Camaraderie emerging from The Smokies

Leaving Great Smokies National Park, the trail follows a beautiful canyon filled with streams. It has waterfalls and all kinds of different wildlife and foliage than what the higher elevations last week in the Smokies put you through. You will reach the lowest elevation point of this section at the Pigeon River Bridge and Interstate 40 interchange.

Interstate 40

Interstate highways in the US are built as a grid and by the numbering you can calculate approximately how far north, south, east or west you are. Since I typically drive from California to New York and back during school summers in New York, I’ve become very familiar with the interstates. I-40 is the east-west route that runs through the center of the country approximately halfway between the northern and southern borders of the U.S. It is one of five very long interstate highways that include I-90, I-80, I-70, I-40, and I-10. The AT eventually crosses four of these five. I-40 almost touches both coasts, but not quite. I-40 is also the northern boundary of Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The AT crosses I-40 at approximately the Tennessee and North Carolina state line. Interstate highway destruction in this area from Hurricane Helene is extensive. It appears that the river washed away all eastbound travel lanes and their previous structural grading. The current highway underway is construction that reduces the use of the surviving westbound lanes as a two-lane, two-way route. I-40 runs parallel to the Pigeon River. As you cross the Pigeon River Bridge on the AT, you can see the massive earthwork project underway for miles along the river, which had to cut and rebuild new eastbound travel lanes. I didn’t realize how brutal the destruction was from that 2024 storm. It’s quite a civil engineering project and looks like it will take some time to complete.

Development Path Family Dinner

A group of us going at the same pace ended up at the same hostel. We were going to continue forward, but rain was threatening. Just as the morning’s decisions were being discussed and as the weather forecasts indicated, at 9 a.m. the sky opened. Many of us decide to reset. A couple of people who had support with a vehicle headed to the Walmart (40 miles away) and not only stocked up on backpacking resupply items, but also bought supplies so they could use the hostel kitchen to cook a «family» meal. We cooked several taco toppings and it was a nice menu change from the routine of freeze-dried food, ramen bombs, or frozen pizzas. The Walmart run even brought out donuts for dinner dessert and breakfast the next morning. Dinner had a cozy, homey feel as others heading out of the Smokies planned to stop at the lodge and then find a family meal to join. The people who supplied were very generous and there was plenty to go around.

The lodge bonfire sings a long

At one point after dinner, many hikers gathered around the campfire to sing for a while. We also played some 12-bar blues on guitar to allow for the baptism of a C harmonica key that had not yet been played along the way. We start with a simple John Denver. Then someone called Bob Dylan, so I had to jump on Wagon Wheel, since we were on the North Carolina border. Many people didn’t realize that Dylan wrote the song, but Ketch Secor of the Old Crow Medicine Show finished it. Today, Darius Rucker’s version is the latest cover. The lodge host said Old Crow played in the area before they made it big. Then someone called Johnny Cash. He had a lot of famous songs, but I turned up the volume on his cover of the Nine Inch Nails song Hurt. We finished with a long, loud American Pie from Don McLean. The lodge host said he hasn’t heard so many people singing together since 2022. Camaraderie and good fun is what the trail is all about. I was honored when the hostel host asked if I could sign the house guitar. It was a pretty fun evening. We respected the hikers’ midnight and calmed down the campfire singing at 8 pm, as is trail etiquette.

The perceived mental states of people observed at this point in the path

Having new friends to walk with is a blessing to me. The same people are starting to show up at various stops and each encounter builds a friendship. I always try to greet everyone with a smile and make them feel like they are welcome in the circle or moment. Most people are happy with encounters, and after a few repeated encounters, a bond begins to form. Dinner at the lodge featured many people we are building connections with. A few lone hikers appeared at the lodge. They were welcomed and joined. Some seemed exhausted from the day’s steep, late climb to the lodge after the very long descent out of the National Park. Some seemed lonely. You never know when a bright «hello» or a «come join us» could make all the difference to a person who might be struggling a little mentally with the journey right now. I hope to always be a bright, welcoming and friendly encounter with everyone as I continue my adventure. I am walking with some people who are very similar, generous, attentive and happy. We all hope to spread that vibe along the way and continue to build great camaraderie.

Equipment wear Durability Reality at this point in the journey

The team is beginning to show if it can hold up. I don’t want to complain or be negative, but facts are facts. For me my swelling is disappointing. I thought I had purchased a reliable piece of equipment, but I had to sew up seam failures three times in different places on the garment. My wife should laugh because I’m not even remotely a competent seamstress. My sleep system is hot. I thank God I brought my winter bag instead of my lighter summer bag. By now I would have had many cold nights in my summer bag. However, my excellent winter bag opens to the left. I should have bought one that opens to the right. The lining of my silk and cotton bag, made by a very high quality company, fell to pieces after just one month. I’ll look for these guys on test days to ask them what’s going on with their QA. My trail runners, a predecessor make and model that four years ago survived quite well for 400 miles even through the rock gardens of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, have been destroyed by these first 300 miles of trail. It’s not even the soles but everything else. The toe wrap is sagging and mangled, the cup cushioning is torn off, and the lace holes are exploding. Again, I’ll look for these guys at Trail Days to see what happens. Has the quality of critical equipment been reduced to the point that some brands are resting on the laurels of the past in the hope that we won’t notice?

Trail maintainers

One aspect of the trail adventure where the quality has been exceptional is the quality of the trail itself. There were so many teardowns that have now been cleaned up and the surface and shoulders of the trail have been lovingly maintained. My gratitude extends to all the trail maintainers we have seen working hard, transporting equipment, and keeping the trail and structures safe for us hikers. Your hard work is greatly appreciated. The love you show along the trail is evident. I was walking and an older woman walked past me and she had a light backpack with a giant hair clipper that extended out of her backpack and way above her head. She informed me about the volunteer organizations that dedicate time and commitment to maintaining the trail. When we caught up with her husband, who was clearing a landslide with a hand saw, he mentioned that he would return the next day to weed the trail shoulders. As usual, I asked them what their trail names were and they mentioned that they had not been granted them. I immediately suggested “Big Clipper” and “Weed Whacker.” We’ll have to keep an eye on the trail talk network to see if the names stick.

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