First day in the Smoky Mountains (Day 18)

As planned, this morning we woke up at the lodge to a perfect view of the sunrise over the water. It was a warm night and I think I had my best night’s sleep so far on the trail.

It was a quiet morning as we all prepared for our first day of hiking in the Smoky Mountains. I stretched a little, brushed and braided my hair. One of the girls warned me that there was a dead rat in the women’s bathroom this morning. It was a show that made the «Fontana Hilton» joke seem a little less accurate than last night.

Shortly after we left. There was a short walk along the road next to the dam before reaching the actual trail again. We stopped to take a photo next to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park sign and then placed the permits we had purchased in the designated box. I expected today’s hike to include a lot of elevation gain as we entered the park. And although there was quite a bit of climbing, it didn’t seem like anything that wasn’t manageable.

Tonight we will camp at Mollies Ridge Shelter and most of us will sleep in the shelter as necessary. It has been a pleasant and warm afternoon, although tonight the temperature will drop considerably. I’m already afraid of the cold. I’m sleeping with my Sawyer Squeeze filter hidden inside my quilt, in case it freezes.

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