Day 19-22





Day 19: Distance hiked: 15.6 miles. Hitchhiked back to Newfound Gap (a nice older couple driving a pick-up truck gave Fire Cup, White Ninja, and I a ride after the Smoky Mountain Shuttle passed us by).  I felt great again after a day of rest and made excellent time to Tri-Corner Shelter in the Smokies.  I added a lot more food this time out so my pack was much heavier but it was manageable. One of the highlights along this stretch was Charlie's Bunion, a famous outcropping in the Smokies. When I finally arrived at the Tri-Corner Shelter after a long day of hiking, I lit up a cigar in honor of my last night in the Smokies (last night in the Smokies, smoke 'em if you got 'em!).  Fire Cup, White Ninja, Wounded Knee, Chief Kicking Bird, and Camel (the group I've been hanging with for most of the week) stayed up laughing and talking about trail life and our other lives late into the night.  It was a pleasant way to end our time in the Smokies. 






Day 20: Distance hiked:18.6 miles. Hiked by myself in the rain, all day, but still made amazing time to Standing Bear Farm hostel. The whole group mentioned above all arrived at the hostel a few hours later and we made pizzas, played cards, and lounged around in the hostel kitchen.  We then had some excitement when a copperhead (a very venomous snake) showed up trying to slither its way up the porch.  The owner, a guy named Curtis, killed the snake promptly by smashing its head in before it killed any of us.  Way to go Curtis!  Then, later that night, I was able to live out a childhood nightmare when I decided to use the privy (outhouse) in the middle of the night.  Armed with only a flashflight, I made my way out near the woods (where a bear showed up the night before, mind you) and carefully tiptoed my way along (still thinking of the copperhead from the afternoon) to the privy.  I opened the door, briefly scanned the privy with my flashlight, and then sat down. Everything seemed fine but, being that I had nothing better to do while doing my business, I started scanning the entire privy with my flashlight.  My worst childhood nightmare came true when, there, illuminated on the wall by my small sliver of light, was an enormous, thick, hairy spider about the size of a coffee can lid (bigger than most tarantulas I've seen, believe me!). This thing was ENORMOUS, black, hairy, bulbous, and just two feet from me on the wall.  Being that I'm an adult now, I didn't quite freak out but let's just say my beam of light did not stray from that spot the rest of my time in the privy.  When I got back to the bunk room, I told the other guys to beware of the huge spider in the privy and that's when another guy spoke up and said in a downtrodden matter, "Yeah, I know.  Curtis said there's one in here too. It kills all the other bugs off. He said they are wolf spiders and I hope to god I don't run into into one of them."  (Google "wolf spider" people.  Seriously. Freaky). Needless to say, I zipped my sleeping bag up fully that night.  I never need to see another wolf spider again.





Day 21: Distance hiked: 19.8 miles. Another day of walking in the rain.  I got poured on three different times during this 20 mile day and my shoes still have not recovered from 7 days ago (they didn't even dry out in Gatlinburg!). I left Standing Bear Farm slightly ahead of the group and decided if I felt well enough, I would continue on as far as I could go during daylight.  I passed one of the more spectacular viewpoints in this area, Max Patch, in total fog and could not see more than 50 yards in any direction. Miles later, I finally made it to Walnut Mountain Shelter, a shelter built in 1938 that sleeps six and the guidebook warns: Beware of the bears here; they are not afraid of hikers.  Great.  So I spent the night cramped into this tiny shelter (sleeps 6????) with Batman and Achillies, and we joked around about a lot of stuff before going to bed with the bear warnings fresh in our minds.  Bears did not get us though, the rodents did.  A huge thunderstorm hit and sounded like machine gunfire on the tin roof and sent all the rodents scurrying for cover, right on top of us.  I slept okay through most of it but one of the mice burrowed through Batman's sleeping bag.  That sucked for him...and for all I know, I'm carrying around a few mice in my bag right now....



Day 22: Distance hiked: 13.1 miles. Left Walnut Shelter early enough to get to Hot Springs by 1:30 PM. It was hard getting back into my soaking wet shoes and clothes with the freezing morning temperature, but once again, it had to happen so I did it.  I hiked by myself all day, thinking of a warm shower and doing laundry.  Then, something crazy happened.  I came over a rise and spotted someone sitting on a log up ahead of me.  As I got closer, I realized who it was and was like, huh?  It was good old Meandering Snail sitting on a log, doing what he does.  "You're up here now?" I asked.  He then explained that the Smoky Mountain rangers don't let people do 3 miles a day and camp so he decided to skip the Smokies altogether.  He jumped ahead 120 miles or something and so there he was, and there I was running into him again.  To top it off, he asked to use my cell phone again (Batman later told me Meandering Snail asked to use his cell phone as well, haha). This time I snapped a picture of Meandering Snail with his permission (below). So anyway, I arrived in Hot Springs, NC where the Appalachian Trail becomes mainstreet.  It's the first town that the Appalachian Trail actually passes straight through (the town is built around the trail, very hiker friendly).  So here I am, enjoying the benefits of civilization for a day before heading out again tomorrow.  Next stop: Erwin, TN. Until then...