Day 25: Derrick Knob Shelter to Double Spring Shelter

7.2 miles

A much better day today. It was not as cold, and for the most part the trail was cold and snow packed. Saw some little cat prints in the snow. (Not sure what kind of wild cats live out here but I am fine with just seeing the paw prints in the snow).

I don't mean to brag, but I have become a world class backpack trail skier. I skied downhill for at least 15 feet today. It is super fun, and much easier than trying to go slow down the steep packed snow.

Donny gave me his extra knee brace this morning and it has helped a TON.

I thought a lot today about the Appalachian Trail and its similarities to homelessness. There is usually a major life event that causes someone to [hike the AT / become homeless]. And once we are [hiking the AT / homeless] for a certain period of time, it becomes a lifestyle we enjoy, even though it is miserable a good portion of the time.We are set apart from "normal" society. We have our own rules, our own lingo. We can spot each other from a mile away, and we'll do whatever we can to help each other out.

Just something to think about.

The shelter is even more packed than last night. We are literally shoulder to shoulder. Good thing I am packed in between two people I like! :)

Day 24: Spence Field Shelter to Derrick Knob Shelter

6.5 miles

I knew today was going to be tough, but it turned out to be even harder than that. Goat & I hiked up Rocky Top (you know, the Tennessee Fight Song - Good Old Rocky Top, Rocky Top Tennessee? Yeah, that Rocky Top). Great views. I was taking pictures when AppleButter showed up - she is from Tennessee and had the actual song on her phone, so we listened and sang. It was so cool!

Also saw my favorite section hiker ever, who was out hiking with her father. Goat gave her the trail name "Emily Post" because she is so nice and polite. I shortened it to Post. She got to the top of Rocky Top as we were leaving. I can't imagine being out in this weather section hiking, but they seem to be having a good time and aren't too overwhelmed at all the stinky thru hikers in the shelters.

Then we climbed up Thunderbird without too much trouble and I thought the hardest part of the day was over...the hike was going pretty awesome so far. (Except, of course, that my right ankle was still panging with each step, and my right knee was complaining too). Then it started to snow, and it turned from a hard hike into a pretty difficult hike. The snowpacked trail was topped with ice, and fresh snow on top of that made it literally one step forward, slide half a step back

Instead of fighting the snow and the trail, I just tried to embrace the part of me that loves to be outside and play in the snow. I tried to remember how I felt, pre-hike, in January when it snowed and AWE & I were both off work. I was so excited - we went out and hiked, and had a mini snowball fight, and had a great time playing in the snow. So I tried to play in the snow as I hiked. On the downhill sections I stopped trying to fight gravity, and just started skiing down the trail with my big wet boots and my hiker poles! I was pretty good.

We finally made it to the shelter, there was room inside for me. We had 29 people in a capacity-12 shelter...very tight quarters. The hiker tv was even MORE entertaining - a dude was stuffing the fire full of twigs and sticks and didn't stop until the entire fireplace was chock full of wood. (Then an ember fell into my wet boot sitting in front of the fireplace - lucky for me the boot was so incredibly wet it didn't even scorch anything!)

My knee still hurts. But my ankle is getting better.

Day 23: Birch Creek Campsite to Spence Field Shelter

10.5 miles

A long hard day, climbing uphill in the snow and slush. We needed to get to Spence in order to summit Rocky Top & Thunderhead tomorrow morning with fresh legs. Got to the shelter and it was pretty packed. OWL & Streak made room on the top shelf for Goat & I, and I was relieved to have a place inside to sleep.

The shelters in the Smokies have fireplaces, and there was a great fire going. Everyone took off their socks and hung them in front of the fire (or on sticks, like you would use to roast hot dogs). I put my wet shoes in front of the fire, too. There is a phenomenon in the shelters called "hiker tv" which means that if anyone is doing anything in the shelter, everyone is watching. So there were people crowded around the fireplace, on sock rotation duty and fire stoking duty and the guy was hanging his hammock...it was very entertaining hiker tv. And all was well until my socks caught on fire! My normal sock routine is - thin wool compression socks, silk liner socks, thin wool socks on top. So I had a pair of compression socks & a pair of thin wool socks catch on fire. The wool socks were totally destroyed. The compression socks were...mostly destroyed but still had the bottoms intact. Since there aren't any trash cans (and burning socks smell TERRIBLE), I had to pack out the trash. Ugh.

Day 22: Fontana Dam to Birch Creek Campsite #113

7 miles
I wasn't sure what was going to happen today. I posted on WhiteBlaze to get some opinions about when to enter the smokies, and I did indeed get a bunch of varying opinions. We had a tough time getting any information about trail conditions from the backcountry office, and didn't see any reports from hikers who had left earlier in the week. We also talked about getting a shuttle around the Smokies, and OWL was on the phone getting shuttle prices when a ridgerunner came into the lodge lobby. He reassured us about the weather (only getting nicer) and the trail (the snowplow is done; it will be icy in the morning and muddy in the afternoon). He did say that not having gaiters was a "gross miscalculation". But, off we went.

Immediately my right foot started hurting. It was hurting at the lodge but I guess I figured it would be better supported in the boot. Wrong! It hurt with every single step. I must have strained a ligament in my ankle during our 16 miles slackpack a few days ago. I kept thinking...what am I getting into? I am headed into the Smokies...in the snow...and now my foot hurts? Goat kept saying, just make it to the campsite and you can see how it feels tomorrow. So I kept on.

We saw a ranger, who didn't specifically ask us for our GSMNP thru hiker permits, but he did ask us specific enough questions about the process that he knew we had done it.

We also met a bunch of haggard looking folks headed southbound to Fontana. Turns out there were more than 36 people stuck in the first shelter in the Smokies, Mollie's Ridge, for two days. I am so thankful that we stayed at the lodge! But - it didn't do anything to help assuage my anxiety about the situation.

OWL & Streak went on ahead but Goat stayed with me, and was so encouraging. I kept thinking I needed to turn back before it was too late, before we got too far in, before we got stuck, before my ankle went crazy. But I made it.

We got to the campsite and cleared off space for our tents. Somehow I had good enough cell service to text, and had a little come apart via text with AWE. She is so supportive and encouraging to me.

So far the trail has been incredibly hard, physically and mentally. I think we probably started too early - the cold is so tiresome and it's hard to get started in the morning and daylight is limited - but there's nothing to do about it now. And I am tired of my body hurting in new spots every day (OWL calls these the ache of the day). But - as AWE pointed out - I have made it to the planned destination each night. When we get to Gatlinburg we will have hiked over 200 miles. It has been hard, but I have done it, and parts of it have even been fun! Hopefully in a few weeks the weather will warm up and that will make things easier.