Author: WW

May 23rd, Georgia

For the first time in forever I set my alarm. I wanted to make sure I got started around 6am in order to make it to Mountain Crossings at Neel’s Gap before they closed at 5pm. 

Today started overcast and stayed mostly cloudy all day. It even rained lightly a couple times which brought some welcome coolness to the afternoon.

I met three bears today: a medium, a small, and an extra small. I saw one early, one at mid day, and the other late afternoon. So it was an eventful wildlife viewing day, although all three ran as soon as we noticed each other.

I made it to Mountain Crossings around 4pm. I stopped in to get a drink and snack, and to fill up my water bottles. The trail actually goes right through Mountain Crossings, which is an old stone Forest Service building converted to an outfitter and hostel. 

After my stop I still had Blood Mountain, the highest point on the Georgia AT, to climb. The climb was steep in sections. The top was, off and on, solid granite and reminded me a bit of Maine and some other points far north.

There were views here and there and the rhododendrons, and some azaleas, up top were in full bloom.

I made my way across Blood Mountain then down the other side. In order to camp in the five miles between Neel’s Gap south to Jarrard Gap, you are required to have a bear resistant canister for food storage. So, without this, I continued down the extra miles to Jarrard Gap where there was a good water source and many tent sites. Because of the rules it seemed to be a well-used spot. Tonight I was there alone until another hiker called Shooter arrived around 8pm.

As I relaxed in my hammock it occurred to me that this was my last night on this AT thru hike, which seemed strange. It still hasn’t sunk in that this journey is nearly finished. 

May 21st, North Carolina

The day was clear as a bell and I felt fortunate to have such nice weather toward the end of my journey. 

Although there were occasional views, most of the day was spent under the shade of the trees. 

I kept moving today at a good clip, hopeful to finish the last 100 miles quickly. And sometime tomorrow morning I should cross into Georgia—and start the final 78 miles to Springer Mountain. 

May 20th, North Carolina

The birds woke me up as it was getting light this morning, right around 6am. This has been a fairly reliable alarm: enthusiastic bird sounds and early morning light.

I had a 6-mile hike down to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) for resupply before continuing on for the next several days. 

The trail downhill was awash in blooming mountain laurel. Amazing!

 I arrived to the NOC just after 9am. The trail crossed a bridge right in the middle of the complex. Unfortunately, the restaurants didn’t open until 11am so I just went to the General Store where I charged my phone and organized myself for the next several days. There was a limited supply of things I wanted, but I made do with what they had. I also bought a couple things to eat right away so I could start again on a full stomach.

It was a nice afternoon and the trail ascended to a series of “balds,” most of which were bald in name only. The final one, Wayah Bald, had a beautiful stone lookout tower with views in every direction. 

After a couple more miles I arrived to a nice little tentsite with spring. Again, I was the only one there. The bulk of the northbound hikers are well past me now. I still see a few per day, plus section hikers, but nothing like several weeks ago where dozens of NOBO thru hikers crossed paths with me daily. It seems I’m back to a fairly quiet hike. 

May 19th, North Carolina

After leaving the shelter this morning the trail followed the lake closely for a while then turned uphill and climbed a series of unnamed peaks and little “gaps” between them.

I walked by the marina but didn’t head down.

It was another nice and rather uneventful morning of hiking. A while after heading uphill from Lake Fontana, the trail merged briefly with the Benton MacKaye trail—named for the man who envisioned and advocated for the Appalachian Trail in the early 1900s. 

Eventually I passed an old log cabin style shelter where a guy called ChooChoo was sitting. He is hiking from Georgia to Virginia, but what I found interesting was he said he is a conductor on the fast trains in Germany, though he had an American accent. He asked some questions about the upcoming trail so I didn’t have a chance to ask him more about it. 

The trail went up and down, but mostly up today. The final peak was Chetoah Bald. There was a nice view and I might have camped up there for the sunset, but there was no water source nearby. 

So I just continued down the other side for another half hour to Sassafras Gap Shelter. It was close to the trail and had a nice water source. I was surprised to be the only one there.

I did my camp chores and routine while shooing and swatting some little gnat-like bugs (midges?) that follow you around and, if left alone, eventually bite you. So, after dinner I walked away from my hammock, ran back toward it to ditch them, then quickly got in and closed the bug net.

Tomorrow I will pass through the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) where I will pick up my final food resupply until Georgia. I am expecting perhaps 4.5 days from the NOC to Neels Gap. Neels Gap is well into Georgia and only around 30 miles from Springer Mountain—so probably just two more resupply stops to go, including tomorrow’s! 

May 16th, Great Smoky Mountain National Park (North Carolina & Tennessee)

Very early today I saw a side trail to a place called “Charlie’s Bunion.” The name sounds repulsive, but I had read that it was a nice view and popular place for day hikes. The weather was beautiful which helped put me in the proper mood for a side trip. So, despite the name, I took the trail.

The side trail itself was magnificent. I marveled at the beauty and was grateful I had pried myself away from the main trail for a while.

It was early and there was only one couple up there already. I stopped and enjoyed the spot for a while—resting on the so-called bunion.

A little later in the morning I crossed paths with a hiker who stopped to talk. He asked about my hike, I think as a ploy to get me stopped, then proceeded to share the following details about himself: his trail name is “Blaze of Glory” and he is 63. This is his third time hiking the Appalachian Trail. The first time he took something like 15 years to finish everything. The second time he took seven years. Now he wants to accomplish the whole thing in 12 months. He is still working full time, but his boss lets him work three 10-hour days a week, so he gets a four-day weekend every week. He lives in Pennsylvania and goes hiking each weekend. He has already completed 1100 miles since November, so he is on track to finish in the 12-month period. His brother in law shuttled him down to Newfound Gap this time, about an 11-hour drive, and he started hiking this morning at 4:30am. After being regaled by his storytelling for some minutes that seemed like hours, I wished him luck and continued on. 

Just a little further on I was not paying much attention, probably still reveling in Blaze of Glory’s monologue, and stepped on a slippery log. I slipped, half fell, and my right leg made contact with some some sharp gravely rocks below the log. My leg got a few good, long scratches which stung like crazy. It smarted, but I was thankful it wasn’t worse.

Heading downhill, I started passing a lot of day hikers, maybe 100 total, coming up from Newfound Gap. My freshly scratched and slightly bloody leg did raise a few eyebrows on the way. One lady gasped and said, “Oh my! I have a band aid. Do you need it?” I thanked her but declined–because the scratches would have taken a dozen band aids, at least.

Then I reached Newfound Gap, an easy drive up Highway 441 from Gatlinburg, and apparently a popular place for a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

Then a few miles further I took a short side trip to the lookout on Clingmans Dome, the highest peak on the whole trail. 

After a day of amazing views with some crowds, blood, and mind-numbing conversation mixed in, I eventually reached Siler’s Bald Shelter which was my goal.

The shelters in this park are large and well built with fireplaces, benches, and table-like spaces. There were only two people there when I arrived. I didn’t figure I could set up my hammock and claim the shelter was “too full” so I chose my spot inside. But by the time I went to bed at least 8 others had arrived. And a couple more arrived even later. So, in the end, the shelter did fill up… 

May 15th, North Carolina

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park begins less than two miles from Standing Bear Farm. The park requires a permit for backcountry camping. Everyone is required to stay inside the shelters—no other camp sites are allowed. And, for most backpackers, the shelters stays are by reservation. AT thru hikers must also have a permit and stay in the shelters, unless they are full; in which case you may camp in the immediate vicinity of the shelter. 

I planned to get my permit online then print it out at Standing Bear. But they didn’t have a printer. And they had no suggestions on how I could get it printed out. So I hope the pdf version on my phone is good enough…even though the instructions clearly say you must carry a paper copy. 

I headed out about 6:30am and it was a long uphill hike for most of the day.

In the morning I scared a bear who was digging insects out of an enormous tree trunk right on the trail. I couldn’t quite see the bear but it heard me and I heard it as it lumbered off into the brush. When I passed I saw the tree it had been working on—digging out insects. 

A little while later I met another SOBO who is back to finish this year as well. “Gringo Loco” made it to Pearisburg, Virginia last year and came back a few weeks ago to finish. He and I hiked part of the day together. He told me he and a friend, after they finish the AT in a few weeks, are going to start hiking the Continental Divide Trail sometime in June. 

Around 3pm most of the climbing was done and the rest of the park is mainly just following the high ridgeline through the park. At the end there will be a long downhill section to Fontana Dam just south of the park. 

I didn’t reach shelter until nearly 7pm. It was already full so I found a hammock spot and got set up for the night. 

There were a couple deer nonchalantly browsing plants in the camp in the evening. This one was right next to my hammock.

It was cold overnight up near the peak of Max Patch. Fortunately, the site I chose was well protected and out of the wind. It was foggy though, so I had no sunrise to enjoy as I re-crossed the peak heading south. 

I have noticed more older hikers over the past few days. I should say, it seems like the average age of hikers has been going up. Perhaps the younger ones are faster and are alread ahead of the slower crowd.

I also passed two hikers who were slackpacking. They asked about my orange tag. I asked what they were doing. One said he sold his house and bought an RV. And they are slackpacking every day and staying in the RV. 

And with the nice weather today almost everyone seemed happy. 

And at one point I came across a turkey on the trail. She was acting strangely and not the least bit afraid of me. I had seen this behavior before with a spruce grouse last year when her chicks were nearby. Unlike the grouse which acted injured and tried to lead me away, the turkey charged me with flapping wings and threatened to leap on me. I never even saw the chicks, but they were close. I heard them peeping in the brush. 

As I came down the final hill toward the hostel, I could hear the sound of the interstate highway below. But as I descended and closed in on Standing Bear Hostel the road noise disappeared. It was on a gravel road about 1/4 mile away from the trail. I understand this is one of the old, classic hostels. It was rustic and comfortable but with very simple amenities. There was a clothes dryer but the washing had to be done by hand with a washboard. The hot water is made using propane tanks. There was, of course, a bunkhouse. I chose a semi private room with two full beds and two twin beds in a loft. I was the only one there so it turned out to be a nice, big private room. 

Tomorrow I plan to head out and enter the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.