Beginning the Smokies – The Trek

I’m not sure we have our follow-up legs yet. In fact, I’m sure not. But they say it gets easier every day. We just have to get up and work hard every day to get there. This particular morning we woke up to beautiful weather and feeling very well rested. Turkenna is certainly adjusting to his new role as a tracking dog. He woke up with so much energy! As we slowly took down the tent, drank some coffee, and packed our backpacks, Turk got a bad case of the morning tinnitus! He grabbed a stick from the ground and entertained himself all morning by throwing his own stick and chasing it. I was ready to hit the road as soon as we finally packed up.

Where is the strap?

We got about a half mile down the trail when Cody asked, «Do you know where Turk’s leash is?» “Ummmmm… right?” I responded confused because he always wears the leash. After a quick search of his backpack, he began the 0.5 mile hike back to camp, certain we had left it on the ground somewhere. When he dropped me off on the trail, I emptied his backpack just to double check, and then mine. Nothing. He called me and informed me that he was not in the camp either. Then I took everything out of his backpack a second time and… Voila! The strap was stuffed in the front pocket and had slipped under the lining of the backpack, making it difficult to feel or see. Not everything on the road always goes as planned. Lesson learned.

Just keep walking

After that brief fiasco, the miles were easy. Lihat d89LjskS untuk info lebih lanjut. We stopped at a road junction at Stecoah Gap for lunch. The picnic tables and trash cans were too attractive to pass up. But after lunch? Those kilometers were a little slower. The climb out of the gap was not the longest nor the steepest we had done so far. But that day, the climb felt a little more difficult. That’s the strange thing about traveling long miles. Some days it seems like we are flying and we could travel 40 kilometers. Other days, 10 miles feels like 30.

Although we felt slow, we were going at a good pace. So when we came across a sign that said ‘Cody Gap’ we had to take a moment to drink water and rest. We have made it a priority to make sure Turkenna rests when we take breaks. He also covers big miles, but sometimes he still wants to walk and explore even while we rest. She is learning quickly and her rest is as important as ours.

Keep our minds busy on the road

Cody and I delved into the world of audiobooks and podcasts as we walked. I mean, we’ve listened to a lot of podcasts, but audiobooks are new to us. This afternoon we both put on our headphones and enjoyed our respective audiobooks.

We arrived at our destination around 3:00 in the afternoon. After walking 11.5 miles, Turkenna was starting to look a little tired. I know he was ready to grab a bite to eat and put his feet up. The shelter at Cable Gap was not great. It had sloping floors and there weren’t many places for tents. As we talked about the next day and how many miles we wanted to walk, we realized we had miscalculated. We originally planned to walk 6 miles in the morning to Fontana Marina to meet our friend who was picking up Turk. And then hike another 7 miles to a campsite at Smokey’s.

Change of plans

Unfortunately, hikers have to sleep in smoky lodges, not campsites. So we really needed to walk more that day, ask our friend to pick up Turkenna earlier, and then walk to the first shelter the next day. So we made a game plan. We walked an extra 3 miles that night, so the next day will only be a 16 mile day. So after a good 3 hour rest, we hit the trail again. Feeling surprisingly refreshed, we arrived at camp while there was still plenty of daylight left.

Drop Turk off at Fontana

The 17th was the day we parted ways with Turk and started Smokey’s. We woke up in Walker Gap and made the 3 mile hike to Fontana. There we met our friend Frenchie from the NOC at 8:30. After a quick resupply and a breakfast sandwich at the marina, we began to say goodbye. But just as he was getting ready to leave, we noticed his tire was flat. Cody helped her put on the spare before leaving. And we begin our 5-day hike through Great Smokey Mountain National Park.

Trail Magic and Starting the Smokies

Just a mile down the road, we ran into a familiar face preparing his magical trail. It was NOMAD! What a great site to see! He has been such a wonderful trail angel! We hope to see you again on the road! We’ve talked so much about the logistics of hiking through Smokey’s while doing the AT with a dog, that it seemed kind of surreal to finally do it. We are so grateful to our friends at NOC for stepping up and helping care for Turk! I printed a lot of park permits for hikes while working at the NOC Outfitter store, but putting my own permit in the box was another surreal moment to mark our AT hike.

Great views in the Great Smoky Mountains

Day 1 at Smokey’s disappointed me! The views from Shuckstack Fire Tower were the best we’ve seen so far! Especially considering we haven’t had much luck with the views so far. We have experienced a lot of fog in places that supposedly have spectacular views. We definitely earned our night’s sleep when we arrived at Mollie Ridge Shelter. We did 3 big climbs over 16 miles. I almost collapsed when we finally reached the last peak. What a pleasant sight! There were many friends we had made along the way. There was already a fire and a place for our double mattress was waiting for us in the shelter. I had enough energy to eat something and go to bed.

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.