Appalachian Trail, Days 16-20

There is little fanfare when crossing over into Tennessee, mainly because for the next 200 odd miles, I’ll be hugging the state line, criss crossing back and forth between them both. This week, I visited Gatlinburg and Hot Springs, two places with opposite vibes. I surpassed 200 miles on the AT. I continued my quest to karaoke blaze. Plus, I connected with some new cool people.

Day 16

Start: Double Spring Gap Shelter (197.5)

Stop: Newfound Gap (208.0), Gatlinburg, TN

Miles: 11.10

Elevation Gain: 2488 feet

Total Miles Hiked: 225.97

Luckily for us, there was no heavy thunderstorms and no hail, but it did rain very hard for a few hours. So I’m happy I decided to stay in the shelter and not in my tent. The other hikers were up pretty early, and the thought of going into town later today, also gave me motivation to get up earlier than normal. It was a beautiful morning climb, the rays of sunlight were made visible as they passed through the tree branches and the fog of the morning. At a higher altitude than usual, everything except for the trail was covered in plush green moss. I climbed to the top of the Kuwohi observation tower, one of tallest points on the east coast. For the most part, the view was still ensconced in clouds, but the swirling fog to the north periodically revealed glimpses of the landscape. This normally busy overlook was nearly deserted. I continued on, starting the massive descent to the trailhead.

Newfound Gap was a shock to the system, I popped out of the woods to be greeted by a huge parking lot filled with cars and people taking in the view at the overlook. From there, I got a ride down to Gatlinburg, with the scenic car ride showing me another perspective of the park. Gatlinburg was also a shock to the system. Someone described it to me as “the Jersey shore of the Smokies” and that was accurate for sure. I immediately ordered a pizza and a frozen strawberry daiquiri, and just chilled on the shaded patio people watching. Next order of business was checking in at the hotel, doing laundry, and calling my mom. The last highlight of Gatlinburg, is that it’s the second stop on my karaoke-blazing tour of the AT. Without any trail friends with me, I went to the Shamrock Pub (that has karaoke 7 days a week) solo.

Day 17

Start: Newfound Gap (208.0), Gatlinburg, TN

Stop: Peck’s Corner Shelter (218.5)

Miles: 11.22

Elevation Gain: 2779 feet

Total Miles Hiked: 237.19

I spent the morning prepping my gear and getting my pack ready. An error in my timing meant that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get to the bigger grocery store on the edge of town and get back before my shuttle at 1 pm. So I had to resupply at the Walgreens on the main drag, which pretty much means ramen for dinner for the next few days. I did the best I could with their selection and went back to the hotel to organize my food bag on the sunny patio. I was the only person scheduled for the afternoon shuttle, so Clay picked me up from the hotel, and I got a private ride back to Newfound Gap.

The shuttle driver told me the next few miles would be the longest stretch of the AT above 5000 feet. The first few miles is popular with day hikers, so I passed a regular stream of people as I was headed up the mountain. It was a fairly steady uphill that evened out to traverse the top of the ridge. I took the blue blaze to Charlie’s Bunion, a cliff with a bluff overlooking a sweeping vista. I had the spot all to myself, so I climbed up one of the rocks and spent a few minutes hanging out. From here, the ridge walk was really wonderful, at some points the trail was the very top of the mountain, like a runway, with the mountain dropping away steeply on either side. There were also plentiful views of the surrounding landscape, with mountain slopes dappled with the dark green of pine trees. This stretch has been my favorite of the trail so far.

After a slightly shorter day, I turned down the blue blaze for the shelter. “Bullseye!” I hear someone say, “I never thought I would see you again!” It was Batman, who I had lunch with at a shelter a few days before. He was there, plus Dust (thru-hiking), Bri (?) who was section hiking, and a father/daughter duo section hiking. It was a very chill evening, I shared my wine with Batman and Bri, and told everyone about my karaoke-blazing endeavor. We all traded pictures of our dogs back home and as the sun sank deeper below the horizon, we slowly filtered off to our spots in the shelter for the night.

Day 18

Start: Peck’s Corner Shelter (218.5)

Stop: Standing Bear Farm (241.8)

Miles: 24.64

Elevation Gain: 4240 feet

Total Miles Hiked: 261.83

I said farewell to the crew in the morning and got started for the day, hoping to push for 20+ miles to Standing Bear Farm. I took a snack break on the side of the trail, and Dust and Batman come by a few minutes later. It turns out there’s a shelter only a mile ahead, I should really start checking my map more often. I ended up detouring down there for a few minutes to filter some water and met the guys again as they were taking a break. From there the hike was similar to yesterday, without as many views from the ridge. I started to pass some damage from Helene, with huge walls of roots on the side of the trail in areas where trees had toppled over.

I stopped for a lunch break at one of the last shelters in the Smokies. Batman came hiking in a few minutes later. We talked about our plans for the rest of the day, and he decided to forgo staying in a shelter for another night and just gun it for Davenport Gap so he could go get Mexican food. We finished our food around the same time, so we packed up and hiked together for a few miles. It was nice to have a conversation partner for a bit. Once we reach an ascent he sped up to make sure he was on time to reach his dad at the trailhead. From there, it was a long climb down out of Smokey Mountain National Park. I hit 20 miles as I was passing Davenport Gap shelter. By now I was feeling a bit loopy from the endless descent. The trail spit me out at the trailhead just as Batman’s dad was rolling up for the pickup. We had a chance to say one more quick hello and goodbye, and I disappeared into the woods again as they pulled away, destined for delicious food.

At this point, I’m very ready to be done for the day, but I still had a few more miles to go. After a short stretch through the woods, I reentered civilization to cross underneath Interstate 40. It’s always a weird transition as a hiker to be shunted across thoroughfares that aren’t designed for pedestrian traffic. But quickly enough, I was back on a gravel road and then climbing the steepest staircase I’ve ever encountered. Standing Bear Farm was close, but I swear I feel like I entered an anomaly of the physical world where distance stretched to become unrecognizable. Something like .4 miles became freakishly elongated and seemed to never end.

I reached Standing Bear Farm as the sun was beginning to set, smelling the campfire long before the property was visible. I felt like a wild animal as I walked down the driveway. It was of the utmost importance to ditch my pack as quickly as possible, get beer, and cook a frozen pizza. Soon enough, I was sitting around the campfire demolishing an entire DiGiornos pizza. There was a big group gathered on all the logs and rocks, punctuated by the occasional roaming dog. Eventually an acoustic guitar appeared, to mark the first unplugged karaoke-blaze of the hike. The gang was playing long after I retired to my bed in the bunk room.

Day 19

Start: Standing Bear Farm (241.8)

Stop: Roaring Fork Shelter (257.3)

Miles: 16.23

Elevation Gain: 5357 feet

Total Miles Hiked: 278.06

I had a late morning at Standing Bear Farm, picking up my perch from the night before around the fire. After showering, making some oatmeal, and packing my gear, I headed back out around noon. I had a big climb to begin the day, up to the top of Snowbird Mountain. I laid my mat out on a grassy clearing at the top of the mountain and ate some lunch.

The most notable part of the day was the hike to the top of Max Patch. I reached the summit of the large expansive bald, as it was approaching sunset and felt fortunate to have beautiful views in every direction. I didn’t hang out for too long because I still had a few miles to go and I wanted to avoid hiking in the dark. When I got to camp the shelter was pretty much occupied with two groups of section hikers who didn’t seem motivated to move over. I set up my tent and quietly cooked dinner near the fire.

Day 20

Start: Roaring Fork Shelter (257.3)

Stop: Hot Springs, NC (275.0)

Miles: 18.3

Elevation Gain: 3100 feet

Total Miles Hiked: 297.36

Today I was motivated by the thought of hiking into the town of Hot Springs at the end of the day. Writing this in retrospect, I have vague memories of this hike. I think it was a very “put your head down and hike in the green tunnel” type of day. But in the early evening, I descended down into the outskirts of Hot Springs, NC. The trail transitions to a sidewalk, and follows the main drag straight through town. A hiker hostel, The Appalachian Trail(er) sits on the opposite side of the road. I texted them about getting a bunk earlier in the day, so I knocked on the door and checked in with the caretakers.

After a quick shower, I headed into town for dinner. After a parade of frozen hostel pizzas, I wanted to pursue a meal that was not pizza. So I decided to go to Big Pillow Brewery, which has a little taqueria. There was a band playing and it was packed with people on a beautiful Sunday night before Memorial Day. I had a huge bowl of nachos and a pint or two. I was feeling very good. I walked back to the hostel and relaxed on the covered porch as an evening rainstorm rolled in around me.