The decision has been made. The Smokies have been mis-named. If they were called "The Rainy's", or "The Misties", or "The Snowies" I would be in complete agreement. I hear there are actually great views somewhere along the trail but I've never been fortunate enough to see them.
I started back on the trail at Newfound Gap via a free shuttle from Gatlinburg offered by the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Thanks NOC for your help! I spent that night at the Tri-Corner Knob Shelter with another dozen hikers. That shelter is at 6000', one of the highest on the trail. In the morning it was well below freezing when I rolled out of the sleeping bag at 6:45. Brrr. After breakfast I reached into my ditty bag for toothbrush and toothpaste as my last chore before heading out. It was still dark so I just squeezed a little paste out and moved discreetly away to brush. Hmmm, this toothpaste isn't foaming up like I expected it would. It also tastes a little funny too. Then I realized I had just brushed my teeth with anti-fungal cream (used for athlete's foot) rather than tooth paste. Needless to say, I brushed again with the real stuff. Lesson learned.
My second day out we had a beautiful day for hiking. I stopped at Davenport Gap at noon to celebrate completion of the Smokies. What a relief! There are still lots of big hills to come but the crowded shelters and sloppy trails of the Smokies are now behind me. I spent that night at Groundhog Creek Shelter with Raspberry, Fuzzy Navel, and Bamboo aka Helga aka Lily aka Third Wheel. Bamboo made a great fire that we sat and watched until 9:00. That's the latest I've been up on the trail to date. What a wild life we lead out here.
Mileage to date = 245.6
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