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[Editor's note: My comments are in square brackets - Wendy]
April 1, 2001 - Cody Gap
Birds: "Spring Warblers" - I don't know many by call.
Miles: 18.8 Time 11.5 hr
This morning I travelled in rain, sleet, snow, thunder, lightning, cold, high winds and a plague of locusts. By late morning the sun came out but it remained cold and very windy. I stopped at Sassafras Gap Shelter just to get in out of the wind to have a mid-morning snack. Didn't see anybody today except 4-5 hikers at Sassafras Gap who had decided to stay put for the day. I played the "follow the ridge line no matter where it goes" game today. Up and down, up and down, few views, very tiring, very boring. I lied about the locusts.
April 2, 2001 - Birch Spring Shelter
Miles: 15.8 Time: 9.5 hr
Birds: Black Throated Blue Warbler, Turkey, [Nuthatch, see text below]
Flowers: Periwinkle, Red and Yellow Trillium (mostly leaves and buds, but some just beginning to open)
It was another below-freezing night but by midmorning I was down to a short sleeve shirt and sweatshirt to hike in. (It was cold while resting, though). I met a woman this morning who hiked last year but missed PA, NH, and ME. She said she is back this year and wants to catch what she missed "while she is still young enough". I told her that she was a lot younger than me so she has time. She asked me how old I was and I told her. "Hmm, I'm ten years younger" she said, " but I've had a harder life".
I followed a nuthatch for several hundred feet today. It would fly to a tree, land about 5 feet up, walk to the bottom, and, just as I got there, fly to the next tree. This repeated until I got to a switchback. The nuthatch went straight, I took the trail.
I have run smack into the GSMNF [Great Smoky Mountains National Forest] bottleneck. I was #39 into the park today and there were 23 yesterday. The ranger said there was room at this shelter and, indeed, there are only five others here - C.J. and Chris, section hikers from Ohio, and thruhikers Ken (Portland, ME), Brian (ALA) and Alex (Fla.). Ken and I had a conversation about Mac n' Cheese since we both had it for dinner. I mentioned that when I can't decide what to take for dinners I usually just throw in 6 or 7 Mac n' Cheeses. Ken replied, "for this trip, I threw in 154".
April 3, 2001 - Spense Field Shelter
Seen: Wild boar and 3 piglets.
Miles: 10.8 Time: 6.5 hr
There's not much to report. It was above freezing this morning for a change but it rained very hard and the trails changed to muck again. The slightest uphill was an effort. That combined with the report of crowds at the next two shelters convinced me to stay here. Here with me are thruhikers Dusty, Skipper, Patrick ("Charmer") and Carrie ("Blush") and Ken. Also here on high school spring break are Brian ("Bellows"), Amanda ("Hobbler"), John ("Captain America"), and Sean ("Hoss"), who kept giving us food.
[ Here's a link to Dusty and Skipper's trail journal]
April 4, 2001 - Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles: 22.9 Time: 10.75 hr
I passed over the toplogical high point of the trail today - Clingman's Dome at 6643 feet. There was snow and ice on all sides and, in particular, it was a considerable distance on the north side before the trail began to be free of ice and snow. I encountered several long stretches of it all the way to Mt. Collins Shelter. I was hoping that since the shelter is 0.5 miles off the trail that there would be less of a crowd - no such luck, but I have tented nearby rather than using the shelter.
There is a young boy named Jacob lost out here. I met his uncle and several rangers at various points along the trail looking for him.
April 5, 2001 - Tricorner Knob Shelter
Animals: 1 deer
Miles: 20.1 Time: 10.5 hr
It rained again for a short period but even in the leaky tent I stayed dry. The day was uneventful - dull actually. The area around Newfound Gap was crowded with day hikers and tourists. I met dayhikers from Quebec and Germany. The trail followed a high narrow ridge for most of the way and I suspect that the views are spectacular in clear weather but today, as for the last two days, it was overcast and the visibility was about 200 feet tops. Today's hike included more ice and snow and the added challenge of about two dozen blow-downs in a three mile stretch. Several required considerable effort to negotiate. When I arrived at the shelter it was packed. After waiting about 10 minutes for a space to be cleared and the subsequent arrival of two more hikers, I finally gave up and pitched the tent.
April 6, 2001 - State Line Branch
Birds: Black Throated Blue Warbler
Flowers: Wild Geranium
[Miles: 17.0 No time provided]
At 9:39 the sun came out briefly. By one in the afternoon the fog had lifted and, during the last 10 miles in the Smokies, there were actual views to be had. This morning I was slipping and sliding on ice and snow. This evening is warm, sunny, and very pleasant spring-like weather. There are a number of other hikers here: Tom and C.J., who I leap-frogged with all day, and "Terrorist", Leslie, "Rice Patty", and "Polaris". I've changed my mind a half dozen times concerning my mail drop. I will not be able to make it to Hot Springs by Saturday noon, so at one time or another I have considered one of three options:
1. Skip it and have it forwarded to Damascus or beyond.
2. Slow down and pick it up and resupply on my way through Monday.
3. Press on to Hot Springs, get there early Sunday, clean up, shop, stay overnight, and grab the mail drop Monday at 9 a.m.
My current choice is #3 but I have time to change my mind again.
Miel (Spanish for honey) came in late and tried to feed everybody girl scout cookies she had gotten in her mail drop. I accepted a chocolate covered cherry. [Gasp! That's not a Girl Scout Cookie!]
April 7, 2001 - Max Patch Bald
Flowers: Soloman Seal, Jack in the Pulpit
Miles: 14.7 Time: 7.0 hr
Well, it looks like it's going to be option #2. I started out the day with the intent of covering 20 miles so that I could hit Hot Springs early but when I got to Max Patch Road, there were L'Escargot and Two Stepper, AT2000 thruhikers with hamburgers, hot dogs, fruit, sodas, and much more. Included in the feast were bananas and oranges. Tom and I went straight for the bananas as we are both watching our potassium intake. Tom ate three and carried one away. I ate two and carried two away. They were absolutely perfectly ripe and yellow. The oranges were also perfect, the size of softballs and enjoyed by several hikers.
Three hours later, I and every other thruhiker that was passing through were still sitting there. I'm camped on Max Patch bald along with 10 others including and Tom and C.W, whom I have hiked with the last two days.
April 8, 2001 - Hiker Hostel, Hot Springs, NC
Miles: 19.8 Time: 8.5 hr
Well, after a feast-shortened day yesterday, I made up the time
today with a relatively easy 20 mile day into Hot Springs. Everything
is closed because it's Sunday but I should be able to restock and
pick up mail and be on my way by nine tomorrow. L'Escargot and
Two-Step[er] offered breakfast for this morning and a lot of the
group are going back down for sausage, eggs, etc. Tom, C.W. and Miel
and I have pressed on to Hot Springs. This morning was extremely
windy on Max Patch Bald and the four of us were up early and on our
way before seven. Tom had his "Thermarest" (TM) sleeping pad blown
out from under him and away from [for?] ever. [I'm trying to figure
out this last sentence. Did he mean that the wind was gusting so
much that Tom and the pad were carried away as on a magic carpet?
Or did he mean that the damn thing got a puncture and was now useless
dead weight? Only the next exchange of letters will tell...stay
tuned for the next exciting installment of this mystery].