Friday night was our second night in the motel and I went out with George and birthday boy John to a bar just down the road called Mixers. Also there were Cheddar, Wild Horse and Sunshine. John insisted that as it was his birthday he would pay for all the drinks which was extremely generous but no one took the mickey and the night ended earlyish although not before I had taught George a lesson at pool and we had taken over the Juke Box much to the annoyance of the locals!!
Saturday morning we were up early for the 7.15 am pick up to the Baptist Church for free breakfast. All through March and April they provide hikers with pancakes, bacon, coffee and Orange Juice; there are no catches or obligations, they pick you up and take you back to the town motels, take your picture which they post to whomever you wish and it really is all you can eat, they will keep cooking until everyone has had enough. Franklin is a growing town, there are job vacancies everywhere I went and they want to become known as the best trail town. So hikers are looked after and the church are doing their bit. The morning we went took the numbers they had fed so far this year to 633! That's a lot of pancakes and bacon! The generosity shown to people who choose to hike still amazes me. That day I met my first fellow Englishmen, brothers 'Sherpa Tensing' and 'Kaiser Sauze' from Sussex and we all agreed that such generosity in England would be treated with huge suspicion. What do you think?
The rest of the day I picked up my under quilt (which has been a huge success and kept me nice and toasty at night) had a chat with one of the employees there who was really into English Football, bought a few bits from Ingles, met up with my good pal 'Rock Steady', had endless conversations about the weather before ending the night at the Lazy Hiker for a live band but it was packed out and cold out so didn't stay long. That night I was packed and ready to go as we'd decided enough was enough, Sunday morning we were going back on the trail.
After missing breakfast (doh!) I struggled to get going and after a slow start we got the free shuttle back to where we had been picked up on Thursday; Winding Stair Gap. The bus journey was unusually quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts anticipating leaving town and going back into the woods!
Yet again the day started with a long slow climb (as most days seem to!) but by the end we'd made 11 miles progress and camped at Wayah Bald Shelter. On Mon 11 we did another steady 10.8 and camped at Wesser Bald Shelter. These areas are called Balds because you'll reach the top of a mountain and there are no trees, it's a bit of a strange sight really but a nice change. Just before the camp there was an observation tower with yet more outstanding views of the mountain range surrounding you.
Then on Tuesday morning I was up and ready to go, I knew it was going to be a short days hike as it was only 5.9 miles to the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) I was there by midday and the sun was blazing, a perfect day for lazing in the sun with a few beers, some proper food and generally having a rest! That night a few of us camped next to the river and with no rain forecast I decided to hammock with no tarp, just my mosquito net and a beautiful night it was, real camping under the stars. The one blight on the day was when I heard from George that he and John were off the trail due to George popping his knee. It brought home how easily and quickly the adventure can come to an end. Reinforced by later news that a lad we roomed next to in Franklin was also gone due to a broken ankle. One misplaced step and that's it, simple as that, certainly a sobering thought. Wednesday started slowly, we didn't get back on the trail until 11.30 which turned out to be a mistake, once again a long climb 5.8 miles up nearly 3000ft punctuated by many stops and lots of swearing on my part much to the amusement of anyone in earshot! By the time I reached Locust Cove Gap, which was the nights camp it was getting late and I was grumpy! When you reach camp late it's all a big of a rush as there's water to collect and treat, food to cook and bed to make up. By the time all this was done it was dark and because of the previous nights success, lack of time and good weather forecast I went without the tarp again. I'm sure you can guess what happened next! Yes, at 5am I awoke to the pitter patter of rain and had to jump out my hammock find my headlamp and tarp and try to stop everything getting wet. Luckily there was no wind and it only turned out to be a shower so I was able to drape the tarp over my mosquito net and no damage was done. Good old Brother Blood, a fellow hammocker, shouted through the darkness asking if I needed help but I'd got it covered and managed to get back to sleep! That day we'd covered another 10.4 miles which wasn't bad after such a late start.
By this stage we'd lost Wild Horse and Sunshine again who were struggling and for a few nights our little band of hikers had joined up with Wokman, Frisbee and Stubbs, Strider, Hollywood, Hatchet, Baptist, Taylor aswell as myself, Cheddar, Scout, Brother Blood and Pebbles.
Another long day followed, only 11.5 miles but it was a similar story of arriving late into camp at Cable Gap Shelter and after another rush of finding two evenly placed trees and all the rest of the jobs I was starting to feel mentally and physically exhausted. Any of you who follow me on Facebook will know I had a bit of a wobble on the Friday and although it was only 5.8 miles to Fontana Dam by the time we got there I was shot and not feeling good. My Facebook followers gave me a much needed lift with some lovely words of encouragement and after a tasty burger at the grill house, a quick resupply, a visit to the laundromat and finally getting a permit for the smoky mountains (which cost $20!) I was feeling better. Later that day I got a shuttle back to where I had been picked up earlier and hiked the final mile to the Fontana Hilton which was a shelter with a difference. Positioned over the lake, it's one of the biggest shelters on the trail and sleeps 28! As there weren't any suitable trees left I set my sleeping bag up in the shelter and the day ended a lot better than it had begun. Also at the Hilton were phone chargers and showers, real luxury in the world I had immersed myself in! I took advantage of the shower early next morning and although there were no towels a shirt did the job just as good! That morning Wokman left the group to meet his wife as it was his birthday and Scout also disappeared (he reappeared a few days later!)
Fontana Dam is the gateway to the Smoky Mountains, a 70 mile stretch through a national park with many rules and regulations which if aren't followed can lead to fines; you must have a permit, you must stay in the shelters, you can't light campfires, there are no dogs allowed (there are quite a few people who hike with their dogs so they have to make alternate arrangements for people to look after them) yet strangely horses are allowed! There are many other rules too ridiculous to mention, it's as if hikers are a nuisance rather than celebrated as at most other places. The day began with a quick look around the visitors centre and then a walk over the actual dam itself which made a change. Honestly, I hadn't been looking forward to that days hiking, over 3000ft climb over approximately 11 miles but maybe because of this it went better than expected and after 5 miles we came across another disused fire tower which I managed to get halfway up but its rickety structure dissuaded me from going any further but still got some nice pics. Stopped at Mollies Ridge Shelter that night and managed to burn my fingers on my stove, won't be doing that again! Next morning I got my first sight of some decent wildlife as some deer came right up close to the shelter completely unperturbed by people close to them. The only previous things I'd seen were a few squirrels, still no bears though!
I'd been warned that the Smokies would be cold with the possibility of snow but the reality has been a mini heatwave which brought out all the bugs and do they like me! I've been bitten numerous times over the last few days, very itchy and annoying. Not to mention a bit of sunburn on my arms and legs which led to Brother Blood lending me a shirt as my base layers are black and hot!
The next day was again very hot but still managed 12 miles to Derrick Knob Shelter without any notable incidents just a nice days walking with some great views which were just the precursor for the next day.
That next day was Sunday and although the morning was tough going, the afternoon was worth it. Clingmans Dome is the highest point on the AT and obviously that means more climbing however under 25 degrees heat by mid afternoon me, Cheddar, Pebbles, Brother Blood and Vino were at over 6600ft and enjoying some spectacular views from the purpose built platform. I can honestly say it was breathtaking, 360 degrees view of endless mountain ranges stretching over 5 states. Words can't describe it and the sunburn and insect bites were forgotten for a short time. After half an hours break there it was time to push on and shortly after that we hit the 200 mile mark, a truly monumental day! By the time we reached Mt Collins Shelter it was getting late but 13.8 miles had been covered. Unfortunately all that climbing and descending had caused my feet to hurt like hell and I was hobbling around the shelter with a few hotspots on my heel and toes. It wasn't long before I turned in for a third successive night in a shelter. Shelters aren't the most comfortable of places to sleep due to hard wooden floors and I was looking forward to a night in Gatlinburg.
I woke at 7.30am and gingerly stepped down anticipating pain but it wasn't too bad and I knew it was only 5 miles to Newfound Gap where we could catch a ride into Gatlinburg. The scenery had changed over the last few days and walking through a pine forest made a nice change again, lots of shade and fresh smells which also made a change from smelling myself! Not good! Once underway those 5 miles passed quickly and Cheddar had rung ahead and booked us a room at the Grand Prix motel. When we reached the gap there was a nice suprise, trail magic provided by the Baptist church again; fresh fruit, snacks, coffee and soft drinks which was all greatly appreciated and they also provided a free shuttle the 15 miles into town. Nice people.
Once dropped in town I could see what I'd been told about the place was all true, a gaudy tourist attraction in the middle of the mountains a bit like Skegness but on a much larger scale! A walk down the strip was like sensory overload, I reckon you could stay here for a year and eat in a different place every day if you had the money as like most touristy places it's very expensive! The hotel was only $40 between us, nice sized room with 2 double beds if not a little shabby but compared to the shelters it was pure luxury! Took a ride out to Food City to resupply again and bought hotdogs and buns to eat to save money on eating out. Once again there are a lot of hikers in town, quite a few are stopping in this same hotel, everyone taking time off the trail to resupply, eat well and generally dip back into society to see what they've been missing!
I was up until 2am writing this so if some of it doesn't make sense then that's why! It's now 8.30 am and I'm just finishing off before heading back out on the trail via the shuttle at 11. It's a cloudy morning and the forecast is to cool down and possibly rain over the next few days but mustn't grumble as we have been very lucky so far in the smokies. Sorry for the length of the blog, hope I haven't bored you and I will endeavour to not go so long without posting not least because I can't recall what happened when and it takes so long to catch you all up with my news! I honestly thought I would have more time on my hands but as I alluded to earlier there's always something that needs doing!
One last thing, I'm thinking of setting up a go fund me site if anyone is interested, my boots are going to need replacing soon and it's proving to be more expensive than I originally thought, a few people have expressed an interest in helping me out and I'm not too proud to not accept so like I say if you are interested I will post details on social media and in my next blog. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. Okay, it's time to pack my stuff up and get that pack back on, many more miles are ahead! Back into the mountains where signal will be sparse again for a while, national parks don't have the best coverage. By the way I also renewed my phone contract yesterday so I can keep posting blogs and social media.
Thanks for reading.
Will be back soon.
007. Licensed To Hike!
Sounds good enjoying reading the blog, cant wait to hear more 👍😊
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