Thursday March 21, 22.4miles/36.0km

Russell Field Shelter NC (180.8) to Mt Collins Shelter TN (202.8) + 0.4mi side trail

With a forecasted storm this afternoon, most people were up early to get in as many miles as possible in dry weather. I left the shelter at 7:30, and after the first climb I could see the increasing clouds. But still good visibility and views!

I’ve been seeing these little spots of ice crystals the last few cold mornings. They kinda look like ice flowers.

I stopped and had lunch at a shelter, then pushed on uphill, trying to get over the next high point before the storm. The trail starts off dry…

And then a little snow…

And then some more…

I’m actually glad it’s snow and not rain, because at least I’m dry. I get to Clingmans Dome (6643ft/2025m), the highest point on the AT, at 3pm.

The mountain has a tower on the top, so it’s possible to get above the trees and get views. Even this high up, it’s still not above treeline!

I’ve been here several times before, so I’ve seen what a nice view it can be. It’s windy as, so I hurried back into the woods, and down the mountain. Another hour, and I’m in camp at Mt Collins Shelter.

There is a group of 3 guys here on a spring break hiking trip, and one other thru hiker named Close Call. He and I have the same plan for the next few days, so I’ll be seeing him again for sure.

These shelters all have fireplaces, but the wood is so wet that we give up after an hour of trying to make a fire. Oh well, tomorrow will be a warmer sunny day!

Wednesday March 20, 16.5miles/26.6km

Fontana Dam Village/Hwy 28 (164.3) to Russell Field Shelter (180.8) (NC)

So much happened today! I woke up at 7:15 to this nice sunrise over the lake.

I called for the shuttle ride, and I got picked up at 8:30am, and was eating a big breakfast by 9am. It was neat to see the Smokies from the restaurant.

I did a small resupply of snacks, since their general store is closed until April 1st, and the gas station is closed on Wednesdays. (Note to future hikers – start later, like the last week of March!). The lodge was nice enough to even print my permit for the Smokies.

I got the shuttle back to the trail, and hiked a mile to the “Fontana Hilton”, a massive shelter where many hikers stay. It has water taps, toilets, even a solar USB charging station!

And some of the graffiti was funny. Possums will always remind me of the Te Araroa trail.

Another mile later, and I was at the dam itself. Some of the interpretive signs could be updated…”100 hikers per year”. Ha!

The dam, and views from on top:

Then, as soon as the trail leaves the dam, it enters the Great Smoky Mountains NP. It travels through the park for 72 miles, and hikers need a permit to camp. (Camping is only allowed in the shelters. If a shelter is full, then you must camp adjacent to it.)

The day was perfect for hiking, sunny and actually quite warm.

It was an easy 3000ft climb, but still it was warm and I was hiking in a t-shirt for the first time on this trail!

One of the summits, Shuckstack, had a nice firetower in the top, and some old stone ruins.

I had caught a guy named Hoppy (he moves fast, and always toward beer). I think I freaked him out a little when I guessed precisely where he was from, based on his accent. I asked, “are you from South Island [of NZ] on the east coast?” And he is from Christchurch!

And an hour later, I ran into Rampage. She and I probably crossed paths (sobo/nobo) on the CDT in 2016, though neither of us remember. She has already done the AT, but is just hiking a section before she leaves for the PCT (her 3rd trail) in a few weeks.

The last hour was a pleasant walk, and it finally feels like spring.

I got to the shelter at 6pm, and there were already 20 people there, many of them camping. There was still a spot in the shelter, and with a chance of rain tonight, I setup indoors.

We made a fire in the fireplace and passed out, a nice end to this great day.

Tuesday March 19, 24.9miles/40.1km

Spring near Grassy Gap (139.4) to Fontana Dam Village/Hwy 28 (164.3) (NC)

I realized last night that I am less than 25 miles from Fontana Dam Village, where I can get another big dinner! So I woke up early and was on trail at 7:30am, to make it to town in time.

Within 5 minutes I passed a memorial, to a fallen park ranger who died fighting a wildfire.

Then, the trail went up, up, up to the summit of Cheoah Bald (5052ft/1540m). I’m glad I broke up the climb, and did the first 1000ft last night.

On the way, I stopped by Sassafras Gap shelter for a snack. There is something unusual about this shelter….

I hadn’t seen anyone all morning, and then on the summit… heaps of people!

It was only 10:30am, so still kinda cold, and I didn’t linger on the summit more than 15 minutes. Once the trail dropped 1000ft, it felt much warmer.

Some of the passes here have odd names.

I saw there were picnic tables up ahead at Stecoah Gap, so I waited a little longer until 12:30 to stop for lunch. I get oddly excited by picnic tables.

From there, it was only 13 more miles to Fontana village! The trail was nice, and had switchbacks for most of the uphills. There were 2 spots where they were missing, and some of the switchbacks appeared quite new, so I think more will be added soon.

I passed by Cable Gap shelter in mid afternoon, and there were already plenty of people camped there.

Just a few more miles of nice trail, and it’s all downhill to town.

I get to the road at 6pm, and it’s quite warm down here at 2000ft elevation.

There is a phone at the toilet building that dials directly to the shuttle service (it’s 2.5miles to town). The nice lady informs me that it’s still early season, so no shuttles after 5pm. Well… darn. These early season closures are becoming a pattern…

So, I setup camp nearby, make dinner in the nice heated bathroom, and plan to get the shuttle tomorrow morning at 8am when they start running.

It’s a nice sunset!

Monday March 18, 27.9miles/44.9km

Panther Gap (111.5) to Spring near Grassy Gap (139.4) (NC)

I knew that I wanted to get to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) tonight for dinner, so I woke up early. Even though it was only 25F/-4C, I left my tent and started walking at 7:30am.

The first summit of the day came an hour later, 5200ft Siler Bald.

The trail was quite nice again today, it even had bridges for the little creeks.

And even though it’s still early spring, and almost everything is brown, the rhododendrons decided to make me a “green tunnel”.

The next summit was Wayah Bald, and it has a stone tower on the top. I noticed many summits here are called “balds”, the sign here explained that it’s a treeless summit usually due to historical grazing.

At lunch, I had a lemon energy bar, and it had good news.

It was a quick lunch, since I was getting cold in the 45F temperature. The third summit was Rocky Bald, and then all the big climbs were done for the day. The afternoon miles went pretty quickly.

At Wesser Bald tower, I ran into a guy doing trail magic! He goes by the name “muffin man”, and is camera shy. A delicious surprise!

I saw that I still had about 2 hours before dinner, so I stopped at Wesser Bald shelter and had a snack. The shelters here are pretty nice, and have a covered cooking area.

And nearby, a sign of spring! I don’t know the name of these yellows…

I cruised down the hill for 6.5miles/3000ft down, and got to the NOC at 5:30pm. It’s a outdoor recreation campus that has lodging, dining, Whitewater rafting, canoeing, ziplining, mountain biking, and hiking.

Most of the campus is still closed, as it’s before April 1st. But one of the restaurants is open! So I got the “hiker burger” which has the most calories of anything on the menu.

There weren’t any cabin bunks available, and it was only 6:30pm when I finished dinner, so I hiked a couple miles up the hill. It will make tomorrow shorter!

Sunday March 17, 25.6miles/41.2km

Standing Indian Shelter (85.9) to Panther Gap (111.5) (NC)

I woke up at sunrise (7:30), and stayed in my sleeping bag until the day warmed up. It was 27F/-3C outside the tent! It takes longer to pack up with cold hands, so I didn’t get hiking until 8:45am.

It was another beautiful blue sky day, and it warmed up quickly. The climb up to the summit of Standing Indian mountain (5,479ft/1670m) helped.

I didn’t see anyone all morning! I stopped at Carter Gap shelter for lunch, and met a group of 3 section hikers, and a solo thru-hiker.

I signed the shelter log, and saw that there is a large group of hikers about a half day ahead.

The afternoon is nice, and warms up to almost 50F/10C. There are some signs of spring, like these little leafy plants. Not sure what they are.

The trail stays up on a ridge most of the afternoon, with nice views to the east.

There is one more big climb today, up to the summit of Albert Mountain (5213ft/1589m). The trail had been nice and flat most of the day, but now it decided to go UP.

The summit has a firetower that you can climb for a view. I also took a short nap in the room on top!

Most of the forest around here is managed for environmental studies, by the Coweeta hydrologic laboratory. There is a sign to explain its unique long history of protection (since 1934), and elevation range (2200ft to 5200ft) which makes it a good laboratory.

Shortly after the summit, I pass the 100-mile marker! These are always exciting.

The trail today has been really nice and smooth, and I’m enjoying cruising along and not thinking about my feet.

The trail crossed a paved road, at a diagonal angle. So I had about 50ft of pavement walking today, the most so far on this hike, haha. So different from the Te Araroa!

I climbed a small hill and made a final water stop before camping tonight. This stream had a convenient pipe for filling my bottles. This seems to be quite common on the AT.

This was a strange sign.

I got to camp at 7pm, at Panther Gap. There is no one else there, probably because there’s a shelter another 1.5 miles ahead. But I’m tired, and apparently traveled 25+ miles today, even with all the breaks. It has quite a view of the valley to the south!

I made dinner quickly and hurried into my tent, it gets cold fast after sunset. And some animals are howling or crying or something. I wonder what lives in these forests…

Saturday March 16, 16.7miles/26.9km

Dick’s Creek Gap GA (69.2) to Standing Indian Shelter NC (85.9)

We had a leisurely morning at the hotel, I woke up at 8am and went downstairs to the breakfast room. One of the perks of this hotel is the full hot breakfast that is included! Eggs, sausage, pancakes, fruit, yogurt, cereal, juice, and cinnamon rolls!

We arrange a ride back to the trailhead by calling another former AT hiker, Encourager. He picks us up at 11am and drives us the quick 20 minutes back to the trail. After we arrive, he talks about his life’s history, and he’s seen and done alot, so it’s like a TV episode, ha!

We start hiking around noon, so it looks like I will be hiking until sunset (7:45pm) to get to my planned campsite. The 4 of us start off up an easy hill, and soon come to a tree that we were warned might contain cottonmouth snakes.

It’s too cold for snakes / danger-noodles.

The trail in Georgia has been very nice, and this part is no exception. Smooth, wide trail!

I have to use the privy, and it’s still 1.5 miles away, so I hike faster. But unfortunately I also lose the group. There are views through the leafless trees most of the way.

I come around a corner, and there is a tree leaning over the trail, about 6ft up. Someone has taped a less-than-helpful note to it, “watch out for the tree”. Huh?

An hour later, I cross the state border into North Carolina! One state done, 13 states to go!

There is a trail register book near the border at Bly Gap. I love writing in these books, but this one is quite…soggy. 🙁

There is a cool tree at the border too, and it sits in the middle of the trail. Apparently it’s famous. Maybe like the Wanaka lonely tree on the Te Araroa?

Right after the border, the trail immediately turns rocky. Thanks, NC.

But, at least there are great views. It’s a clear sunny day (but cold, 50F),and I can see a the way back to the lakes by the town of Hiawassee, where we stayed last night. I think it’s called Chatuge lake.

I pass by another shelter, and sign that book. This one doesn’t seem to be used very often.

At the end of the day, I enter the Nantahala Wilderness. Cool.

I get to camp at 7pm, and meet several other thrus staying in the shelter- Giggles, Duck Hunt, and Rocks. I set up my tent, it’s much warmer than a shelter, and tonight is supposed to be below freezing temperatures.

Friday March 15, 9.4 miles/15 km

Steeltrap Gap (59.8) to Dick’s Creek Gap (69.2) (GA)

I woke up early at 6:30am, since I knew I had to catch the shuttle to the motel at 11am. It rained hard and thunderstormed all night, so I packed up a soaking wet tent, and hit a sloshy trail at 7am.

After 30 minutes, I was able to turn off my headlamp, and move a little faster thru the thick fog.

The next junction was called “Swag of the blue ridge”… huh?

There were a couple of viewpoints along the ridge, the clouds obscured most of them.

The rain stopped, and I was able to take some photos of the trail. It’s soggy from the 1+ inch of rain last night, but otherwise in great shape.

On the descent to the road, I came across a creek with a random small bench. Kinda creepy seeing that in the fog…

I get to the road at 10:45am, for the 11:15am shuttle to the Budget inn. I meet another group of hikers also trying to get into town – Woodchuck, Gunner, and Johanna. We wait around, 11:15am comes and goes, so we start walking down to road to a spot known to have cell signal. Along the way, another shuttle service sees us walking, and picks up the 4 of us. Perfect! We go straight to the Huddle House diner, and Johanna (from Denmark) discovers the joy of chicken & waffles. I get the same meal, plus a milkshake of course.

Since the Budget inn is full, we split a room at the Holiday Inn, and have full-on hikertrash pack explosions.

After a resupply at the very large Ingles grocery, we go to a Mexican restaurant. The margaritas & burritos were amazing.

I’m exhausted, but it’s a very entertaining group and we have fun staying up late in the hotel room. I get distracted by hilarious conversation, singing bad pop music, and learning new vocabulary.

Thursday March 14, 21.8 miles/35 km

Whitley Gap trail jct (38.0) to Steeltrap Gap (59.8) (GA)

I woke to the sound of slow raindrops on my tent, so I laid around hoping it would stop. Turns out, it was just condensed fog on the trees being blown off by the wind. I’m in no hurry, so I got going at 8am, only a 20 mile day today…

The fog muffled all the sound, and I was quite surprised to see a car appear 2 seconds after this photo was taken.

A few hours into the morning, a bear and I surprised each other, and s/he quickly ran off, so I have no photo. After that, I started playing music. I saw no people all morning!

I stopped at Blue Mountain shelter for lunch, and there were already 7-8 thru-hikers there getting set up for the night. In the beginning of this trail, most people do 8-12 miles/13-20km per day, so I guess they are done by lunch!

I was there for 30 minutes, so I got a little cold. When the temperatures are in the mid-50s and it’s wet, I either keep moving or get in my tent. So off I go…

This was a neat tree!

This trail has plenty of water sources, so much more than the PCT or CDT. Usually they are a small stream that crosses the path, but sometimes I get to drink from a waterfall.

I descended 1000ft/300m to Unicoi gap, then back up the same elevation to a ridge on the other side. It was noticeably colder up there on the ridge. But I see green, spring is coming.

Cool winding path.

Just before the shelter I intended to stay at, is an exciting waypoint on the map.

Turns out, there is no factory, and more importantly, no cheese. It was a historic 19th century cheese factory. I feel deceived! But not that surprised, since I questioned why anyone would build on an inaccessible 4000ft ridge…

I get to the Tray mountain shelter, and there is a sign “full” made from sticks on the ground. The photo doesn’t show it well.

So I continue another 1.5 miles to Steeltrap Gap. It’s almost 1000ft lower in elevation and much warmer. I arrive to camp at 5pm, and I see another tent already set up. They are a couple from Georgia who are section hiking a 30-mile segment. Rain is forecasted to start between 5 and 6pm, so we just talk thru our tents. Tomorrow is a short day, and the first town day!

Wednesday March 13, 23.6 miles/38km

Justus creek campsite (14.4) to Whitley Gap trail jct (38.0) (GA)

I wake up to the headlamps of other parties packing up, and decide its time for me to get going. Since I usually have a cold breakfast, I’m ready in 30 minutes and hit the trail at sunrise… which apparently is late at 7:30am!

I go by Gooch shelter, where most people are still in their tents. An hour later I get to Gooch Gap (mountain passes are called “gaps” down here), and I see a gathering of hikers, which usually means trail magic. And it is!

Bonnie & Paul are local B&B owners, and have brought coffee, decaf tea, fruit, cookies, and juice! I also meet Oaksie and MacGyver, who originally planned to just do a 30mile section, but now might do the whole trail. And met Andy, who thruhiked the 300mi Benton Mackaye trail last year.

Since I confused the coffee urn with the tea one, I flew up the next few hills (I don’t drink coffee). Good views.

I knew I was getting near another gap, when I saw an oncoming group of 30-40 dayhikers, and they all smelled clean.

And then I found a hat, the exact same kind as mine. I knew who it belonged to, since we just had a conversation about being hat twins… MacGyver. I reunited it with its owner a few miles later at Woody Gap!

Funny signs.

The trail so far has been very nice, thanks GATC!

Just before lunch, I meet Emily, a first-time thru-hiker. We chat for a bit, and she is one of the best prepared hikers yet I have met on this trail. She even has a Thrupack fanny pack, which is a creation of my friend Skunk Ape (fellow PCT 2015er)!

After lunch, I do the biggest climb yet, up to the summit of 4442ft/1354m Blood Mountain. It’s also the highest point on the AT in Georgia.

It’s a quick descent to Neels Gap, where the famous Mountain crossings store resides.

Since this is a place where most hikers stop in and upgrade some of their gear, and drop what gear they don’t need, their hiker box is legendary. Indeed, there are 4 Rubbermaid bins of goodies. I snag some better tent stakes, tenacious tape, and some food. One of the bins appears to be all sawyer squeeze pouches, books, and prophylactics…huh?

After spending too much time at the store, I hike up the last climb for the day. There are some beautiful camp spots, but it’s still early (before 5pm) so I continue.

My intended camping spot at a gap doesn’t have any good options, so I climb a short hill and setup on the ridge and watch the sunset.

It’s supposed to rain a bit tomorrow, and maybe a bit overnight. Should be interesting!

Tuesday March 12th, 22.6mi (8.2mi approach trail+ 14.4 AT)

Amicalola Falls Visitor center to Justus creek campsite (14.4)

I woke up at 7:15am, and it was still dark. This is a strange part of the Eastern time zone. I packed up quietly, and headed over to the ranger office to check-in for the hike. They opened at 8am, and there were 5 or 6 other hikers waiting as well. The Georgia chapter of the ATC does a great job, part of the check-in process is a presentation on LNT (leave no trace), and safety in the backcountry. Then, each hiker gets a photo, and a number. I’m hiker #838 this year! And since Bob and I are both hams, my photo is… different.

Hikers also get their pack weighed, mine is 34lbs. Too much food and candy!

After the check-in, time to walk! The approach trail is 8miles long, and starts with the iconic arch.

It is a cold morning, but nice weather. Good thing it starts out with hundreds of stairs to get warmed up!

I see a few other hikers along the way, including this guy from Maine, he is hiking home!

I get to Springer mountain, the official start of the AT, at noon and have lunch. There are 6 other hikers there too.

The first (of many) white blazes!

Then, I head down the mountain, and after a mile the trail crosses a USFS road, which is a popular trailhead. There are more Georgia ATC volunteers there too. They have heaps of good advice for water, camping, and of course more LNT.

I hike on, and it’s a warm day now, and on a nice trail. I don’t even have to get my feet wet at stream crossings! This is so different from the Te Araroa…

I stop at Long creek falls and have a snack. There is a family there, and the little boy keeps asking where my hiking poles are (I don’t use them). He even offers to make me one. 🙂

I continue on a few more hours, passing probably a dozen more hikers. Most people starting out do 8-10 miles per day, so I probably won’t see them again.

I get to Justus creek at 6pm, and call it a day. There are 7 other hikers camped here, mostly on the lower terrace. We have dinner and hang our food bags. It’s such a change camping in bear territory!