Day off in Hot Springs

Hello all!

Tara here, in Hot Springs for what is now my FOURTH "zero day" (no hiking) of the trip.  A day to do laundry, resupply, and just bum around like the homeless person that I've now become.  :)

I successfully made it through the Smokies this week.  That was a big milestone for me, because I'd always said if I could make it through the Smokies, I could make it to Katahdin.  And here I am!  Feeling more and more like a thru-hiker as I go. 

When Iron Will, BC and I entered the Smokies it was cold and blustery.  There was still visible snow on some of the high, far-off peaks in the distance.  How different it was a little over a week later as BC and I walked out of the Park with birds singing, myriad flowers blooming, and clear, sunlit water rushing through the streams.  Spring came while we were in the Park... and we readily welcome it! 

I found the Smokies to be beautiful, though the trail was rugged and I exacerbated the blisters on my feet while climbing the peaks.  They're slowly healing as I learn to take care of my feet (hint: take your socks off at night!).  I'd have to say there were three really exceptional moments for me while in the Park.  The first happened on my "Worst Day Ever" (due to how bad my feet were feeling) when I climbed (limped?) up to Rocky Top.  All the way up I was singing that old song ("Corn don't grow at all on Rocky Top- dirt's too rocky by far./That's why all the folks on Rocky Top get their corn from a jar.") and don't you know, the dirt IS actually extremely rocky!  Ha!  BC always walks in front of me as he is a faster hiker and sets the pace, so he reached the summit before I did.  At the top he stopped and called down to me "Don't turn around until you reach the top!"  The summit was a bald, which means there are no trees- only grass- so I knew it was going to be a great 360 degree view, but I was astounded when I actually got up to the top and turned around to look behind me.  Mountains upon mountains as far as I could see.  I felt so high!  It was worth the limp for the view.  The second great moment was the day we hiked up -and then down- Clingman's Dome.  That was the first day that we really hiked through pine forest.  The smell was incredible!  Cinnamon mixed with pine, and a fresh, green smell like celery all rolled into one.  The clouds hung on the mountain and veiled the forest around us.  It was like walking through a Pacific Northwest rain forest.  We'd run out of food nearly half-way up and were starving by the time we reached the 6600+ foot summit.  We got a little trail magic, however, in the form of a Dr. Pepper and Mello Yello someone had left on the trail.  :)  We got no view at the top (the highest point on the AT) but we were happy to be up there just the same.  With the help of a handful of granola bars we bought at the summit, we hiked down the mountain and into Newfound Gap, where almost immediately we were offered a ride into Gatlinburg by an extremely friendly family from Indiana.  (Thank you guys!!!)  The ride in the back of the pickup down into the green valley a great ending to a great day of hiking.  Finally I have to mention how much I liked Charlie's Bunion, a rocky outcropping right outside of Newfound Gap.  It's a very accessible hike if there is anyone interested in going there-  just a few miles from the Gap.  I'm scared of heights, but I definitely climbed up onto the Bunion and took in the great view.  I'd love to include some photos, but the computer I'm using won't allow it.  Perhaps at my next stop.

Stewart has returned to the Trail!!!  Coming down Davenport Gap as we were practically running out of the Smokies on a wet, windy and nearly hypothermic day, I saw his car on a forest road and there he was!  I knew he was on his way to meet up with me, but it was still a wonderful surprise to see him there- our "savior" from the elements.  Now he is following BC and I in his car, walking with us when he can- hanging out and providing support when we most need it.  I wish he were able to get back on full-time, but he's still not sure about his knee (it hurt him the other day as he hiked).  He is going to wait a little bit before making that decision...

In the meanwhile, BC and I are still hiking together.  We did our best mileage ever yesterday at about 3/hr.  Granted, most of it was downhill and we were practically running to get into Hot Springs, but still.  :) 

There have been so many people I've met and become acquaintances and friends with over this entire month (can you believe it's only been a MONTH!?) that I have to mention some of them.  Iron Will, who's a day or two behind us, is a pretty frequent companion.  There's Earth, who left her PhD studies three-years in to do the Trail.  We just met Polo, from Spain, who is skipping from place to place on the Trail as he hikes.  There are about 10 Germans I've met so far (maybe more) and it's not uncommon to get to a shelter or town and hear a conversation in German (there was a documentary on the Trail released in Germany last year, that's why it's so popular with them).  There's the "Old Hippies" as I call them- a group of 40/50/60 year-olds who look straight out of the 60s.  Dirt Nap is hiking barefoot the entire way!  You should see his feet...   Cimmaron is an 88 year-old thru-hiker I last saw a few weeks ago.  He hiked it once when he was 82 I think.  The list goes on and on.  Wonderful people. 

Sadly I have to mention Model T, who passed away a few days ago in a shelter in his sleep.  He was 70 years old.  Our friends Ben and Eva, and Nate, went to wake him up and found him dead.  Tragic, but not a bad way to go if you must. 

Stew and BC are rushing me to go to the Outfitters, so I must!  It is also Trail Fest today in town so there is a lot outside to see and do.  I am thinking of you all, especially when the trail gets hard and a fleeting thought goes through my mind that I CANNOT climb this impossible uphill!  I still hate those darn uphills. 

Love you, miss you!  Pictures coming soon!