The Smokies

The Smokies lived up to their reputation for weather extremes, amazing vistas and challenging terrain. Here are some pictures to try and convey a bit of what we encountered!

The AT entered the Smokey Mountains just across the Fontana Dam. Sunny and cool made for great hiking weather as we started the LONG climb up into the mountains.

We like to be on the trail at first light which means we are ready for bed well before dark. Our 2 person tent is cozy! Our first night in the Smokies was at the only tent camping spot on the trail. It was beautiful with several dispersed tent pads and a great water source. It turned out to be our only good nights sleep in the Smokies.

Well, the weather changed… Every summit for two days was spectacularly socked in.

And just like that, you could see miles and miles of beautiful mountains. We thought things were really looking up as we got closer to Clingmans Dome and the 200 mile mark.

Back to cold, wet and foggy for our summit of the highest peak on the AT, Clingmans Dome. The forecast indicated high winds and really cold temps overnight so we opted for a ride into Gatlinburg and 2 nights in a hotel.

We arranged for our first day of Slackpacking the next day. Wind chill was 18 but the views were spectacular from Clingmans Dome. We were grateful that we came back to start our slackpack.

Ruth Anne facing one of her fears. The trail here was 18” wide and straight down on the left.

Descending from the Smokies took a full day but we were rewarded with many new flowers and some wonderful meadows. And warmer weather!

I mentioned only one good nights sleep. Our second night was spent in a shelter due to cold temps and heavy rain. The shelters in the Smokies all had a fireplace that we LOVED! But, this night a group of overnighters came in late and set to talking and laughing around the fire. All 16 thru hikers were in bed trying to sleep by 8. At 10:30 when the overnighters turned on their headlamps and announced they were going to get more wood I had to suggest that maybe it was time for them to let the fire burn out. They agreed and promptly went to bed leaving all of their stuff strewn about the shelter. I had to gather it all up and stack it in a corner so the thru hikers could pack up in the morning.

As for the hotel, I now sleep MUCH better in the woods than in a hotel!

After our stay in Gatlinburg we were back on the trail and did some high mileage. That means we were some of the last to arrive at the shelter for the night. There were very limited tenting options and someone had set up a large tent in the middle of an area that could have held 4-5 thru hiker tents. And there was a hammock on the only other flat spot. Ruth Anne and I climbed a long steep embankment and pitched our tent on a narrow flattish spot and collapsed into bed. The next day as we were hiking, other thru hikers were expressing how angry they were at whoever set up the big tent AND the hammock. It was one couple! A while later, the couple caught up to us and I tried to let them know that they had upset a lot of other hikers. They were really caught off guard and a little upset with me for bringing it to their attention. I assured them it was in the past and that I wanted to be friendly with everyone on the trail and left it at that. A few days later, I lost one of my rain mitts and did not notice it for some time. When I did, there was no way I was going back for it and I just hoped that someone would see it and pick it up. Well, that same couple picked it up and caught up to us having a snack. We had a great conversation and we are all now on good terms. I am thankful for that!

Well, that is the SHORT version of our hike through the Smokies on the AT!