Day 16

Today went exactly to plan. 

We planned to wake up at 6, pack up, and get on trail around 7. At 5:45, I woke up, checked the weather and trail for the day, and started packing up around 6. We ate breakfast, stretched, and were on trail by 7:15.

For the day, we had 3 minor uphills, and a whole lot of downhill. Surprisingly, we didn't get rained on as much as we originally thought we would. The original forecast was rain by 7am, but we actually didn't get a single drop until 1pm, and it was incredibly light. 

At 10:15, we had done our first 7.7 miles for the day and stopped at Cosby knob shelter for a quick meal. At 10:45 we got back on trail, summited our final mountain in the smokies, and began our 5 mile descent down into davenport gap. 

By 1:40, we were at the bottom, having done 15.5 miles in roughly 6 hours and 30 minutes. 

At 1:55, Ron, our shuttle driver, picked us up, and dropped us off at the Best Western here in Newport Tennessee. 

Since then, we've been eating and relaxing here in town, taking it easy after a long push from Bryson City, through Fontana dam and the smokies. 

Contrary to 2020, we actually didn't spend a single night in a shelter, which was absolutely perfect! I don't like shelters for a variety of reasons; mice, loud hikers (whether talking or snoring), lack of privacy, and it not being as warm as camping in a tent. Even though the smokies mandate that all hikers stay in shelters, and even after we've paid 40 bucks for a smokies permit, AT Thru hikers aren't guaranteed a spot at shelters. For example, if a section hiker bought a permit and rolls into a full shelter at 2am, the AT hiker is "mandated" to give up their spot, and pitch a tent. Therefore, every time that I saw a shelter was remotely full, I decided to pitch a tent and let the other hikers "enjoy" the shelter. This resulted in better sleep, not dealing with the crazies, and not having mice chew through my sleeping bag, last last time. 

Regardless, we are now officially out of the smokies, a feat that many "thru" hikers never achieve. Of all the people that start in Georgia, only 50% of the hikers make it through the smokies. Apparently, the other 50% quit. Now, this could be to injuries, but a lot of people don't do the research and just don't make it -- which is kind of a shame. I couldn't really imagine taking all this time off, committing to doing something like the AT, and then immediately quitting. I get that some people bite off more than they can chew, but to me, this is nearly paradise on earth. Very few things compare to living outdoors and experiencing a hike that spans nearly 2200 miles. I enjoy being home with loved ones, but I've always found a lot of fulfilment being outside. With all the support that I have for doing this, between family, friends, my girlfriend Kristina, and of course, Walker and Spencer, I just couldn't imagine quitting for anything less than an injury or a family medical emergency. 

Looking forward, after our zero tomorrow, we have: 

- 2 days to hot springs 

- 3 days to Erwin 

- 3 days to banner elk 

- 4 days to Damascus 

Roughly 3 miles before we hit Damascus, we cross back into Virginia. Here, the trail begins to flatten out, the days will be longer, and spring will essentially be upon us. It'll be time for 20 to 25 plus mile days. And I can't wait. 

Up until Pearisburg, where we got off last time, there are four hurdles: getting out of Georgia, getting out of the smokies, getting to Virginia, and then getting to Pearisburg. After that, it's new territory, and I absolutely cannot wait. In some real sense, the hike doesn't start until Pearisburg. With that said, I've really been enjoying being back out, being out in the elements, and getting my trail legs again. 

This journey has been easier then last time. I don't want to jinx anything, but we've only dealt with frozen socks once, and we haven't even seen snow, which is just insane when compared to our 2020 attempt. Then, we had frozen socks and shoes nearly every morning, and constant rain every day. I'm sure we'll get bad conditions at some point, but we've truly been blessed so far. 

I'm looking forward to all that's ahead, but I'd really like to push hard through this next section. Of course, I still plan to enjoy every minute of it, but I'd like to get a few hundred more miles behind us. 

When doing a hike that's 2,200 miles long, it's hard to comprehend how long that really is. But, it certainly feels like you're making progress when you get 500+ miles in, and in another two weeks, we'll pretty much be there. And I'm looking forward to it. 

Daily recap:

15.5 miles

- from mile marker 223.5 to 239

- from tri-corner knob to davenport gap

- high temp: 50 and clouds

- low temp (both morning and night): 40

- ascent: 2,000 (roughly)

- descent: 6,000 (roughly)

Thanks for following along. 

Tyler M.