Date: 2015-04-17
From: Icewater Spring Shelter, NC/TN

To: Cosby Knob Shelter, NC/TN
Miles today: 20.3

Today I awoke above the clouds. Last night ended with all the hikers exiting the shelter to snap a few pictures of a nice sunset that provided the backdrop to a few mountain peaks seemingly floating above the clouds. It would only be a teaser for this morning.I awoke and, after sadly slipping myself back into my wet clothes and boots for the fourth day in a row, decided to head out without waiting for Moosehead and Burnsides to get ready. I figured there was a decent shot at them eventually catching up, but I would end up hiking one of my quickest days so far and would spend the majority of the day alone.I quickly threw in some music and was off to see what kind of dent I could put into the 20.3 miles ahead before my body could catch up. I would soon find myself winding along areas such as the Sawteeth, Bradleys View, Porters Gap, Pecks Corner Shelter, and Eagle Rocks - locations offering 180+ degree views of valleys extending into the distance, mostly covered with clouds except the tallest peaks floating above. After several days of battleship gray skies, fog, and rain, it was great to see blue skies and clouds that accented the mountains rather than hiding them. It was truly several hours of the finest scenery I've ever seen and, with words beyond my range worthy of comparison, I simply leave you with the wish that I hope you can find your version of perfection and realize that you have in the moment. I stopped a few times, taking in the beauty of the Smokies before me, and thanked God.I continued on through Copper Gap, Mt. Seqouyah and, while skirting Mt. Chapman, rounded a corner onto a thin ridge and was treated to another unique weather phenomenon of the mountains. To my left extended mountains, valleys, and blue skies; to my right, extending from as high to as low as I could see, the edge of a cloud rested on the mountainside, yet stopped just before the trail I was on. It was a unique experience walking along this very fine line that could've easily been missed had the clouds raised a mere few more feet up the mountain. I even reached my pole out, poking it through the cloud, perhaps expecting it to absorb my pole or even recoil with a giggle like the Pillsbury Doughboy. In reality, however, no such thing happened.I continued on through Tri-Corner Knob Shelter where, after catching up and following Red Panda, we momentarily got lost for several trails usually meet at shelters. Luckily we figures it out and corrected ourselves before much damage was done. Red Panda and I continued together for most of the day, making good time in the process. We even reached our original 12.6-mile destination by 11:30am so decided to continue to our second option - an additional 7+ miles further. We passed over Mt. Guyot, Deer Creek Gap and, once reaching Yellow Creek Gap, we separated as I stopped to grab a quick lunch - a simple pack of crackers and water - the first thing I had since breakfast, which was also a pack of crackers. Although I put in my first 20-mile day, my body ran on fumes all day, thus making me feel especially tired tonight. I'm completely out of snacks so a resupply is in order.Just after Yellow Creek Gap, I passed an old plain wreckage site that the AT ran along. A few pieces of sheared scraps of metal still liter the woods, but is actually pretty easy to miss, as a few hikers in the shelter did.Onward through Camel Gap and finally Cosby Knob Shelter, 4 miles after the plain wreckage. The shelter made me earn it, though, as a couple mountains needed to be summited in that stretch. Luckily the lack of rain today allowed wood to dry out just enough to start a fire which has been burning since I arrived 2 hours ago. Unfortunately someone fueled the fire a little too much when my boots were nearby drying. Some of the rubber has peeled off and will have to be fixed, if not eventually replaced sooner than expected. Other than that incident, I'm once again well-fed and warm for the evening.Tomorrow will be my last day in the Smokies as we travel mainly downhill into Standing Bear Hostel. For now the plan is to stay there for the night, do laundry, shower, etc., but it may simply turn into a resupply only so that we reach Hot Springs, NC sooner, only 40+ miles away. The descent tomorrow is ~3,000ft, but I've had relatively no, if only little, knee pain over the past several days. Getting down shouldn't be an issue.Also, for those wondering, both Moosehead and Burnsides are here tonight as well. We enjoyed dinner together earlier, exchanged our daily jabs, and I again have Moosehead babysitting duties to monitor his snoring.For now it's time to relax a little, enjoy some good conversation with fellow hikers, and hopefully let the sites of today lead me into a pleasant night.