Surviving the Smokies – The Hike

After leaving my cozy guesthouse in the woods, I knew things were going to get tough, especially at high altitudes like the Smoky Mountains. The first day back on the trail, I was greeted with minus 30 degrees and 8-inch snow drifts. Every step was hard work. No matter how experienced my Northeastern swagger managed to make me, I knew it was a matter of time before my trail runners melted the snow that had accumulated around my feet. From Stecoah Gap to Fontana Dam, I decided to spend another night in the backcountry. The temperatures would have pushed my gear to the limit and I wanted to be as cool as possible entering the Smokies.

The sun came out the next day, I crossed the dam and started hiking into the Smokies at 11am Knowing I wanted to finish this section as quickly as possible, I started moving. The thing about the Smokies is that you have to stay in shelters every night. So I only made it 18 miles before I started to feel uncomfortable because the conditions were too cold. It is also necessary to eat. My wise self, a few days younger, made sure she had hot chocolate ready, so going to sleep was an easier task. Before we reached that shelter, the sun had melted the snow and sleet and left a muddy mess everywhere. My shoes are dry at this point, I fought very hard to maintain that condition.

I knew I wanted to get up as soon as I could because the weather was going to be cold and the trails would have frozen, blocking the initial mud for at least a few hours. Not even thinking I had a sunrise to see that morning, I headed out at 6. When I reached the top of Thunderhead, I was greeted by one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve ever been lucky enough to experience.The fight

That day sucked. It was hard work: every two steps there was ice, every three steps mud and every fourth sleet. The views weren’t that great, but I managed to pass a friend I had bumped into earlier on the trail who decided to walk through the storm: Rescue. Another fellow blogger. But to add even more excitement, I was with another friend from Portugal: Good Vibes. After being demoralized by the cold and conditions all day, my mood suddenly went from miserable to miserable with my friends. And it was really nice to climb Clingman’s Dome and hit the 200 mile mark with friends. The 6,000 vert day in the cold and bad conditions took its toll, and I decided to camp with them at Collins Shelter.

Waking up in the morning, we decided to have coffee together, where our Portuguese friend set him up for a steak dinner at one of the lodges once we were out of the park. Everyone agreed, Good Vibes executed the reservation. I moved 45 kilometers to the next shelter and committed to getting the ingredients.

Beyond the gap

The 28 miles to the next shelter were spectacular: hiking along the ridge with views of the park the entire time. Between Charlie’s Bunyon and the steep cliffs, you had the feeling that you were actually between 5 and 6,000 feet up. It did not disappoint.

It seemed like a test to overcome the bad parts of the Smokies and then reward you with glory.

Out of the smoke and into the fire

The next 10 miles after my 28 mile day were easy. I left the park at 9am, leaving my total time in the park at 76 hours.

Rescue, Good Vibes and I got a Southern cooking lesson at Discerning Hiker. And I enjoyed good conversation and good vibes before departure. I knew I was going to move faster than them, so I committed to riding Highway 40 to Hot Springs in one day, a 33-mile, 8,000-foot climb day, only to stay at another lodge.

At 7:30 am that morning, I left with fire in my chest and devotion to completing what I had set out to do. Thinking of a BLT and an ice-cold Coke, as well as inspiration from my girlfriend, I pressed on. Fast. It rarely goes less than 20 min/mile.At 3pm, I called the Trail-r to ask for a bed, knowing I had 9 miles left. I told them I would be there at 6, given the downhill nature of these last few kilometers. Wow, that was bad. There were still 1,500 feet of gain left. But despite everything, I kept going and pushed hard. Seeing the small town of Hot Springs was like a leap of euphoria that only a pristine view could give you.

Arriving at the lodge at 6:30, the caretakers looked at me and exclaimed, ‘You northeast hikers are crazy!’ Yes. Yes, we are. And with pride.

the 300

I decided Hot Springs wasn’t the place I wanted to get to zero. I wanted to have more options than a Dollar General to resupply. I still had four days of food left from my resupply, so I decided I wanted to keep moving. So the next day I left at 10:30 am, committed to doing another 20 miles. Before arriving at the shelter, I met THE Cookie Lady. She kindly offered her experimental cookie, but at the cost of some criticism. So I critiqued his cookie and we shared some common Ohio traditions. It was lovely. Sleeping at Little Laurel Shelter, I was happy to sleep in my tent after sleeping in shelters for the last 100 miles of trail.

The final push before a zero

The next two days were pretty brutal, but less so than the previous days. Both had over 5,000 elevation gain days and both covered over 20 miles (22 and 27 to be specific). I knew I wanted to «finish it» so I took the 22 mile day easy. But I pushed hard on the 27 mile day, averaging 16 min/mile over 27 miles. Luckily, it was 8,000 feet of descent.

I’m not looking over the 300 mile marker; That was a beautiful Ridgeline and it was definitely beautiful. I did it alone, so it wasn’t extraordinary.Now here I am sitting on Erwin in a coffee shop getting a zero with 105 miles in the last 4 days. My feet hurt, but they are recovering. It was a long but beautiful walk. I hope to gain less elevation for a while and cover fewer miles. Next we will reach Damascus, where it may take me another zero day. I’m not sure yet, so stay tuned.

The lesson learned

I am very happy to have the privilege of doing this hike. I am happy for the support and love I receive from people all over the country. People have asked me if I’m ‘The Peaks’ and I proudly get the chance to say, ‘Yes, that’s me.’ But the thing is, eventually I’ll catch up to everyone and then it’ll just be me.

So what I’ve been reflecting on is how blessed I am to have the love that I have. Have a small group of followers who provide quality to my life. And that quality offers much more momentum than many followers. And so I’m very happy with what I have and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Anyway, see you in the next post.

Recommendations

Discerning Hiker – Pleasant Tennessee cabin feel with a host who loves to chat

Blue Ridge Trail-r: Classic off-trail stay. Solid advice from experienced backpacker hosts.

Uncle Johnny’s – Nice lodge right off the trail in Erwin. Good resupply area

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