It has been almost 12 years since I set foot on the Appalachian Trail. I join, initially, 4 other fellows (later 5) to hike the section of Appalachian Trail (AT) through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Due to a shelter closure of Cosby Knob Shelter we were forced to change our plans but most would still hike some 65 miles of AT through the Smoky Mountains. Sadly my trip would suffer some far more radical changes. However, even with that being said I think you’ll enjoy the video.
April 10
We got on the road pretty close to when we had first targeted. Duane and Mike piled into Mike’s car and I joined Andy in his. We would meet Steve somewhere around Lexington, Kentucky. I am always a bit amused by the fact that we can spend over 10 hours driving to get to a destination outside of Michigan but we could just as easily spend a comparable amount of time driving within Michigan.
There isn’t much to say about the trip down to the Fontana Village Resort. Andy and I took twisty mountain roads, culminating withe the over 300 turns of the Dragon’s Tail, to eventually reach the resort. Steve, Mike, and Duane dropped off Mike’s car at a cloud shrouded, uninviting, Newfound Gap and continued on to join us at the resort arriving not long after we had checked in. As travel days go I would have to say this one went well.
We are getting into the foothills of the mountains. As we zip down i-75 we pass by stands of lovely purple blooming trees. They are Eastern redbuds.
--April 10, 2021 at 2:58 PM. I-75 S, Jellico, TN, United States
We stopped at several points along the Dragon’s Tail road to take a break and admire the view. It’s too bad that our views were marred by scores of Bud Light cans and other trash. Come one people; you carried them in with you and they’re lighter after you finish with them; carry them out.
--April 10, 2021 at 4:33 PM. Happy Valley Rd, Tallassee, TN, United States
A sample of the views we got to enjoy as we wound our way through the foothills along twisting mountains roads like Foothills Parkway and the Dragon’s Tail.
--April 10, 2021 at 4:53 PM. Foothills Pkwy, Maryville, TN, United States
Chilhowee Lake passes by under not quite ready to storm skies. We would learn later that high in the Smoky Mountains the weather was far worse.
--April 10, 2021 at 5:08 PM. US-129, Tallassee, TN, United States
South of where we were in the previous view of Chilhowee Lake and out of the wind. Quite a difference,eh?
--April 10, 2021 at 5:10 PM. US-129, Tallassee, TN, United States
We arrived at the Fontana Village REsort and Spa to find we were in the midst of a Porsche event. To be fair a couple of the cars in this line are not Porsche but most are (and the empty spaces would fill with more). The drivers of these cars must have good reflexes and not suffer motion sickness. They drove along the Dragon’s Tail far faster than we did.
--April 10, 2021 at 6:32 PM. 300 Woods Rd, Fontana Village, NC, United States
April 11
Rise and shine. We were ready to go a bit before 08:00. We left the Porsche-infested confines (more had appeared, notably 2 more orange cars surrounding the one in yesterday’s photo) of the resort. After dropping off Steve’s SUV at the southern end of Fontana Dam we squeezed into Andy’s Subaru Outback and spent the better part of 3 hours driving to Cosby Campground in Cosby, Tennessee. We had been forced to change our plans since Cosby Knob Shelter had been closed by the park service due to an active mother bear and her cub. We would hike in from Cosby Campground via the Low Gap trail and then along the AT to Tricorner Shelter. That would be quite an experience.
The Low Gap Trail joins the AT in 3 miles. For the first 0.5 to 0.75 miles the trail is deceptively gentle climbing besides a fast-flowing creek. Then it steepens and continues to do so over the remaining distance. At the 2 mile mark, that is 2 miles from Cosby Campground, you will have easily gained almost 1,500 feet. By the time you reach the junction you will have climbed over 2,200 feet. This is a rugged climb. Still it doesn’t daunt day-hikers who are keen to visit Mt. Camerer fire-tower which lies an addition 2.8 or so miles to the south of the junction with the AT.
The others pulled ahead and I plodded along. I caught up with Mike at a spring, call it about 2.4 miles in, and then he pulled ahead again. By this point my knee was screaming. Maybe I was a bit dehydrated but this was pain that I don’t think had much to do with that. It was becoming quite clear that the ligaments around the knee were not reacting well to the ascent. Not reacting well at all. Could I have contuned to Tricorner Shelter, about 8.5 miles distant with more albiet far gentler climbing, still to do. I did not think so. At least not in anything like a timely fashion. I was moving at about 1.1-1.2 MPH. I wsa in trouble. I didn’t want to make others feel unsafe and have to worry about me. I did not want to hurt myself more than I could avoid. I decided that heading back to Cosby Campground was the prudent thing to do. We parted company and I began the steep descent down.
Surprisingly enough the knee didn’t hurt much going down. It was not pleasant but I had been expecting it to be worse than it was. I eventually found my way to the campground hosts a bit less than 3 hours after leaving the boys behind. I then spent an irritating amount of time trying to reserve a campsite. What a waste. I bet I could’ve grabbed one and just used it and no one would have been the wiser. Oh well: score one for honesty.
At this late date I don’t recall who snapped this photo with my phone. My brief step onto the Appalachian Trail at the junction with the Low Gap Trail. The ligements of my left knee are rather painful (yes, I aggrivated the injury; physical therapy is in my immediate future). The guys will stride forth on their way to Tricorner Shelter and I will return to Cosby Campground and make the best of a unfortunate situation.
--April 11, 2021 at 2:35 PM. Low Gap Trail, Cosby, NC, United States
Campsite A41 in the Cosby Campground, Cosby TN. I was told when I reserved my campsite, after ridiculously long time waiting on the phone, that the campsites had beer boxes. I never found one. I was forced to place my food simply on the table far away and hope for the best. Maybe I could’ve asked an RV camper or even the campground hosts to hold my food but I didn’t do that. As a car camping campground it may be great, especially if you have a mallet that lets you really pound in tent stakes, but for me one night was more than enough.
--April 11, 2021 at 8:13 PM. 471 Cosby Park Rd, Cosby, TN, United States
April 13
Let’s start by talking briefly about the intervening days before I managed to return to the Appalachian Trail. I packed up my camp at campsite A41 and struck out along the road that runs 2 miles to Hooper Highway (I think that’s the name; also TN-32). It’s a nice enough road running by a bustling creek. A few cars drove by but I did not try that hard to wrangle a ride. I didn’t know where I was going so a ride just to the entrance seemed a bit silly. At the entrance I managed to get a cellphone signal and with the help of Mom, all hale those who stay behind, was able to find a hotel I could stay at at least overnight. The Cub Motel is just a few minutes drive from where I was and the person Mom talked with, Drake, was willing to swing out and pick me up. He had me in my clean modest room ($50 per night) by noon. It was then up to me to figure out what to do with the rest of the trip. Again enlisting the help of my parents we were able to find shuttles that would get me to Newfound Gap on the 13th and then two days later get me to Fontana Resort on the 15th from Clingmans Dome. It’s too bad I did not think to have that second shuttle fetch me from Clingmans Dome on the 16th as I could have then spent a third night with the boys on the trail. By the time that thought occurred to me I was out of effective communications range. I may have been able to make it work with messaging to and from my parents via the Garmin InReach satellite messenger and then re-scheduling with Cherokee Cabs but maybe not.
My shuttle arrived just a bit early but I was ready to go. In a bit other an hour we had worked our way through the slow-traffic tourist trap of Gatlinburg and then up into the mountains of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Newfound Gap. It was drizzling some but there were a surprising number of people there. That number seemed to increase as I hosted my backpack and slipped on my Packa rain-jacket (think a poncho merged with a rain jacket and you’ll have a good idea what the Packa is like. The guy that makes them does almost no marketing but clearly cares about his product and will work with you to get it just right) over everything (not the best way to do that; you really should put the Packa on the backpack first then after putting the backpack on you can slip your arms into the Packa).
Under the light drizzle at about 14:30 I began my second journey along the AT of this trip (if we can call taking a dozen steps on the 11th the first journey). The most notable thing about the 3-mile hike to Icewater Spring Shelter was the number of people I encountered along the way. While I encountered a few backpackers heading in the same direction as I was and going to the same place the vast majority of people were day-hikers (some seemingly rather ill-equipped). I expect most of them were making the roundtrip to Charlies Bunion. I hope they enjoyed themselves. The trail is moderately rock and root strewn but I have seen far worse. It gradually ascended about 1,200 feet over 2.5 miles before gradually descending to the side trails that lead to Icewater Spring Shelter. For those with an eye for trees the trail certainly passes by a variety of species including through a nice stretch of evergreens.
I think I made the trip in about 2.5 hours. Hardly setting a speed record. Even if you account for the few short breaks I wasn’t setting the world on fire. At least my knee wasn’t really complaining all that much. I was going to be slow but I did make it to the very crowded shelter.
I won’t begin to guess how many people were at the shelter but if you told me it was 3 dozen I would not turn a hair. Most of us were in tents, small and large, spread out around the shelter. That’s a change I hope can continue and as long as hikers take care of the land and don’t leave waste of any type strewn about and store food properly I think this chnage could hold. Certainly better than being trapped within the confines of fencing around the shelter and just using the shelter itself.
Several hours of easy-going chit-chat all related to hiking on the AT left everyone feeling good and happy. If I had gotten the amount of water correct for my dinner and used less Iit ended up a bit watery) things would have been perfect.
The sun has set and the light is fading fast. Time for bed. I hope this change of permitting people to tent at Great Smoky Mountains National Park Appalachian Trail sehlters continues. It will require the users of the shelters to not abuse the grounds.
--April 13, 2021 at 8:28 PM. Appalachian Trail, Cherokee, NC, United States
April 14
You can see sunrise is only minutes away. We are probably just into what is known as civil dawn. I’ll have the tent down well before what I would really call first light.
--April 14, 2021 at 6:27 AM. Appalachian Trail, Cherokee, NC, United States
When you plan to reach your re-supply point which lies just over 3 miles and 1,200 vertical feet down from where you currently are by 10:00 you probably are going to be getting up pretty early. If you are notoriously slow breaking camp even though you can hike quickly that holds true. If you are working with an injured left knee and aren’t the quickest at breaking camp it rings true in spades. Andy falls into the first category. I was definitely in the second. I know Andy set his alrm for 05:30 and I had done the same. I actually woke up well before then and lingered under my quilt hoping to eek out just a little more sleep: no joy. As the sky slowly acquired shades of red and pink by the horizon and the deep dark blue and blue of night faded to lighter and brighter shades of blue I packed up my gear and tent. Dawn was definitely breaking as I gathered up my stuff and walked up the hill to the shelter where people were stirring. Once one person really begins stirring the rest of the shelter tends to follow suit. It’s hard to stay asleep when hikers are hustling about, turning out invariably roaring loud stoves to heat water, rustling gear about as they shove it into their packs. It gets noisy.
My hot water for hot chocolate ws warming nicely on my quiet alcohol burning stove and the sun was creeping over the horizon. I had to go an observe. My recollection from 18 years ago was that it was overcast with clouds above and below. We set in a clear space at the shelter. Of course, as I gzed on the rising sun my hot chocolate was turning into more of a warm chocolate. I suppose Andy ws right I could drink it more quickly but hot is still preferable.
Just before 07:30 Andy and I hoisted our packs and began the walk out to the AT and towards Newfound Gap. The rest of the gang wouldn’t be all that far behind. Soon Andy, Duane, Mike, and Steve had pulled ahead and I was well behind hiking through a lovely warming-up sunny morning. It ended up taking about as long to return to Newfound Gap as it had to hike to the shelter the previous day.
I think we lingered at the gap diddling about with our backpacks and waiting for Dennis to arrive for an hour or so. While we passed by a few dozen day-hikers heading towards Charlies Bunion I don’t think we saw the numbers that went by the previous day.
Mt. Collins shelter lies about 4 miles south of Newfound Gap. ALong the way you have two or three decent climbs and descents. I think each was about 550 vertical feet over a distance of a bit more than a mile in each case. Typical grade for the AT and far gentler than the Low Gap Trail. I felt it and wasn’t going any faster but I was going.
Along the way I got to chat briefly with a trail maintainer. She was working on the water bars when I passed by. Keeping those in good shape in the Smoky Mountains certainly is an important job. Thank you.
Other than her I did not see that many people. A group of hikers before Indian Gap who said I might find trail magic being given out there (nope, they’d left by the time even the boys got there well before me). Later a group of AT backpackers found me by the spring near the Spruce-Fir Nature Area.
I hoped to be at the shelter between 15:00 and 16:00 well before the promised stormy weather arrived. I arrived around 15:15. Plenty of AT hikers were already there along with the rest of the group. We decided we would all stay in the shelter keeping our tents nice and dry. Some AT hikers did the same but others set up their tents. I bet the latter group slept better. At least the rain would sound a bit more quiet as it bounced off tent fabric as opposed to the skylight in the roof of the shelter (and the snores would have been a bit farther away).
Andy impressed many with his pepperoni and cheese on tortillas. I think my pasta would have been much better if, again, I had not used too much water. It had nice enough flavor but was too soup-like instead of pasta Alfredo-like.
18 years ago when I was last at Icwater Spring Shelter I am virtually certain we awoke to skies with clouds actually below and above us. Today a lovely sunrise is pulling hikers of all sorts out from their cocoons of warmth. Lovely.
--April 14, 2021 at 7:04 AM. Appalachian Trail, Cherokee, NC, United States
Not all that much to look at. With all the backpacks hanging just behind me on hooks attached to a huge log stretching from one end of the shelter to the other supporting the roof I can’t show you the whole shelter. Two sleepless ng platforms. If you use the lower one remember to mind the ceiling. My bed is on the lower bunk right there in the middle.
--April 14, 2021 at 4:15 PM. Sugarland Mountain Trail, Gatlinburg, TN, United States
April 15
After a night of pounding rain that likely wasn’t as hard as the sound of it striking the roof of Mt. Collins Shelter implied we began our morning with slowly clearing skies. The sun is slowly piercing through the clouds and trees.
--April 15, 2021 at 7:51 AM. Sugarland Mountain Trail, Gatlinburg, TN, United States
My last day on the trail. The guys will continue on for 3 more days, 36 miles, and unknown amount of up and down, and 2 nights. I will continue on about 4 miles and catch a shuttle to Fontana Village Resort and Spa and stay there for 2 nights. Not the trip I had planned but the trip I have.
While we had no reason to be up and about before the crack of dawn people were certainly moving about the shelter not long after dawn broke and probably right around the official sunrise though we couldn’t see it. Some thru-hikers are definitely driven to be up and at ‘em. Thru-hiker Lightning falls into this group of people. Thru-hiker Re-Run (though maybe he’ll adopt Andy’s moniker of Overflow for his ability to stuff 46 pounds of food and gear into a 35 liter backpack that sure can’t comfortably carry anywhere close to that) was in far less of a rush to be on his way. Other people, some attempting a thru-hike and some not, were also slower to break camp and be on their way. Our group was no exception to this. The boys only had to go 8 miles and I wasn’t expecting my cab to arrive until 13:00 so I also had ample time.
The rain pounded the shelter throughout the night. I think it ended sometime after 03:300 but certainly before 05:00. Loud. Toss in the buzzsaw snores of various shelter-mates and the occasional flare of a headlamp as someone climbed out of bed to go answer Nature’s Call and I’d say sleep was adequate.
I had an OK omelette though again didn’t get the water quite right so it took far longer to firm up than it should have. Practice will make perfect and I’ll get the amounts right in time. Or I could just have hot drinks and cold food for breakfast. That would be quicker if nothing else. AS I ate we saw that the sky was beginning to clear and the sun pierced through the clouds and trees slowly warming and drying the land. It was a particularly warm morning yet but it was showing signs of being a pretty one: low 40s.
Steve, Duane, and Dennis pulled ahead of me in short order and were out of sight and earshot. Andy and Mike would leave a bit after me but would catch up in due time and likewise vanish out of sight and ear. Up and over the mountains I plodded. I wasn’t in too much of a rush which was good because I had to take time twice for a bio-break. But even with my laggardly pace and the breaks I reached Clingmans Dome at about 12:15 (later learned the boys got there around 11:45).
The cemeent ramp that twists around the observation tower in a gradually ascending spiral gave me a hint of how windy it would be on the observation deck. The air temperature hadn’t warmed up all that much and with a hat-blowing-off-head strong wind blowing I was not inclined to linger on the deck admiring the views in any of the available directions. I took my video and got a person to snap my photo but then hustled back down to the ground where the wind was slightly less intense.
You take a paved path down to the parking lot. It’s a half-mile long and drops you about 350 feet over that distance. I expect pushing a stroller, wheelchair, or walker up the path let alone controlling them on descent would be somethi8ng of a chore. But I didf see strollers and a walker on the pave path as I walked down towards the parking lot.
I ended up with a fair bit of time to kill as my cab was running late. Nothing to do but try and hide from the whipping wind and wait. Once he showed up it was a straightforward, though long, drive to Fontana Village Resort (we will leave aise expensive). I was checking in a bit before 16:00 and settling into the room not long after that. My hiking part of the trip was done.
Just one view from CLingmans Dome. With the wind adding quite a chill to an only moderately sunny and not that warm day lingering on the observation deck was not something I was going to do. But when the sky is reasonably clear you get a sense of just how grand the views are up on the highest point of the Appalachian Trail.
--April 15, 2021 at 12:20 PM. Appalachian Trail, Bryson City, NC, United States
Can you tell the wind is blowing strong as I stand here on the observation deck at Clingmans Dome?
--April 15, 2021 at 12:22 PM. Appalachian Trail, Bryson City, NC, United States
April 17
The days at Fontana Village Resort and Spa have been full of might-have-been and should’ve-could’ve decisions. I had a lazy afternoon once I checked in and took a liesurely shower. The sun was just shining on the deck of the Wildwood Grill so that was where I set myself for an early dinner. I was in a pizza mood so taht is what I ate. Maybe not quite a reprise of the pre-hike dinner but close. I had an OK salad and a couple beers to go with the entré: pricy but it was good. Maybe if I had wandered about more I oculd have found hikers chatting and wormed my way into a conversation but I simply returned to my room and relaxed.
I had initially thought that on the 16th I’d either paddle Fontana Lake or do some hiking around the resort. I settled on the latter but I really never got all that far anywhere. They have a bunch of short trails twisting through the area but I didn’t really seek them out. I read, I ate, I talked with hikers I found down by the general store. I watched more sports cars roar in and their owners start talking about local drives, car parts, and more things automotive. A very lazy day.
The 17th dawned gray and a bit moist. Not really drizzle just damp. I hoped that would clear out as it had done before. I packed up my room and caught a shuttle to the marina. My plan was to paddle today. That plan died when I found they just had sit-on-top kayaks. I was not willing to leave my pack behind and didn’t trust it would stay secure on the sit-on-top. Had I known that was what they had I would have paddled the day before. I decided to hang out hoping enough people would decide to do the lake tour which I could join. That ended up not panning out either. I hosted my backpack and began walking up and over the hill the AT climbs that seperates the marina from Fontana Dam. By this time the sun was out and it was a lovely early afternoon. Too bad this plan was also doomed. At the top of the hill I finally realized that I did not have my fanny-pack. I was pretty sure it wasn’tat the marina and I hoped Fontana Resort house cleaning had found it in my room. Back down i went to get a shuttle to the resort. At least this worked out well and house-cleaning had found the fanny-pack.
I caught a shuttle to the dam and from there I walked the dam and to the AT trailhead where it turns to climb into the mountains and points north. This, finally, went as planned. An easy walk trying to recall what it had been like 18 years ago: and not really remembering.
I hung out arond the dam and in time, call it 16:20 or so, Andy strolled on by. I actually didn’t see him coming out. Poof. He was there. Not long after that Steve showed up. Arouind 17:15 Duane arrived at the AT junction with the road that leads to FOntana Dam where we had been waiting in Steve’s SUV. Time continued to pass and we continued t wait. And wait. Around 18:30 Mike and Dennis came into view and decided they didn’t need to walk another mile to reach the southern end of FOntana Dam. The hiking part of the trip, and thus really the trip, was officially done. Just a few hours of driving to fetch cars left near Clingmans Dome and Newfound Gap and then to find a hotel for the night. Yep, just 3.5 hours or so to do all that. A long day but a nice day.
I wish I had paddled some of Fontana Lake the previous day when I could have left my backpack in my room at the Fontana Village Resort. Instead I am settling for views from the dam.
--April 17, 2021 at 3:44 PM. 16001–16099 Fontana Dam Rd, Robbinsville, NC, United States
Near the southern end of the Fontana Dam. It is a lovely afternoon.
--April 17, 2021 at 4:13 PM. 1006–1022 Fontana Dam Rd, Robbinsville, NC, United States
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