Unexpected Surprises
Day 22 of the Trail: 10 miles hiked
It was trail day again. No matter if our bodies were ready or not we were going back into the Smokies to test out metal!
We woke up and loaded up on the continental breakfast at the hotel before checking out. We needed to walk about a mile to the trolley depot to catch a ride into Gatlinburg, TN and from there we would have better luck at getting a hitch back to the trail. Sometimes, or maybe most times, things don't happen as planned and that's not always bad. See Pigeon Forge, TN and Gatlinburg, TN both have a trolley system to shuttle folks around town. Now our pamphlet for Pigeon Forge, TN said the trolley to Gatlinburg, TN was at 8 am. When we got to the depot we found out that Gatlinburg, TN is on a different schedule and the ride wouldn't get there till 10 am.
We went to the Internet and looked for a taxi. Thomas found a "funky" taxi service, which actually had funky or something in the name, that was the only service able to pick us up. We had him drop us off at the outfitter store located on the edge of Gatlinburg, TN so John could pick up some better hiking poles, headlamp, and a shirt.When we got there I was a bit surprised to learn they didn't open till 10 am, a Gatlinburg, TN trend it seemed!
We waited and then John remembered that the outfitter offered a shuttle to the trail head. It wasn't till just before 10 am we spoke with the shuttle driver who said we needed to have called prior to reserve a spot but fortunately not all the scheduled persons showed so they had room for us. John got his hiking upgrades and we got a free ride to the trailhead so things were working out.
We started on the trail by 11 am and I was happy to find a slow gradual grade going up. The hike today was fairly forgiving on the body and remarkably beautiful. "Where had these views been before in the Smokies," I wondered? It was almost entirely ridge hiking with sharp slopes going down to the valley floor on either side of our trail, which was no wider than 4 feet at times. When we're not hiking on a ridge, we were strolling through a forest equality mixed of evergreens and deciduous trees. For the first time there was a small canopy of trees above us. Before all the trees were still, leafless and empty. There were beautiful fur type trees and lush carpets of moss blanketing the forest around us. It was like a fairytale or something.
When we reached our camp site the shelter was full so we were forced to camp in tents, which is now more preferable than anything due to the Norovirus! After making camp and making dinner, we all chitchated till it started to sprinkle than we retreated to our tents for the evening. Looking to to about 13 miles tomorrow so keep your fingers crossed!
Day 23 of the Trail: 12.8 miles hiked
I woke up to the pitter patter of rain on my tent this morning. No surprise, we knew that rain was forecasted but I was happy to realize it wasn't as cold as I had suspected. We had made plans to sleep in if it was still raining at 5 am when our alarm went off and I was happy to do so. At about 6:30 am I woke up to the glowing sky and sadly still rain. No more sleeping in though, it was time to pack up and and get going.
We were all ready to go by 7:15 am. I started out leading and I kept a slow 1.5 mph pace or close to it. After about 2 hours we took a short break and had a snack. It's no fun stopping in the rain because it gives the cold a chance to creep into your bones. John took lead after our short break and he may as well had been sprinting. Surprising, because he had requested more modest paces in the past but it turns out he was just really motivated to make good time so we would have good options at our stopping place. The once beautiful forest of yesterday was now a muddy bog, wet and cold with no inspirational views.
It was a rough day with all the mud, constant rain, and nagging cold. Slipping, chaffing, and lack of any real breaks was taking its toll. We did make it to the shelter by 1 pm and there were only 2 other there. We knew more were close behind because we had passed about 7-8 on our way there so we quickly claimed our spots. One by one the shelter filled.
I changed into dry clothes and hung my wet stuff up hoping it would dry some before tomorrow. Not likely considering the weather and 100% humidity but I wasn't going to wear it or pack it that's for sure. Hope for a dry day tomorrow and we say goodbye to the Smokies!
