Hiking the Smokies Pt. 2

The following morning in Gatlinburg

Salt Daddy and I got up, grabbed our packs and headed into town for breakfast before catching the shuttle back into the Smokies. We went to a touristy breakfast spot, what felt like a Cracker Barrel on steroids. I got an omelette with grits, it hit the spot before a long day but was nothing compared to the breakfast the day before. We finished eating and took our shuttle back into the Park. It was cold and a layer of frost coated the trees as we continued to drive higher up the range. We got dropped at Kuwohi/Clingman’s Dome and the difference compared to the morning before was unbelievable. The surrounding fir trees shined like diamonds, with each gust of wind the clouds in the distance briefly parted revealing mountains in the distance that spanned for  what seemed like forever. The cold wind biting wind against my face, visible breath, and surrounding forest provided a sense of familiarity and homeliness of Maine I wasn’t expecting to feel so early on in my hike. We walked up the tower, snapping pictures and taking in the view between parting clouds. Eventually, we walked down and started our hike for the day, 23.5 miles- which would be the longest I’ve hiked and keep us on track to get out of the Smokies by the next day. The cool temperatures were a relief after wilting in the earlier heat wave and I was able to hike with more energy than usual- partly due to a town day and from the colder temperatures.

I pass a family and a teenage boy asks how long does trail go on for like 3 miles? You got a long way to go dude I reply looking over my shoulder and the dad laughs as I wish them a happy hike. I soon made it to Newfound Gap- a popular parking spot for park visitors- where trail magic from a local church awaited us. I grabbed a mix of fruit and junk food and sat down and chatted with Salt Daddy for a few minutes. I walked around the overlook, taking more pictures and talked with some other park visitors about the Trail. Soon, Salt and I get to hiking again, spending a few miles weaving around day hikers on a more popular section of the trail as we ascended higher into the Smokies.

I’ve been super appreciative of the AT so far

but there hadn’t been many spots on Trail that I felt were worthy of stopping for some time to appreciate and met with a slight feeling of guilt turning my back to when it’s time to continue hiking. I’ve been fortunate enough to hike in some incredible places around the world and have been waiting for a sense of awe on the Appalachian Trail that I’ve found on other trips. I was soon met with that sense in the Smokies as I saw landscapes I had never seen before. A layer of ice- rime, covered the trees above me at times creating the feeling of hiking through  a tunnel. Depending on the geography of the ranges, a silver streak would run down the side against the rest of the trees.

We later reached Charlie’s Bunion, one of the few side trails on the AT I’ve taken so far, bringing us out on a point over looking adjacent north and south ridges. We could then see all of the snow and rime we hiked through earlier, creating candy stripes along the mountain. I finally understood why the Smokies are so talked about and the most visited National Park in the country: the mountains in the distance seemed to go in forever, overlapping one another as if they were in a watercolor painting. The next 13 miles were just as magnificent, within footsteps we would walk from an open area 60 degrees and sunny and drop into pass completely frosted over at 45 degrees until a mile later move uphill along a warm grassy path overlooked by frosted trees.

It was the longest I had ever hiked

I was tired but one of the coolest experiences  on trail yet. The next day Salt and I hiked out another 18 miles on our way to the Standing Bear Farm. I began my day chatting with another hiker, Haribo whom I met a week earlier. We we talked about our respective reasons for starting the trail and later entered a clearing bathed by the morning sun. A few hikers we spotted from camp were cooking their breakfast and I sat and chatted with them for a few minutes before continuing on. It was a long hot day in the descent down from the Smokies and trail magic less than  mile from the hostel was a welcome sight. Cold beer, snacks, and anything a hiker could need were spread out on tables for us to choose from- I got nearly an entire resupply for free, plus some extra snacks and a few beers for later. Entering Standing Bear, the hostel reminded me of the summer camp I used to work at- Spread out along the stream was a bunkhouse, kitchen, laundry room, resupply store, and main building. I spent time chatting with other hikers, set up my space in the bunkhouse, showered, and ate dinner- which consisted of frozen pizzas, but were still delicious regardless. Salt and I sat around the table eating with another group of hikers we met a few days earlier- D’Art and McCaye, and shared stories from before getting on Trail and during.

Going into my hike, I had high expectations for the Smokies, given their reputation- but was blown away by how magnificent the Appalachians are. 

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