Once again it's cold. I think for dad having tried to plan ahead and join me for a few nice days. He has picked some real stinkers. The problem with trying to plan ahead in the smokeys is, you almost can't. The difference in temperature say in Gatlinburg vs the trail is night and day. The final leg of dad's section will take him 10 miles to newfound gap. We get up and moving and once again the fog has rolled in. The views that we would be able to admire together are blocked by a vortex of swirling clouds manipulated by a chilling wind. The first few miles of the trail are cult but not nearly as bad as it has been on previous days. A few miles into the day we arrive t clingman's dome. Initially I had intended and hoped to get a picture of us standing atop the tower with the wilderness soon to be conquered in the background. Thanks a lot fog. We opt to keep going. There is very different atmosphere at this altitude that I quite enjoy. The sections of forest below this point have had floors littered with leaves and smaller shrubs. The forest has managed to separate to a very drastic measure past a certain altitude into closely knit for thickets. The floors of which aren't littered with leaves but with needles and dead trees covered with bright green moss. Every time I walk a spine the wind buffets me right until I enter one of the fir groves. The wind, not able to advance through the tight trees becomes harmless as I wander through each beautiful section unscathed by the cold breeze.
Each time I turn a corner, I feel as though I am walking into a movie set. the moss with its rich green and almost yellow gives the dark thickets a bright amount of life while the trees grow together into almost a cage. This is by far my favorite edition of the forest I have come across. I wish that my Technology I had brought with me had not been all dead, I would have far too many pictures of just this section I'm sure.
A few more hours and we reach newfound gap. My step mother is there with food and supplies for me. Of the things she brings, I eat as though I have been starved on a deserted island. After I have consumed far too much we even have leftovers. This is the first time I have gotten to bestow some trail magic, it will not be my last.
After eating, charging all my tech, and submitting my posts (there has been no service) it's back to the trail. Initially it was hard getting out I of the car just because I do want to go home at times. I didn't particularly want to give up, quitting feels to easy especially after how far I have come and how positive I continue to maintain. I merely did not want to go back out into the cold. After a few days of cold weather and rain, I may as well have been a cave man and that car heater was my fire. I did not wanna give it up. Alas I got my self out of the car, put back on my wet boots, took a few pictures and was down the trail again.
Now apart from the fir thickets,a very cool and interesting thing also happened to some of the trees today. At certain intervals along the trail many of the trees would be frozen with ice chips all along the branches. Now I don't know why some sections had it and some failed to freeze. As a hiker all I know is that they made incredible dots of color all over the trail. Sections of trail would be littered with frozen chips as if a higher power had dropped wood chip size pieces of white quartz all along the trail. At one point I was unlucky enough to walk under a tree when it shook and dropped it's chilling/beautiful contents down my neck.
Here is where I am gonna rant a little bit about a problem I have come across that actually irritates me some. I arrived at the shelter and had to tent. Not a big deal overall but annoying nonetheless. In the smokeys it is illegal to tent camp anywhere in the park, unless you are a thru hiker and a shelter is full. So what that means is, in every other park I have passed thru thus far, in addition to shelters, there will be campsites sprinkled along the way for anyone to use. Here in the smokeys all thru hikers have to stay at designated shelters or around them. On top of this rule, any day hikers that reserve a spot in the shelter, can kick out thru hikers if they arrive and there is no space in the shelter. It's a mess and the park needs to find some donations towards upgrading the shelters or designating tent camp sites. Each day is a race to wake up as early as possible and race for a spot at each shelter. Nothing different from the last few parks I passed through, but here shelters are small and most people aren't willing to squeeze if you arrive late. Also I ran into what is called a trail runner this evening, a trail runner (I have come to learn), is a guy who walks sections of trails and checks that everyone is maintaining the rules of the park. When I asked if I could sleep on the floor of the shelter instead of putting up my tent, he said no... What an ass... My last little peeve with the whole smokey mountain national park is, this section of trail is the only one in 2,183 miles where you have to pay to hike. Yes, it is 20 dollars to thru hike this section of the AT which must be purchased ahead of time.. I will get off of my soap box now.
On a lighter note I would like to say that 2 very exciting things happened today. I find them exciting at least.. Today I hit 200 miles. In 15 days, I have managed to travel 200 miles of rough terrain and weather not many would enjoy, and I am proud to say I am ready for more. The second exciting thing that happened today is both exciting and a little eye opening. My miles today ended at 217, this means that I have successfully completely 10 percent of my final goal. When I initially thought about it and let it sink in, it was somewhat heart wrenching. I am ready though, it just looked scary initially, like stepping to the edge of a high dive for the first time. I have had fun this far, why would the next 130 or so days be any different. I say 130 because as of right now, I have no set return date. I know I would like to complete 100 mile sections in 7 days or less. With that number in mind there is a lot of wiggle room there to add rest days and or push on. I don't know how long I would like this trip to last but I know for now I love being out here and I am content to continue the challenge I have started.
Lastly my injury/whatever it is..
I have removed the insole from my shoe, which has allowed my heel to move freely without pressure being applied to it. Some research has told me that because I hike uphill by driving with my toes, I may have tight calves which in turn is putting added pressure on my heel. I have never had a pair of high boots before and I feel like the pressure from my calf and the tightness of the boot around my Achilles may be a connecting factor. I have stopped lacing my boots all the way up, instead I lace them tight only to the top of my foot. My foot slides around and I am sure it will be even worse during the next rain, but blisters I can deal with.
The next few days are gonna be very long and I am going to try and focus on more pictures for the blog. The last picture post has been edited to have 5 pictures. The post itself was originally supposed to have 5 but I am not quite sure where I went wrong. I'm off to sleep. 20 miles tomorrow with surely no spot in a shelter.
Happy trails.
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