Hiking the Good Hike

Still behind but here's the story of another three days on the trail. Hope you enjoy.

3/23 Day 20 Tricorner Knob Shelter to Standing Bear Farm hostel - 18.4 miles

Today started with cold and more snow. I don't know how cold it was; our water wasn't frozen but our boots were so I suppose it was somewhere between 32 degrees and whatever the freezing point of boots is. The first few miles seemed to fly by even with cold and ice. We hoped to hike to Davenport Gap Shelter which is the final shelter in the Smokies but we considered hiking further just to be able to say we were out of the Smokies. We got to the shelter shortly after 3:00. We didn't see anyone and there were rumors of Fresh Ground trail magic a few miles ahead so we decided to continue.

As we crossed the boarder officially leaving the Smokies we met up with Nomad and Camaro who informed us the rumor was true. We moved quickly knowing we would be well fed. He had everything like before (hotdogs, soup, salad, hot chocolate, and of course coffee) but had also added soft drinks and Little Debbies. We definitely ate our share. Fresh Ground told us his funding for trail magic had run out but he was continuing his mobile trail magic on hiker donations. He said he hopes to set up one more stop before getting on the trail himself to hike a section. It was great seeing him again. We spent some time there hanging out and eating while trying to figure out our plan for the night. Some of our group was moving on to Standing Bear Farm hostel where Camaro would be reunited with her dog Chevy (pets aren't permitted in the Smokies) while some chose to camp with Fresh Ground. We finally chose to move on to the hostel with Nomad, Camaro, AYCE, Man Child, and Tail Lights. We stayed in a small cabin built over a stream. The hostel was a nice rustic place with a snack shack full of food for resupply and of course snacks. We were able to take a nice hot shower and do our laundry (manually) and we even cooked a couple frozen pizzas to snack on. It felt good to be out of the Smokies and we hoped the weather would soon improve.


3/24 Day 21 Standing Bear Hostel to Roaring Fork Shelter - 15.1 miles

We woke to the sound of pouring rain and I was bummed about it. Chevy (Camaro's dog) jumped up in our bed to greet us and I just waited for everyone else to wake. I peaked out the window to see how bad it was raining and was happy to see it actually wasn't raining any longer. What I was hearing was the water running swiftly under our cabin. We got up and went to the snack shack to get breakfast and I found a friendly squirrel hanging out on the nut shelf.

As we left the hostel and got back in the trail we were reunited with Tom, Jack, and Jarryd who had camped with Fresh Ground. We hiked together as it began to rain and get colder. We were pretty bummed thinking we would hike Max Patch on such a nasty day. Max Patch is a large bald offering really nice views on a clear day. Just as we stopped for lunch the clouds disappeared and the sun came out. Perhaps we would have a nice day for Max Patch. When we got there it was beautiful. We hung out on the bald while Tom and Jack channeled bald energy. The next couple miles were uneventful but nice. We arrived at the shelter and there was still some room so we decided to stay in the shelter as snow was predicted again.

3/25 Day 22 Roaring Fork Shelter to Hot Springs, NC - 18 miles

More snow and cold today. We woke up and immediately changed our plan deciding to go ahead and hike all the way into Hot Springs. Maybe it was the layer of snow on our sleeping bags. It seemed our whole group had decided to hit Hot Springs this afternoon. We were on the move pretty quickly. We were making good time, likely the thought of real, hot food that pushed us. The snow was deep at times but the hiking wasn't bad. It was mostly down hill after Bluff Mountain.

We rolled into town just before 3:00. I was amazed we had made 18 miles so quickly. We went straight to the Smoky Mountain Diner for first dinner. Everyone in our group rolled in over the next hour or so and the ten of us decided to rent a couple cabins for the night. The cabins were basically sheds. We showered and hung out for a while before finally heading to the Iron Horse for second dinner. It was a fun evening for us and we're looking forward to a nice relaxing zero in Hot Springs.

Thanks for reading,
Chris