(3/8) The Smokies
I slept very well last night. The shelter was much less drafty and we had a fire in the shelter’a fireplace. We woke up pretty early and packed up quickly, knowing we had a lot of miles to hike. It was a beautiful morning: clear skies and mid 40’s. There was a fair amount of ice still on the peak so we had to be careful with our footing. Bear Paw and Chili head were in front of us for most of the morning but we passed them pretty soon.
All considered, today was probably the most beautiful day of hiking I have ever had. We felt like we were making excellent time and we were stopping every 10 minutes just to look at the peaks around us. The woods themselves felt old and welcoming as we hiked along an exposed ridge that was surrounded by spectacular mountains.
We started off the morning by taking a short side trail to Charlie’s Bunion, a rock outcropping that has 360 degree views of the Smokies. I can not describe to you how beautiful it was. I will find another online picture so that you can get an idea, but it won’t convey the feeling of the wind or the feeling of freedom that I had in that moment.
Although the beauty of the trail is one aspect of the hike that is very enjoyable, it is not why I am out here. Tyler and I were talking (and he mentioned that he had already written in his blog which I haven’t read yet), and we agree that we are out here for the journey. We are hiking to Katahdin and will take whatever the trail had to offer us. If we get the chance to have clear skies and excellent views, we will take it. But we are out here for the foggy and rainy days as much as we are for the beautiful ones. I want a challenge, and the weather provides a large one, physically and mentally. Our goal is Katahdin.
Today the weather did not pose a challenge. For most of the day we had an excellent view of Mount Le Conte. This is significant because that is a mountain which I have actually hiked before. Two years ago, with my Uncle David and cousin Adam, we did a day hike while my whole Dad’s side of the family was on a vacation in Tennessee. Anyway, it was a gorgeous hike. I knew at the time that we were close to the AT but I didn’t know that we were within 5 miles of a place that I would return to as part of this new adventure. While ascending Mt Le Conte two years ago, I unwittingly took a picture of a mountain ridge. Today, while I was hiking, I stopped because I recognized a certain mountain ridge to my left. I think that when I took that picture two years ago, I was taking a picture of the place I was standing today. I almost felt as if I was looking in a mirror, looking at a version of myself two years ago who was looking forward at me in the present without even knowing. It was an eerie feeling. If I can find the picture that I took two years ago I will upload it here.
We got tricked by daylight savings time, but I’ll let Tyler tell that story in his blog. After a long day of hiking (21 miles) we got to Cosby Knob Shelter where we met 3 through hikers including a guy who lives in Ireland named Marvin and a married couple who gave us some good hiker-cooking tips.
Tomorrow we will take a shorter hike into Standing Bear Hostel where we will get a resupply and camp nearby. We will officially exit the Smokies tomorrow. It’s sad to see them go, but our goal is Katahdin.
Goodnight.
Walker
Check out Tyler’s blog too- https://tylerat2020.blogspot.com/?m=1
All considered, today was probably the most beautiful day of hiking I have ever had. We felt like we were making excellent time and we were stopping every 10 minutes just to look at the peaks around us. The woods themselves felt old and welcoming as we hiked along an exposed ridge that was surrounded by spectacular mountains.
We started off the morning by taking a short side trail to Charlie’s Bunion, a rock outcropping that has 360 degree views of the Smokies. I can not describe to you how beautiful it was. I will find another online picture so that you can get an idea, but it won’t convey the feeling of the wind or the feeling of freedom that I had in that moment.
Although the beauty of the trail is one aspect of the hike that is very enjoyable, it is not why I am out here. Tyler and I were talking (and he mentioned that he had already written in his blog which I haven’t read yet), and we agree that we are out here for the journey. We are hiking to Katahdin and will take whatever the trail had to offer us. If we get the chance to have clear skies and excellent views, we will take it. But we are out here for the foggy and rainy days as much as we are for the beautiful ones. I want a challenge, and the weather provides a large one, physically and mentally. Our goal is Katahdin.
Today the weather did not pose a challenge. For most of the day we had an excellent view of Mount Le Conte. This is significant because that is a mountain which I have actually hiked before. Two years ago, with my Uncle David and cousin Adam, we did a day hike while my whole Dad’s side of the family was on a vacation in Tennessee. Anyway, it was a gorgeous hike. I knew at the time that we were close to the AT but I didn’t know that we were within 5 miles of a place that I would return to as part of this new adventure. While ascending Mt Le Conte two years ago, I unwittingly took a picture of a mountain ridge. Today, while I was hiking, I stopped because I recognized a certain mountain ridge to my left. I think that when I took that picture two years ago, I was taking a picture of the place I was standing today. I almost felt as if I was looking in a mirror, looking at a version of myself two years ago who was looking forward at me in the present without even knowing. It was an eerie feeling. If I can find the picture that I took two years ago I will upload it here.
We got tricked by daylight savings time, but I’ll let Tyler tell that story in his blog. After a long day of hiking (21 miles) we got to Cosby Knob Shelter where we met 3 through hikers including a guy who lives in Ireland named Marvin and a married couple who gave us some good hiker-cooking tips.
Tomorrow we will take a shorter hike into Standing Bear Hostel where we will get a resupply and camp nearby. We will officially exit the Smokies tomorrow. It’s sad to see them go, but our goal is Katahdin.
Goodnight.
Walker
Check out Tyler’s blog too- https://tylerat2020.blogspot.com/?m=1
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