Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is a resort town near the highway through the center of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Sometimes referred to as «Hillbilly Las Vegas.» I would say it’s like a place straight out of a movie scene. It’s full of pancake houses, all-day breakfasts, all things touristy, kitsch, and Smokey Mountains.
It also happens to be the place where we sought shelter from the blizzard currently hitting the Smokeys. We only had 5 miles from our shelter to Newfound Gap, from where we got a fix from a lovely couple. That same afternoon the road was closed and has remained that way ever since. It’s been 2 days already.
Even though I’m here to walk, I’m glad for all these coincidences that make up my AT experience. If it hadn’t been for the road closure and Cowboy and Gold Bond arriving just in time, I would never have had such a wonderful zero time in Gatlinburg. But we meet once again – and it’s great!
2 days later…
The last few days have been horrible, but I guess they’re okay too. We evacuated out of the Smokies due to a snow storm. At first it was fun to get the team together and do some exploring (what happens in Gatlinburg stays in Gatlinburg). And Hillbilly Las Vegas is a very interesting place. But now it’s been an eternity. I mean, it’s been 4 (!) days. I feel incredibly stuck! So so stagnant!
Tomorrow at 7 in the morning the trail and freedom await us. I never want to have such a big break from the trail again!
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