The skinny:
- Great Smoky Mountains: meh
- Hot Springs: cute
Day 11: The story picks up at the Creekside Paradise Hostel where, during the night, it dumped rain. That was actually the first rain of the trip and I was thrilled to have slept indoors. Our gracious but eccentric hosts put out an exceptional spread of breakfast which we (the group I had been hiking with) enjoyed before being shuttled back to Stecoah Gap. There, we hiked to the Fontana Dam Shelter, the gateway to the Smokies.
It was a long hiking day, ending with a surprise cache of beers in a cooler at the “Fontana Hilton”, the large shelter by the dam at Fontana Lake.
Day 12: After walking over the dam, we eventually entered the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There was steady climbing, and I enjoyed amazing views from the Shuckstack tower. When I got down, three local girls, all sporting Christian Bible-verse sweatshirts and revolvers, arrived at the tower on horseback. Wish I got a picture of that!
That day, I formally met ‘Trombonius Monk’: a thru-hiker (and fellow cruise ship musician) who is carrying a plastic trombone all the way to Maine (makes me feel less crazy about carrying an espresso pot!). He was one of the hikers who stayed with us that evening in the shelter.
Day 13: Sunday, April 19th.
Overnight, the weather changed drastically. A cold front brought rain and we woke to freezing temps, 50kt wind gusts and rime ice on the trees.
Eventually, we enjoyed clearing skies, fine hiking, and we made a fire in the shelter that evening.
Day 14: Morning was beautiful, but much colder than we had been used to. We hiked up to the highest point on the Appalachian Trail: now called Kuwohi (formerly known as Clingman’s Dome).
On the way down, we were the recipients of incredible Trail Magic at Newfound Gap: a popular place for tourists to stop and enjoy a scenic viewpoint. I was practically accosted by multiple angels all asking “hey hiker! you want FOOD!?” I stocked up on (free) yummy snacks. That evening, the shelter was packed. I had another fitful night’s sleep, and had to do another 20 miles the next day.
Day 15: First time for our group to do 20 miles together. The Smoky Mountains are beautiful, but I have to say, they’re just not amazing. One stark difference in this territory is that, compared to New Hampshire, 6,000′ elevation is NOT above treeline so, even at such elevation, most summits are wooded and views are sparse. We cruised through the National Park, and I started to get excited about descending to Hot Springs, NC. We booked a really great looking vacation house and we were all ready to get there. However, there were still miles to cover before our descent to ‘civilization’.
Day 16: Wednesday, the 22nd of April
The shelter was pretty full the night before, and none of us really wanted to stay in it–so we tented about a tenth of a mile outside of the shelter area. We all slept relatively well, and the day was yet another day of Smoky Mountain beauty.
Day 17: I pulled a muscle in my left thigh a couple days before, and it finally started letting up, which made the going slightly easier. It hurt to lift my knee up on every step. On top of that, I have had a lousy ache in my right foot. Yay for being in my 40s! A highlight of this day was the gorgeous bald of Max Patch: just amazing.
We tented on the summit of Bluff Mountain. Tomorrow we descend early to Hot Springs! I made a really tasty spicy creamy tuna pasta at camp.
Day 18: Friday, the 24th of April:
Descent to Hot Springs. Once in town, I went to a coffee shop where they ground me some fresh espresso, and I played their piano a bit! This was a crucial part of the plan (the coffee. I mean!). My life can continue on safely now. A real treat was that Victor Ashe, former Mayor of Knoxville, TN (we met on a cruise years ago) drove out to Hot Springs, and we had a lovely lunch.
We very much enjoyed being in town. Real food, showers, laundry, packs off…. Amazing. The town of Hot Springs is small but CUTE: and very hiker friendly. It was such a treat that we decided to spend the whole next day there: hey, out vacation home was available for another night so, why not?!
Day 19 was to be my first “zero” of the trail, and I wasn’t about to feel bad about it. Hot Springs didn’t offer much, but it was a splendid place to rest for a day and a half.
Day 20: Sunday, the 26th of April. Back to hiking: back to reality. Towards the end of the day, we descended to a road crossing where a sign announced the “Southern Cookie Lady” was just down the road, offering free water and cookies to hikers. Isn’t that just wonderful??
Stay tuned for the NEXT adventures! I love to hear from you, so do please leave a comment below!
Love hearing about your journey!
My son got married on Max Patch! Beautiful spot.
It’s stunning! One of my favorite spots so far!
I’m vicarously with you. Your stories and photos are enticing. Enjoying every moments. Attended the RIPhil last Friday. Thought of you.
Super!! I hope to make it to a concert with you sometime!
I’m vicarously with you. Your stories and photos are enticing. Enjoying every moments. Attended the RIPnil last Friday. Thought of you.
Thanks for sharing your adventure, Carl. I could never do the AT – too many ‘up hills’ and elevation gain. But I’m glad you’re doing it. Making lots of memories every step of the way. We will miss seeing you on the boat when we go next week. Hope we will see you in the fall. Stay safe, my friend.