Hiking in the Smokies (part 2)

We started our annual hiking trip where we left off last year, at Clingman's Dome in the middle of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We had to cut our trip short last July because of some
blisters experienced by some of our group. More details about last year can be found by clicking here.

On Monday, July 19th we loaded up the car and headed southeast. We had a quick stop at Starbucks just down the road from Pat's to christen the trip and enjoyed the feeling of beginning our adventure. We stopped once at a rest stop in southern Indiana and again at our favorite place in Kentucky where we refueled the car with gasoline and then ourselves with a hearty breakfast at Bob Evans and a fresh cup of coffee next door.



We didn't have to stop again until we arrived at our destination - a Motel 6 in Newton, Tennessee. We ate dinner in the room with shared food (turkey sandwiches on homemade bread), fiddled with our backpacks and then we relaxed in the hot tub until dinnertime.

message about packing out your trash
"leave only your cares"

view of 'Big Creek" from where we waited in the parking lot!

In the morning we ate again in the room and Pat made coffee in the room (thank goodness!). We loaded up the car, checked out, and drove to the Big Creek Ranger Station in the park where our shuttle driver, Curtis, met us for the 2 hour trip to Clingman's Dome. He was due to meet
us at 7 but there was a mixup on the day. After a quick call he rushed over and we were on our way.

When we arrived at Clingman's the air was foggy but it the temperature was cool and we were glad to stretch our legs and get started! We had an 11 mile hike ahead of us to get to Icewater Spring Shelter but we forgot about the 1/2 mile incline from the parking lot to the trailhead!

dropped off at Clingman's Dome to begin the second half of our hike

Although we didn't get started hiking until 9:45, we spent a great day walking in the woods. We arrived at the shelter and met our roomates for the evening. A family of four (mom, dad, two kids) who had hiked in from a closer parking lot for the overnight, two guys who were finishing their hike and one of their brothers who was meeting them for the last night.

Icewater Spring Shelter

I had remembered to bring mini firestarters and when that was announced there was much rejoicing among the men, as the wood had been too wet to start a fire their whole hike. Saws and axes were brandished, firewood gathered and chopped, and soon we had a blazing fire going in the stone fireplace inside the shelter. We shared our s'mores with the group and everyone was happy!




It was a peaceful evening, laying in our sleeping bags, being able to see the night sky and the fire's coals. Durena, Pat and I stayed awake long enough to see the brother get into his hanging hammock. It looked so comfortable and he was graceful getting in. I had visions of myself rolling it right over and falling out if I had one.



On Wednesday morning we got up and enjoyed our breakfast and coffee with an incredible view from the 'porch' of the shelter. We hurried and got going, as we had a 12.6 mile day. Our destination: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter.

view while enjoying morning coffee

beautiful views along the way

Soon after we began our hike, we detoured for a quick stop at Charlies Bunion, a lookout that is worth the extra steps - the views are amazing! We met 2 guys from Texas who we later shared a shelter with that night. One was wearing the new toe boots. He said they were super comfortable but they looked a little weird and they left very strange tracking prints!

toe boots

took a short side trail to Charlie's Bunion - breathtaking 360 views

At one of our early stops we misjudged where we were but based on where we thought we were, we decided to meet up for lunch at Peck's Corner. It turned out to be over 3 miles away and we were all exhausted from not stopping until then. It really makes a difference to stop every hour of so and take your pack off. We all kept thinking our meeting stop was just around the bend!

We enjoyed lunch, discovered we still had 5 more miles to hike and decided to just meet later at the shelter. We were all hiking at different speeds (even more so than usual); Durena had just walked 200 miles across England, Pat was not feeling well, and I was my usual slowpokey self.

on a short 'backpack off' break

I enjoyed a short break an hour or so later and when I got up and ready to go, I spotted a bear down the trail. I stayed motionless for several minutes and then got my camera out and zoomed in on the picture to be sure. After a while of both of us just looking at each other, I put my pack on and slowly approached what was really just a tree stump!

tree stump posing as a bear :)

Though the day was long, the hiking was wonderful. All kinds of terrain, sunshine, clouds, fog and just walking on through all of it. Tri Corner shelter was right off the path, always welcome after a long day. By the time I arrived around 7, everyone else was settled in for the night. The two guys from Texas were already asleep. There was a couple from Denmark having their ears talked off by a middle aged couple from Florida (who bashed everything about America).

We attended to dinner and hanging our packs and minding our own business but through it all the Florida couple, mainly the woman simply never stopped talking. Lights out was a welcome time of peace and quiet! We had spots on the bottom platform and there was no head room to sit up and read or talk so it was an early night for all!

Tri-Corner Shelter

water source at Tri-Corner Shelter (pipe and log at bottom)

path to the privy

On Thursday morning (7-22), we took our sweet time getting ready and packed up. We had an easy 8 mile day to Cosby Knob shelter, our next stop. Earlier in the trip we considered making this a 15 mile day and walking out at the end but after yesterday's hike we decided against it.

happy hiking pals, excited about another day of hiking!

It was another glorious day in the Great Smoky Mountains! The trail was relatively easy, the sun was shining, birds were singing. What a wonderful world!

so green!

late blooming rhododendron

cool orange flowers

hiking next to berry bushes always makes me a little nervous as bears eat them!

didn't see any bears, but I did spot a bear print!
(Durena hiked behind a bear for a short while this day too, she actually saw him!)

Even with a leisurely hike and plenty of stops, we were at the shelter by about 2:45. We took boots off, got a snack ready (chips, salsa and cheese), and sat in the sun with our books. The shelter was surrounded by red flowers and the butterflies loved them! They were everywhere!

red flowers and butterflies

Cosby Knob Shelter

looks like a bear took a big bite out of the bear activity warning sign! :)

We enjoyed a very relaxing afternoon and evening. More people hiked in as the day went on. The Denmark couple, the Florida couple, a dad and his son and his friend, the three of us and two guys who got there right at dark made twelve and the shelter was full! Last year we had several nights when we were the only people in the shelter so this was new to us!

On Friday morning we were anxious to get a move on. We had an 8 mile day to hike out to Davenport Gap, another 1 1/2 miles to the car and then a decision to make whether to stay in town or to get on the road for an 8 hour drive home.

We took the side trail to see the fire tower on Mt. Cammerer. It was worth the 1.2 mile detour! The fire tower has been restored and the views were magnificent!

fire tower on Mt. Cammerer

at the fire tower

self pic of me and durena

view from the fire tower

great lookout

We split up after the side hike - Durena and Pat went ahead and I stayed behind to have a quick snack and attend to a beginning blister. We agreed to meet at the end - the bottom!

break spot

The trail down is to the left and after I had gone no more than 10 minutes, I heard what first sounded like hundreds of crickets or cidadas. As I approached a bend the noise grew deafening. I stopped to figure it out and I realized that it was a rattlesnake. Then I realized that it was on the trail, right in front of me. I froze for a few seconds, took a couple of steps back and then had to wait for it to uncoil and make it's way off the trail, heading up. It was a slow process but I kept still and got my camera out.

rattlesnake!

We compared hikes at the end and the funny (?) thing was that when Durena and Pat walked by it, they thought it was dead, that someone had planted it on the trail as a prank and they took pictures too. The rest of the day was quite uneventful compared to that - beautiful scenery, smooth trail, all downhill!

cool mossy boulder

stone wall

looking back up the trail

Durena left her pack with Pat at the bottom and jogged to Davenport Gap, got the car and came back for us. We loaded up the car and headed Standing Bear Farm (the hiker hostel that Curtis and his wife run).

Standing Bear Farm

bunkhouse

bridge to showerhouse

internet shack

pc and modem :)

We made a donation and took a fabulous shower, then got on the road and headed home! We stopped at the Pizza Hut in Newport and each enjoyed the salad bar and demolished a large pizza! So good!