Maine's 100 Mile Wilderness from atop Mt. Katahdin

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Finished the Smokies

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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