winding Stair Gap (Franklin, NC) to Wayah Bald Shelter (11.0 miles)   Partly Sunny ¢ mild temps   Tiring day of hiking. There were several 600 ft to 1,000ft uphills.   Saw three white tail deer running away from me as I rounded a bend in the trail.   There is a beautiful old stone tower on the trail at Wayah Bald.   The views from the tower were excellent. I could clearly see Standing Indian Indian Mtn and the Albert Mtn fire tower in the distance which I crossed over the other day. I could also clearly see the Great Smoky Mtns soon to come.   Took a short break with Peanut, Wing It, Maniac, and Fire who I met yesterday in Franklin.   There is a new shelter just past the stone tower that is not listed in my trail guide. About 10 hikers stayed there for the night, some in the shelter and a few of us camped out around the shelter.    I hammocked there that night.      3/28/08Wayah Bald Shelter to Wesser Bald Shelter   (10.6 miles)   Cool overnight ¢ foggy and cool all day. No views.   Just before sun rise I heard an owl catching its breakfast just a few yards from my hammock.    Lots of ups and downs today ¢ guess I will be seeing a lot of this over the next several months.   Passed Wesser Bald fire tower but I didn't bother going up. Nothing to see but fog.   I arrived at Wesser Bald Shelter around 2:30 and Brad was there. Neither of us was eager to do another 5 + miles to NOC today.   Slow Barbara (NC) arrived that evening. The forecast calls for rain, so rather than get wet in the morning the three of us slept in the shelter that night.         3/29/08Wesser Bald Shelter to Nantahala Outdoors Center (NOC)   (5.7 miles)   Thunderstorms AM, cloudy - light rain with mild temps all day.   A line of heavy T'storms passed over just as we were getting ready to head out in the morning delaying our departure.   The trail passed up and over a high ridge just after the shelter.   It was overcast but I had a beautiful      view of layers of dark blue mountain tops sticking up above dozens of white cloud filled valleys.      A short distance later the trail entered a thick green grove of mountain laurels/rhododendrons and dropped down along a very steep and rocky section of trail. With the mild temps, the chirping of the birds, the damp weather, and the thick clouds both high above and filling the valleys below- it looked and felt more like I was descending from the high mountain range of a Central America tropical rain forest than the Appalachians.   Way Cool.      Farther down the trail I spooked a huge piliated (sp) woodpecker.   It was the biggest woodpecker I have ever seen.   It had a bright red head with mohawk head feathers, and long black wings ( maybe 3ft ) with white spots.   It flew off through the trees.      After a very long knee crushing down hill I arrived at NOC. NOC is a complex of stores, white water rafting center, restaurants, and cabins/bunkhouses spread out over both sides of the Nantahala River and connected by a foot bridge and car bridge. The complex was crowed with hikers, rafters, and tourists. There was also a steady flow of kayakers and rafters coming down the river all afternoon.       I checked in and rented both bunks (total $32) of a two bunk cottage so I had the place to myself with room to spread out and dry my gear.      I bought supplies (food) at the outfitters then did laundry and a shower. Later I had a late lunch with   Slow Barbara who arrived at NOC shortly after me. That evening after sorting and packing my gear Brad, Barbara and I had nachos at the bistro and called it an early night.      3/30/08NOC to Locust Cove Gap   (10.5 miles)   Overcast and cool ¢ no views.      I had a french toast breakfast and hit the trail about 9:30am.          The day started with a long 3,000 ft climb out of the valley back up to the ridge line.   My legs are feeling much stronger now.   For the steep uphills I started counting my steps from 1 to 100, then starting over again until I reach the top of whatever hill I'm going up.   I seems to help slow me down to a steady pace (Granny Gear) so I don't rush up a short distance only to have to stop and catch my breath. I still need occasional very short breaks, but as soon as I reach the top that hill is soon forgotten and I feel fine.      My plan was to stop at Sassafras Gap Shelter, but when I arrived there I felt good enough to go another 2.4 miles to Locust Cove Gap camping area.   There were two hikers there from Northern Virginia.   I cooked Mountain House spaghetti then hung my hammock and called it a day.      3/31/08Locust Cove Gap to Black Gum Gap.   (13.0 miles)   Overcast with intermittent drizzle all day ¢ no views.   FIRST GEAR FAILURE.   This morning when I was getting out of my hammock the fabric bottom suddenly riped out.   I have no idea why this happened. Not a good start of the day.   I quickly broke camp in a light drizzle and headed up the trail eating a Pop Tart for breakfast. At the top of the first hill I got a cell phone signal and called Speer Hammocks. Ed Speer arranged to send me a replacement for pick-up in Gatlinburg.   The trail out of Stecoah Gap was really tough. Almost straight up in places.   I arrived at Cable Gap Shelter late in the day.   Rather than stay there I decided to do a few more miles and camp along the trail so that I would be just a few miles from Fontana Dam, my next resupply point.   After one more tall uphill - I found a quiet fire pit and level ground on the high ridge overlooking a very beautiful blue Fontana Lake.         I cooked dinner and set my large tarp up as a tent at ground level and it worked great as a shelter while I slept on the thin foam hammock pad on the ground. It was just me on the mountain that night.      4/1/08      Black Gum Gap to Fontana Dam Village, NC   (4.1 miles)      Rain AM ¢ Sunny PM      Woke to high winds and rain beating on the tarp, but it held up great.   Broke camp and headed down hill to Fontana.   Fontana is a very nice high end mountain resort complex with a lodge / restaurant building, vacation cabins, recreation hall, laundry, outfitters, and a US Post Office.   I checked into the lodge, showered, hung my wet gear up in the room and walked a short distance down the street to the laundry/outfitters/post office building.   There were a dozen or more hikers that I know there and it was a very relaxing sunny day sitting on the large covered porch in front of the outfitters talking and eating ice cream.   That evening I had a nice steak dinner at the lodge and called it an early night.               4/2/08Fontana Dam to Molly's Ridge Shelter.   (13 miles)      Sunny and warm   The 1/4 mile road over Fontana Dam is closed for repairs so the AT has been rerouted 2.5 miles down 500ft into the valley, then along the river to a bridge, then back up 500 ft to the other side of the dam.         THEN the fun part starts. Entering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.         Its back up another 3,000 ft or so to get back up to altitude. The first objective was the Shuckstack Mountain firetower. A lot of rest stops on the way up but it was worth the climb. Spectacular views from the tower on this bright clear day.   GSMSP rules are very strict. Hikers have to stay inside the shelters in the park and can only camp nearby if the shelter is full. Also ¢ there are no privies. There is a shovel at each shelter and a sign pointing to the designated area.   Brad and I started out the day together but he decided to stay at an approved campsite area about 5 miles into the park. Along the way we met Poppa Doc ¢ a Urologist Birmingham, AL.          After a long day I arrived at Molly's Ridge Shelter.   There were a dozen or so hikers at the shelter (most I know) and lucky me got the last free spot. I was with a good group of hikers so it turned out to be a good night.      4/3/08Molly's Ridge Shelter to Derrick Knob Shelter   (11.7 miles)      Heavy fog, light rain, and very high winds.   Woke up to a very dark, damp, windy morning.   Everyone quickly packed up their gear and headed out. A few (like me) are just going 7.2 miles to Double Spring Shelter and some are planning to do about 17 miles to Siller's Bald Shelter.            Heavy wind and rain all day. I crossed over a high bald and took some video of the 30 + MPH winds and clouds whipping over the mountain.   A short time later I came across Poppa Doc taking a break in a low spot out of the wind and he told me that was Rocky Top Mountain ¢ the same mountain the song Rocky Top is named for.   I can imagine this section of the trail is very different on warm sunny days. There are several nice high mountain pastures and orchards up here that probably look like something out of the opening scenes of The Sound Of Music on clear days. Not So Today.      I arrived late at Derrick Knob Shelter and it was packed full of hikers escaping the wind and rain.   I quickly set-up my tarp as a lean-to against the wind and settled in for the night. The SW winds were strong but not really very cold. I had plenty of head room so I cooked and eat right in the tent.               The winds were whipping the tarp all night but I was dry, warm and comfortable.   Far more comfortable than those the old musty, stuffy, crowded, mouse infested shelter.   I was asleep by 6:00 pm            4/4/08Derrick Knob Shelter to Clingman's Dome (Gatlinburg, TN)   (10.1 miles)   Heavy fog, light then heavy rain, and very high winds.      At 6:00 am I started packing all my gear inside the tarp/tent and waited for daybreak. At about 7:30 there was enough light for me to quickly pack up the tarp and hit the trail.   After two days of rain the trail was becoming a wet, slippery, muddy, rocky rut. I kept moving as quickly as I could without risking a fall. Much of the time I was walking on the high edges of the trail using my walking stick to help keep my balance.    Clingman's Dome is the highest point on the AT (6,643 ft). Fortunatly it was mostly a long gradual incline. Its hard to believe it is higher that the very exposed Mt. Washington, NH.   The trail passes though a long beautiful thick green grove of pine trees shortly before Clingman's. Reminded me a lot of Maine and NH.   I arrived at the observation tower at Clingman's Dome about 1:30. Now the wind was well over 30 mph, very cold and bitting, and the rain was coming down in heavy sheets.   Rather than walk seven miles down the mountain in the mucky AT river, I took shelter in the concrete rest room at the Clingman's Dome Parking lot and called for a hiker shuttle to take me to Gatlinburg.      It being a weekend ¢ most of the motels were full so I stayed in a super nice mountain cabin in the Artist and Craftmans section of town. Rent two nights and the third night free ¢ turned to be about the same as a decent motel.            The hiker shuttle took me to a local supermarket for supplies. I caught a trolley to the rental office for the key to the cabin, and then a short cab ride to the cabin.   This one is much nicer than the cabin I rented at Neel Gap a couple of weeks ago. Life is Good.                           4/5/08Gatlinburg, TN - Zero Mile Day      Another dark, damp, rainy day.   Hammock replacement day - Good day to be off the trail.   Earlier in the week - Shadowmoss (Paula) a hammock hanger friend from Nashville offered to come to Gatlinburg for the day to shuttle me around to pick-up my replacement hammock and supplies, and to add an adjustable loop buckle tree attachment system rather than the frustrating process of going back and forth tying and re-tying the nylon webbing between two trees until the hammock is at the right height.    Paula arrived early and we spent the day picking up my hammock, my Leki hiking poles that I asked Don and Joanna and the kids to send me, and a 3 lb. bounce box of stuff I had sent myself from Fontana.    I was hoping to use my trusted hiking staff all the way way to Katahdin, but my right arm is doing all of the work and I am starting to feel it my right shoulder.   I'll try using the two Leki hiking poles for a while.   If I don't like it then I'll send them back and keep using my hiking staff.          4/6/08Gatlinburg, TN ¢ Zero Mile Day   Partly cloudy and dry. Some sun later in the day.      Spent the day sorting and packing my gear and updating this trail journal.   Tomorrow I catch a ride back up to Clingman's Dome and pick-up the AT where I left off.   Hopefully the trail will have dried out a little.   The weather looks good for the next several days or more.   My next objective is get out of the Great Smoky Mtn National Park and on to Hot Springs, NC with a quick stop at Standing Bear Farm.               I should be in Hot Springs in about a week.      Bye for now.   Wes