Date: 2009-04-21
From: Upper Flats Campground (Eagle Creek)

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

Night HikeIt rained overnight so all our tents were wet and the creek had risen a bit, but there was no flooding so it turned out to be a good spot. Jess and Graveyard¢s clothesline didn¢t work out as well though. After breakfast we got back on the Eagle Creek Trail, still wearing our camp shoes because there were another half dozen river crossings ahead. They were a little easier today because we were further upstream and the current wasn¢t as strong. But it was even deeper than the day before, and the water seemed much colder as well.We finally made it through the last crossing and stopped to put our hiking shoes back on. We only had about a mile and a half left on the trail until we rejoined the AT at the Spence Field Shelter. But there was a 3500 foot climb in elevation over that last mile and a half, straight up a series of cascades that fed the Eagle Creek. It was one of the most challenging climbs we had done on the trail to that point, but also one of the most exhilarating and rewarding.The trail ended at the Spence Field Shelter, which provided a nice respite and a chance to rest up for the next section. The shelter, like many in the Smoky Mountains, was a double deck shelter with a fireplace built inside. We stopped to make an early dinner and debated whether or not to press on. Liz and I were meeting friends the next day 17 miles up the trail at Clingman¢s Dome, so we decided we needed to go on another 7 miles to the next shelter, even though it would mean our first night hike. Jess and Graveyard were intrigued by the challenge and chose to join us. Stone Skipper (Jen), Calamity and N¢Da¢Wind chose to stay at the Spence Field shelter for the night.Our first climbs out of the shelter were still in daylight and took us up to the 5,440 feet summit of Rocky Top Mountain and the 5,527 feet summit of Thunderhead Mountain, which was our first exposure to the grandeur of the Smoky Mountains. The sky was very clear, which is unusual for the Smokies, and the views were stunning. We were very fortunate to such good visibility this time of year. But, as the sun went down, the clear skies quickly made for a chilly evening.Jess and Graveyard stopped at Beechnut Gap to filter some water, so Liz and I pressed on into the dusk. Shortly afterwards we stumbled across three wild boars grazing just off the trail. They were quite large but had no tusks. Upon seeing us, they fled into the trees just beyond the trail. We waited a while at the next gap, but they didn¢t show. We assumed they had stopped for the night, so we turned on our headlamps and kept waking. I had thought the night hike would be more difficult than hiking in the day, but it was a nice change of pace. Our headlamps kept our focus on the trail right in front of us, and obscured the steady climb up. Not knowing how far the climb continued in front of us, made it easier to just keep trudging along.We finally arrived at the Derrick Knob shelter around 10:30, where we found Ezra, Ten Sticks and Muscles sitting around the fireplace in the shelter. It had gotten extremely cold by this point so we joined them around the fire briefly to warm up before setting up our tent. Just as we got our tent set up, we spotted Graveyard and Jess¢ headlamps coming down the trail. We had all made it through our first night hike.