Day 16

Odd Shaped Tree Along the Trail

Starting mile 166.2

This morning I woke up excited to start the Smokies. It was going to be a long climb up, but I was only going about 12 miles. I’m taking my time during the first half the Smokies so that I can get into Gatlinburg on Sunday instead of Saturday. 

The hike out of the Hilton started with a road walk across Frontana Dam before taking a right into the park. Then it continues on the road until you get to the park entrance. I had to find my registration in my bag and tear it in half, depositing half in the registration box. We made sure to leave the larger half because you know, ultralight!

This is where the climbing really began. We would be doing this for most of the day. It was gentle climb and before I knew it we were already at the four mile mark and time for a rest. We didn’t need to refill our water yet so we just sat around for 15 minutes and relaxed.

Once we got going again we had 2.5 miles to the next water and where we figured we’d half lunch. We got there around 11:30, just in time for lunch. We had made it 6.5 miles and about 3,000 feet of elevation in about 3.5 hours. It was a great morning.

After lunch we had a little over five miles left. After an initial climb that was a little steep in areas we reached the ridge line. The rest of the day was full of little ups and downs. This is the way the rest of the trail the through the park will be. This made for some great speed as we were able to recharge on the down hills for the up hills.

We made it to the first shelter just before 3 pm. I was done for the day, even though I felt good and could have kept going. Everyone else decided to move on to the next shelter. I figure I’ll see them in a few days.

I sat around the shelter talking with a Christian Leadership group from Ottawa doing the Smokies. It sounds like a great group that goes back and forth between working with kids at a camp in Ottawa and planning outdoor trips for themselves.

Everyone started getting ready for bed about 7 pm so I went to my hammock. I did 11.8 miles and about 4,500 feet of elevation gain.

Ending mile 178