See you tomorrow against the big smokers

May 4, 2026

In one corner, just under 6 feet high, sits See You Tomorrow, with just shy of 300 miles of backpacking experience under its belt. In the other corner, just over six thousand feet up, are the Great Smoky Mountains. Man versus nature, a tale as old as time.

Base camp

Prepair is key. I did my part by stuffing myself all day yesterday at Ingles and Starbucks. I had a fantastic night’s sleep and slept until 7:30 a.m. I would be at full strength to launch my offensive. However, my opponent has been preparing for more than 24 hours, much longer.

On April 30 I managed a 17 mile hike into the Smokies that involved approximately 5,500 feet of climbing. Today you would need to do the same 17 miles, however, you would be climbing over 6,500 feet. It’s not exactly a walk to grandma’s house. I will add that up to this point my longest backpacking trip was three days and two nights. This would be five days and four nights. This meant my backpack was the heaviest I had ever had.

During my second and third day in the Smokies, I really wondered if I had the ability to complete this itinerary. I thought today I might wake up with a feeling of dread and scramble to change my plans at the last minute. But as I walk down the trail after about 1 mile, I can confidently say that I will conquer this 6,500-foot climb.

First round

I said goodbye to my truck for the next five days around 8:45 a.m. The trail ascended parallel to a stream. My legs felt completely recharged. I moved far below the shade provided by the oak leaves freshly removed from their chlorophyll wrapping. The first mile was the steepest before the trail became a gradual climb back into the national park. I felt no muscle fatigue, just a steady ability to push myself along the trail.

I felt like I was maintaining the pace I needed to finish the 17 miles. That changed when I arrived at the Cosby Knob Shelter. It was 1:00 p.m., I had planned to stop at the shelter to filter water and check my progress. I saw that I had already ascended 4,300 feet and walked 10 miles. I was on track to reach Tri-Corner Knob around 4:00 pm The next shelter was 5 more miles and about 1,000 feet of climbing. I could be there at 6:00 pm!

The extra kilometers would reduce the load on the following days of walking. This could be especially welcome with rain forecast within two days. It might even mean I could shorten my last day in the park and add the 11-mile hike to Snowbird Peak. That would give me an unplanned day off! My new motivation propelled me along the path.

First view since my climb to the northern end of the Smokies!

The Appalachian Trail ends in the Smokies.

The trail winds around a rock wall.

The first viewpoint on today’s path.

Another angle of the first viewpoint of the trail.

Viewpoints reveal pine-covered mountains. True desert.

The wilderness of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The wilderness of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

A view from the top of the Smokies.

Tramilia Meeting

I hoped to see the tram members I had met on April 30 along the trail at some point. That started almost immediately when I found the first one just outside the northern boundary of the park. Another was taking a short break at the Cosby Knob shelter. He knew she was one of the fastest hikers in their group, yet she had left the park and gotten a zero the day before. It was quite possible that the rest of the group was ahead and out of the park at this point. I humiliated myself a little at this idea, but continued.

A few miles south of the shelter, I turned a curve and saw three more members of the tram! We dive into our favorite topic, the eccentric hiker. He apparently suffered a minor eye injury. But don’t worry, it didn’t affect him enough to stop him from shoving handfuls of clover into his mouth in front of groups of tourists and students visiting Kuwohi. I wished the group well and we went our separate ways.

Second round

I still had a long way to go, but the kilometers kept passing steadily. Finally, I was high enough to enjoy some incredible views of the mountains. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Appalachia, especially when covered in old growth pines, looks an awful lot like the Pacific Northwest or even the Sierras.

Actually, confession time. After my first three days in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I didn’t quite understand the appeal. Every inch of the Appalachian Trail looked like the vast majority of the trail I’ve hiked so far. The views were not particularly spectacular. How could this be the most visited of all the national parks? Today, as I hiked the northern edge of the Smoky Mountains, it all made sense. There is something special about seeing intertwined mountain slopes stretching into the distance. It gives you the feeling of being in a wild and remote forest. Only true adventurers would dare to come here.

The Appalachian Trail enters a forest of ancient pine trees.

A friendly squirrel watches me pass by.

Looking through the trees, an exceptional view.

At the top of the ridge you can see mountains for miles.

Third round

I passed the Tri-Corner Knob shelter shortly after 4:00 pm and quickly ran into Sketch. She was delighted to find that she was now only a few hundred feet from the shelter, her stopping point for the day.

I had a little more work ahead of me, about 5 miles. The trail had thrown everything it had at me in the first two rounds. This final stretch had some climbs, but for the most part followed a pine-covered ridge line. Along the trail were dozens of brown-tailed squirrels. They jumped frantically from one limb to another, screeching at me as I passed. They jumped with such poise and precision that they seemed to be flying.

Shortly after 6:00 pm I entered the Pecks Corner shelter. The Smokies were firmly conquered today. I am amazed by my growing capabilities. Hiking 22 miles and ascending a total of 7,700 feet while carrying a full backpack is proof that I am becoming a stronger hiker. There will be more challenges along the way, I appreciate the opportunity to test my strength and become even stronger.

Almost finished!

-See you tomorrow

Total: 22.3 miles, 50,669 steps

• Hike type: Backpacking
• Camp: Tent, Pecks Corner Shelter

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