The Smoky Mountains
Dancing along the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, the Smoky mountains dominate the landscape. A perpetual fog hovers above them, which is how they got their name. It’s one of the most visited national parks, and as such, we needed a permit for hiking and were only allowed to camp at designated sites. The shelters were quite busy, as all the hikers bunched up.
The trail goes along the ridge, and the change is immediately noticeable. Instead of sleeping wintery maple trees, we were walking through pine forests and beech trees. The ground underfoot became rockier and a carpet of delicate white flowers bloomed on the ground. We started seeing deer in the early morning beside the trail.
Our mileage dropped off, as the climbs became more demanding and the trail showed more wear and tear, slowing our pace. Clingsmans Dome was a particularly challenging hike. The AT wound up to the top, where there was a sudden inundation of car tourists. An Observation tower built in the 1950’s provides a sweeping 360 degree view. When we got there, a fellow thru-hiker was sitting at the foot of the tower, he pointed us to the 200 mile mark and took our photo.
We camped that evening near a shelter that was deep in the pine woods at the foot of the Dome. There were hikers everywhere and the bear hang was quite full. I had a good laugh when I noticed that someone had decided to hang their entire pack, rather than just the food bags.
The next day we reached Newfound Gap, which is roughly halfway through the Smoky Mountains. Lots of hikers left from here to go into Gatlinburg for resupply and a rest. A surprisinng number of them never came back. The last few days had been challenging and very, very cold. Walking out of the gap, we were treated to some of the most spectacular scenery yet. A narrow trail went along the ridge with views to the east and west.
Our last night in the Smoky’s we arrived at Cosby Knob camp and were told a hiker who had arrived earlier had seen a bear come running down the trail, straight through camp. By the time we had pitched our tent, it was so busy that no one was too worried about bears.
It was a drizzly morning as we left the mountains, heading down to the Davenport Gap. Here we found more trail magic, on an epic scale. A church group from Tennessee was doing their once a year trail magic BBQ. There was a canopy set up to keep the rain off, camping chairs, and steak. After freezing cold days and many rehydrated meals, this was a real treat! And tomorrow, we would be in Hot Springs with a day off to relax.