The trail itself

April 15

I've posted lots of pics of vistas but not many pictures of the actual path we walk on.

This is what it looked like today with Matthew ahead walking up a long hill to the light at the end of the green tunnel:




And walking the narrow path along a ridge:



You can't see in this photo but about 5-10 feet off the trail to the left or right is a very steep drop through the trees.
In the Smoky Mts, we have appreciated a lot of man made support of the AT itself. Here's a section that has a stone wall foundation. Without that little section, we would have had to go a long way down and around. Much appreciated.

Bob's Dairyland

April 25

We went into Roan Mountain, TN to resupply and get a hot meal. We are definitely in Tennessee; sign hanging in Bob's Dairyland:



Good old boys down here.

Location:36.19646, -82.06457

Doll Flats

April 24

We stopped today about 50 yards from the North Carolina/Tennessee border. We will be leaving North Carolina in the morning when we break camp. There's a sign at the end of the field we camped in:



The field we're in is called Doll Flats. No idea why, but it's an interesting name.

Location:36.15188, -82.01160

Another Big Bald

April 24

The photo below doesn't show the scale of this hill we are about to climb.



It's almost a mile to the top and about a thousand feet elevation. I love these balds except for one thing. The wind screams over them and its sometimes hard to keep your balance when it's a crosswind. Weather was great otherwise so it was a great day.

State Park-ification of the AT

April 24

I know I've mentioned appreciating improvements to the trail like the scout bridge and stone walkways that save us long detours. They are wonderful.
We came upon another "improvement" today. About a mile of the AT was redone like a walkway in Longwood Gardens. There was a layer of weed proofing fabric covered with a rubber grid and perfect dark grey crushed stone that made it feel so sterile. I'm sure the intentions were good but it felt very strange.



This was a rough part where the stone had washed away a bit so you can see the rubber webbing that tries to keep the stone in place.

Chimney in the Forest

April 24

The AT passed right by two of these about a mile apart. Nothing else nearby and no evidence of any foundation, so I'm guessing it was a log cabin and only the masonry remains. Love to know the history of these. If only that fireplace could tell some tales...

More magic

April 19

We met a man and woman walking down the trail southbound with small daypacks on their backs. The woman was offering fresh navel oranges and the man gave us Snickers bars. What a treat. Fresh fruit is the most amazing thing after the goop we've been eating and Snickers are a hikers best friend.
Sorry I did not ask their names. Thank you!!

Cold!!

April 20

We enjoyed a day in the low 80's a few days ago in Hot Springs and the surrounding mountains. Last night it dropped into the low 20's and the wind blew all night. In the morning we woke to everything frozen solid. All the rain had turned everything to mud but it was all very solid. We left camp wearing shirts, fleeces, and down coats on top with gloves and hats again. We hadn't needed our gloves for walking since the ice storm. The wind was still blowing hard but it warmed up nicely by noon.
Saw some beautiful 3-4" long hoar frost on the trail. Had not seen that since the first day or two.

Apple Orchard

April 23

We came upon an old abandoned apple orchard today. Dozens of trees still standing. In season it would be such a treat to find fresh apples.

Location:36.15633, -82.22210

Animal Trees

April 18

We've seen lots of oddly shaped trees. Some are huge and resemble a rhino head. This one is smaller and looks a bit like a gazelle's head.



Something causes them to turn down (probably a storm breaks the tree but it survives) then a branch becomes the new trunk and these animal heads result.

Huge Burls on Trees

April 22

There are so many of these huge burls on the trees out here. I don't know what causes it, I'm guessing some virus or other injury, but it makes for beautifully grained wood. This burl was about 3 ft across.



And from the other side:

Old Spruce Forest

April 22

The top of a mountain surprised us with a beautiful old spruce forest. The trees seem to go on forever. The trail disappeared except for the white blazes. There was no obvious path on the forest floor. The needles take the traffic so well, you can't tell where others have trodden. Lovely.

Location:Unaka Mountain, NC

Oh, NO!!! Microwaves!!!

April 21

The Pizza Plus in Erwin has a good "all you can eat" pizza and salad bar. They also seem to worry about microwave ovens. Perhaps it's a state of Tennessee or a local requirement to warn patrons, but I found the big blue sign on the door amusing.

Location:Erwin, TN

Excellent Gloves

A couple of Christmases ago, Jacqui, Mark, and Liberty gave me some very nice Northface gloves that allow you to use touchscreens.



They have been amazing on this trip. They are not waterproof, but kept my hands warm nonetheless walking for 8 miles in freezing rain while ice built up on my walking sticks. Somehow, the synthetic fabric still insulates when wet. I've worn them many mornings while the frost is still on the ground and many evenings to make these entries on my phone screen.

Thank you again, guys. Wonderful, prescient gift.

Eagle Scout Project Appreciated

April 21

I don't know much about scouting, but I believe a part of the difficult journey to achieving scouting's highest level is a project like this awesome bridge over a stream on the AT. Really, really appreciated. The wire mesh on the otherwise slippery wooden boards is brilliant.
Thank You, Daniel.

Sarge

April 21

Stopped in Erwin this morning for resupply. We were kindly offered a free ride into town from Uncle Johny's Hostel at the trail head. They were headed in to Huddle House to pick up the early breakfast hostelers they dropped off earlier. We ate at Huddle House and had started walking to the Food Lion (about a half mile) when a car pulled up and the usual conversation ensued. You guys thru hikers? Want a lift? The gentleman who picked us up took us to Food Lion and waited for us outside while we shopped. He then drove us back toward the trail and we asked about a good cheap lunch and he dropped us at Pizza Plus who have an all you can eat pizza and salad bar. He told us where he lived (about a block away) and told us he'd be happy to give us a ride the rest of the way back to the trail after lunch, BUT, there was one condition: any thru hiker who comes to his house has to have a shot of bourbon with him.
We sorted our groceries and packed them up and enjoyed lots of pizza and salad and thought about the gent's kind offer. We walked to his house, he poured three very large shots, we downed them - ahhh, the burn. I had forgotten what that felt like. I can't remember the last time I had a shot. He then drove us the mile or so back to the trail. He told us his nickname is Sarge - (not army, but sergeant Shultz, I know nothing...). Great guy.
Thanks Sarge!

Location:Erwin, TN

Tree fell in NC and landed in TN

April 18

The last hundred miles or so of the AT has meandered along the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. The word is that walking north, your left foot is in TN and your right in NC. We've seen a lot of very official looking surveying markers along the trail and they're usually very close - just a few feet to one side or the other.



This tree snapped about 7' off the ground and fell across making a nice arbor.

Location:36.05708, -82.65236

Standing Stones

April 18

Atop the ridge line we found these two standing stones. Very vertical and by themselves.

A Very Wet Day

April 19

They were predicting a very wet day so we got up early to beat the rain. Got on the trail and had about 9 miles to go to get to the road to the resupply. It rained, but not a hard rain. A gentle English rain until we got to the road. Then it poured and the wind blew the rain sideways and we got drenched trying to hitchhike on a road with no traffic while we walked toward the cafe and corner store 3 miles away. We did finally get a ride after walking about a mile by the first car. The woman who picked us up handed us a roll of paper towels in her car to dry off a bit. People are great here.
We ate very good burgers and salads in the cafe while we dripped on their booth and the floor under us and waited for the rain to slow. It did almost stop by the time we finished eating and did a quick resupply and hitched back to the trail. The guy who picked us up on the way back was driving in the other direction and turned around to pick us up. I hope our excellent hitchhiking luck continues.
Nothing but the very best things to say about the people we've met so far; just wonderful people here.
Back on the trail we walked about 4-5 more miles then set camp in this mist.

Location:35.97140, -82.52363

Norovirus

April 20

For the last week or two we've heard stories of a norovirus outbreak on the trail between Hot Springs and Irwin. We've heard about half the hikers have been affected and knocked off the trail for 2-3 days. We've been avoiding the shelters and people and not touching anything people might touch in the area and have been spared so far. We get to Irwin tomorrow for resupply. Saw this on the trail today.

High Calorie Snack Suggestions?

We are supposed to be eating 3000-4000 calories a day. We've calculated our hot breakfasts and
dinners are about 600-800 each. We have a small plastic bottle of olive oil that we pour into our dinners of mash and tuna to add a few more. That leaves a couple of thousand calories on the table. A snickers bar or bag of peanut m&ms is only about 250 calories. You just can't eat 8 of those a day (and not feel sick). Nuts, raisins, and other dried fruit are good. Any suggestions of high calorie, not sickly sweet, not very heavy (weight) snacks would be greatly appreciated.
Aside from what was already listed, we do eat: peanut butter on Ritz crackers, PB on jerky, Fig Newtons, dried banana slices that we add to our oatmeal in the morning, Craisens (sweetened dried cranberries). We're really looking for complex carbs and fats because 5 months of eating sweets like we've been will give us type II diabetes...

My snack bag:


Thanks

A Blustery Day

April 18

It was very windy today. We walked along a ridge line that had an alternate route for bad weather.



Of course we took the ridge line trail and with the wind gusts over 40mph it was hard to keep upright some of the time. A big pack on your back makes a good sail. A sunny day with high wind didn't qualify as bad weather.

A Wet Day

April 17

We had some rain last night and then were awoken by a tremendous thunderclap in the middle of the night. It was very loud. Amazing how much louder it seems when you only have a few mils of sil-nylon between you and the weather. It rained until about 7:30 so we had a slightly late start but we packed up our tents and were off to a good start by about 8:30. After our breakfast stop we were walking again and it started raining. Slowly as first for about an hour then harder and harder until we were drenched. The air was reasonably warm so as we walked we weren't cold. We stopped in a shelter to get out of the rain for about 15 min and it slowed again so we walked some more. Finally the sun came out and dried us out.
It wasn't bad. We have pack covers to keep the contents dry and dry jackets in the packs in case we got too cold. Our first real rain (other than the freezing rain debacle) in three weeks on the trail. The weather gods have been smiling on us.
We've heard that three years ago on another hikers thru hike, it rained 30 out of the first 40 days. That certainly puts today in perspective and we are feeling very lucky.

Location:36.09003, -82.78945

A typical day

6:45-7:00 AM Wake at sunrise to the staccato of woodpecker alarm clocks. Break camp, have a snack and start up the trail by about 8:00-8:30.
We walk for a couple of hours and find a spot to stop for breakfast. We boil water and enjoy our instant oatmeal.
The next few hours are walking and snacking. We don't stop for a lunch; we just eat and drink as we walk. Several times during the day we will stop to filter water and refill. We probably drink around 5-6 liters each a day. Around 6:30 we start looking for a place to set up camp. We avoid the shelters and just look for a nice spot by the trail somewhere. We usually find a spot by about 7:00, set up our tents and boil more water for our instant dinners and enjoy. We find a good tree and hang the bear bag. Crawl into our tents around 8:00 as the sun is setting and read a bit and/or blog before falling asleep.
I never thought I could sleep for 10-11 hours, but it's easy after walking so far.

Miniature Iris

April 16

We've seen a lot of beautiful flowers blooming in the last few days. This one stunned me. Tiny 4" tall miniature iris along the side of the trail. That's my boot in the photo to show their size. They're barely taller than the toe of my boot but perfectly formed.

Location:Hot Springs, NC

Deep Dark Cave

April 15

We walked quickly past this cave on the trail today. To give you an idea of the size, I could have walked into the peaked part by ducking my head slightly. It was large, deep and dark and we did not want to disturb whatever was inside.

AT Signpost

April 15

We passed this around mid day.



The top one caught my eye. 265 miles back to Springer. We did another 20+ mile day today.

Max's Patch

April 15

Atop another mountain is a huge bald called Max's Patch. This is the view from the north side looking back while we were headed down. Reminds me of the Telletubbies.

Location:35.79555 -82.95844

UFO has landed

April 14

We climbed another mountain and on top was a bald (a grassy area above the tree line). The trail continued across the bald and at the very highest point we found this UFO.



Upon closer examination it turned out to much less exciting. It's some sort of aviation beacon.



But still cool nonetheless. Another pic looking back south as we descended the other side.



That's the AT on the left with the white markers.

Location:35.78980 -83.05263

Waterfall

April 14

The trail crossed a stream just under this waterfall.



Tried to capture a short video clip so you can hear it. It was loud.

Bear bagging

April 13

Part of our nightly ritual is putting our food somewhere safe from the animals out here.
We hang our food bags from a rope thrown over a branch so that it's at least 8 ft off the ground, 6 ft out from the tree trunk and 6 ft below the branch.

I'm sure it's not perfect (squirrels could probably climb down, but it's worked so far.

Our first 20 mile day

April 13

We are camped tonight less than a mile from the end of the Smoky Mountains park. Because of park regulations, we have to stay at shelters while in the park. The spacing of the shelters isn't always convenient, so we had a choice of stopping at 12.5 miles or going slightly over 20.
The Smoky Mountains are beautiful but we'll be glad to exit tomorrow.

Location:35.76928, -83.12346

Mosses and Lichens

April 12

I'm always stopping to look at the tiny life on the stone walls. Not sure what the yellow is but it is intense.




And the tiny mosses are beautiful.



Like miniature forests.

Smoky Mountains

April 12

This afternoon the sky was so clear and blue and the "smoke" drifted through the mountains below us. It is a beautiful sight to see it slowly swirling.

Charlie's Bunion

April 12

We climbed out on Charlie's Bunion today. The photos don't capture the view. We agreed it was by far the best view of surrounding mountains so far. It probably helped that it rained 2.8" last night and washed the haze from the air. It seemed we could see over 50 miles.

Location:35.63841, -83.36971

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

April 11

Gatlinburg, Tennessee has to be seen to be believed. It is surreal. The Main Street is like a cross between Main Street, USA in Disneyland and an arcade. Haunted houses, shooting gallery,

Hollywood car museum:




Ripley's Believe it or Not:



There are also zillions of motels, but of course, if your tastes run higher than that, there is the Four Seasons...


And on almost every block is an "old tyme" photo booth where you dress in period clothing and have your picture taken. It's a carnival. The people here were really enjoying it. There's also a Hard Rock Cafe?

I expected to see Rod Serling at any minute.

Location:The Twilight Zone

Third Trail Angel

April 11

Wednesday we were almost out of food and we were hearing severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings for Thursday night. Luckily Gatlinburg, TN was just about a 17 mile hike and 22 mile hitchhike West on route 441 away. As we're in the Smoky Mts still, we have to stay at shelters. The plan was to stay at the last shelter before 441 (about 4 miles) and walk to 441 this morning and hitchhike to town. At the shelter last night we found out that there was a mudslide that washed out about a 200 yard long section of 441. Damn... Gotta go for it anyway as we were low on food.
Luckily the slide was just east of where we came to 441 so the road to Gatlinburg was open, but with the road closed to the east, there were no cars traveling west. As we stood there at a parking lot on 441, a car in the lot started and the driver asked if we were headed to Gatlinburg. He is an avid hiker himself and said he figured hikers would have trouble getting to town and came out to help. He gave us a free ride to the grocery store in Gatlinburg and waited for us while we shopped. He told me he'd have lunch in the cafe in the store while we shopped, and when we were had all our supplies to find him there and he'd give us his loyalty card. He actually gave us his car keys with the card so we could check out while he finished his meal. Would you give your car keys to two scruffy hikers? His card saved us $8. He then drove us to our motel.

THANK YOU, David. You are a star!

Location:Gatlinburg, TN

Clingmans Dome

April 10

The view from an observation deck on top of the highest mountain on the AT is breathtaking. The Smoky Mountains are beautiful.
We are walking up in shortsleeves and shorts in warm sunshine and really perspiring and then turn a corner and find the trail a sheet of ice with snow on both sides. We haven't seen ice since the ice storm last week. It's been very warm every day and night. I guess 6600 ft elevation makes a difference.

Location:35.56294, -83.49839

Smoky Mountains and Horses

Most of the AT does not permit horses. We heard people on the trail complaining that they could not take their dogs with them through the Smoky Mountains. It seems that the reason is that horses are permitted here. Shelters have hitching posts and water buckets for horses. We've seen a lot of hoof prints in the mud on the trail, but no horses yet. There are parts here horses are not allowed, but it is because it is too steep there. The horse trail parts are wonderful to walk on.

Teepee Tree

April 9

An unusual teepee tree on the trail today. Walking poles in front for perspective. It is a very healthy live tree.

Location:35.52881, -83.81652

US Geological Marker

April 9

This marker was set in stone at the top of one of the mountains we crossed today. We've seen a lot of these.

5527 feet above sea level.

Another, even higher fire tower

April 8

This one was much higher. We had to climb 5 flights of stairs to get to the top.



And the view from up there is incredible.



Looking down on the ruins of a once two story little house. Just a chimney and foundation left. I'm guessing the person who manned the tower lived there as it was a several mile very steep hike with no road access to get there.

Location:Shuckstack fire tower

Fontana Dam, NC

April 8

We hitchhiked into Fontana Dam this morning to resupply and eat a decent breakfast with fresh fruit. The general store there is great. It has almost anything a hiker is shopping for.
We then started off again on the AT and walked across the top of Fontana Dam. It's the highest dam in the eastern US at 380 ft.

Feeding the turbines:

Looking down the back side of the dam:

Location:35.45422, -83.81044