This section was completed Saturday, April 4rd, 2015.
Rocky Mountain to Deep Gap, GA – Started windy and cold but turned into a beautiful day.
This section was completed Friday, April 3rd, 2015.
Fun day of backpacking on the AT from Hogpen Gap to Rocky Mountain. I love my new pack. 🙂
With tired legs and determined souls, Laura and I started south from Fontana Dam for our 3rd long mileage day in a row. My knee was still bothering me from Saturday’s fall so we decided to do more hiking and less running. It was the first day in four days that I didn’t get rained on.
Most of the day was a perfect temperature with a nice breeze. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I’ve been trying to catch up with another female flip flop thru hiker named Dropknife. She is also a PhD chemist. I keep catching up to her when she is in town and then I get ahead. I go back to work and she gets ahead. So this time she had signed the register at the Cable Gap Shelter that indicated she had been there this morning. Chances are I will finally meet her since there are no towns nearby and it is unlikely she is hiking to the NOC in one day.
This is a really pretty section that includes a couple really steep climbs. The view from Cheoah Bald was very nice. When we got to Sassafras Gap Shelter, I went down to get some water and finally met Dropknife. She was very nice. We busted for a few minutes and then I had to head on down the trail to catch up with Laura.
Dropknife….fellow female flip flop thru hiker and PhD chemist from Munich, Germany.
We finished the last few miles in the dark again today. Once we arrived at the NOC, we found my car where Laura S. and Susan K. had left it on Sunday morning. Thank you again! We drove back to get Laura’s car at Fontana Dam and then headed home. At this point, I have hiked all of the trail north of Hogpen Gap this year. I will share the posts from April going from Hogpen to the NOC. Only 38.6 miles to go!!!! I’m looking forward to friends joining me next weekend for the end of my thru hike.
After breakfast, Susan K. and Laura S. drove Laura P., Molly F. and me up to Clingman’s Dome. It was in the clouds again this morning. We headed off down the 0.6 mile trail that intersects with the AT.
My knee was pretty sore from my fall yesterday. Amazingly enough, this is the first day in 102 days that I’ve been in any kind of pain other than a little tired feet discomfort. I’ve been very lucky. My knee functions fine, it is just bruised. It was good on the flats and up hills but wasn’t happy on the descents. Since we were losing around 5000 ft on elevation through out the day, this was a challenge.
It rained a lot of the morning but the temperatures were warm so it was kind of pleasant. It stopped raining in the afternoon and we were able to enjoy some views. I’m so glad that Molly and Laura could join me for this section. Molly made some yummy treats for us to eat. 🙂
We saw 2 bears in the afternoon. These were the first bears Molly had seen. Cool! My thru hike bear count is now up to 24. It was a long day and we ended up needing to use our headlamps for the last couple of miles. When we arrived at Fontana Dam, we found Laura P’s car that Susan K. and Laura S. had shuttled for us. They also drove my car to the Nantahala Outdoor Center where we will end tomorrow. They were awesome Trail Angels!!!! Thank you bunches Susan K. and Laura S.!
Laura, Molly and I drove back to the Waffle House in Cherokee for dinner. The waitress and cook recognized us from the night before and were happy to see us again. Haha. Thank you Molly and Laura P. for a fun day in the Smokies.
My sister Laura arrived last night after dinner. We woke up early and met Susan K. and Laura S. at the continental breakfast. Yes, it is Susan, Susan, Laura and Laura today. Good thing I go by the name Cashmere these days or it could get confusing. 🙂
After breakfast, Susan K. and Laura S. took us up to Newfound Gap to start our hike northbound. After completing this section I will have hiked the whole AT but will still have 100 miles to hike to be a thru hiker (all in one year).
I was so happy that the clouds receded so that we could enjoy the view at Charlie’s Bunion. Mid day, we were going down a rocky descent and I caught my toe on a rock. I’ve only had three other hard falls this summer but was lucky enough not to be injured. This one could have been much worse but I still managed to bang up one of my knees pretty good. After a break, we continued down the trail. My knee didn’t feel too bad but I’m wondering how it will be tomorrow.
Susan K. and Laura S. shuttled my car to the Pigeon River Bridge. It took us a little bit to find the parking lot. I really appreciate their help and glad they had a fun day horseback riding. By the time we drove back to the hotel in Cherokee, Molly was there. The three of us enjoyed dinner at the Waffle House nearby. Yum! smile emoticon Got to fuel up for tomorrow.
I had the pleasure of running with Bruce Fox today. We met up at Newfound Gap at noon and drove together up to Clingman’s Dome. It was very cloudy when we started so no reason to go up the tower since there would be no views. Luckily, the weather only sprinkled on us for a couple minutes and it cleared up as we ran.
The trail near Clingman’s Dome reminds me of some of the AT in the northeast with lots of moss, ferns, and fir trees. Bruce and I had a fun time getting to know one another better as we ran down the mountain.
After we ran, Bruce drove me back up to get my car. I was able to be a trail angel and help a section hiker get back to their car. He was a retired physics professor from UT that hikes the trail a lot. I need to be a trail angel about a million more times to repay the universe for all the trail angel treats I’ve received this summer. 🙂
Next, I went to Cherokee to check in to the hotel for a shower and a nap before joining Susan K. and Laura S. (Trail Angels!) for dinner.
Sunday night was my last night stealth camping by myself on this thru hike. I’m so glad to have friends joining me for the other nights. But I know there will be times in the future when I will miss the moments of solitude I’ve enjoyed this summer.
I finished hiking up Bluff Mountain and on to Walnut Mountain Shelter. There were a lot of hikers on the trail and at the shelter for a Monday morning. This must be a really popular section because of Max Patch. I met Loon and Shepherd at the shelter. Loon is completing his 5th hike of the AT. He did a few thru hikes but the last couple have been section hikes. He was a walking story book. Shephard had thru hiked as a SOBO two years ago.
I told them about my plan to hike out west next summer and hike shorter days so I will have time for fishing in mountain lakes. Shephard had done this in the Smokies and was very enthusiastic about my plan. The three of us visited for around 30 minutes. It felt like we were old friends by the time we parted ways. Speaking of meeting people on the trail……I believe Dropknife took a zero day in Hot Springs so I’m now ahead of her. Hopefully I will meet her in the Smokies next weekend.
Next I stopped at the top of Walnut Mountain and used the good cell coverage to check in with my online class. All was going well. I commented on a few new discussion board posts, answered a few student emails, and then started hiking to Max Patch. Along the way, I met Angel and AJ. They were from Florida. We hiked up Max Patch together and then to my car. I was enjoying my time with them but it was time for me to get back to town and finish preparing for my 4 classes that will meet tomorrow for the first time. I’m looking forward to meeting my students and getting back in the teaching groove.
As far as the hike goes, I’ve now completed everything except from Davenport Gap to the NOC and Hogpen Gap to Springer. Two more long weekends should finish up this baby. Thank you to my Department Chair for letting me miss a couple Friday meetings so that this could be possible.