First off, Asheville was amazing and I want to move there. I’m sad I didn’t get to spend more time there. I have to go back sometime.
It’s been three days since getting back on trail after my weeklong vacation. I definitely feel the difference–I’m super sore since I’ve been out of my daily routine for a while. I’ve also developed new pack sores where my pack is rubbing my skin raw for some reason so that’s fun.
So far the Smokies have been pretty good. Our first full day of hiking in them was beautiful, sunny, and clear with great views. These mountains are HUGE and it’s crazy to look down and see just how far down it is to the valley floor. The temperatures haven’t been too low either. It’s definitely chilly but the temps here can get absolutely frigid and luckily we haven’t experienced any of that yet. I’ve actually been hot at night of all things! A thru hiker I met in hot springs who had already finished is letting me use his zero degree bag instead of my 15 degree bag and I’m noticeably warmer at night now, thank goodness. The hiking in the smokies has been tougher than I expected. Part of that is the huge uphill– we had a 5000 climb to get up to the ridge line in the park and its lots of ups and downs everyday. But what has made the hiking tougher than usual is the snow and ice. You know how when you go sledding you have to trudge all the way back uphill to sled back down again and you are always super exhausted by the time you get back to the top? That’s what hiking in the snow has been like. Except with heavy packs on. There are also sections of trail that are pure ice and every step feels like I am about to lose my footing and fall. The combination of the snow and the time off trail has led to me feeling more exhausted than usual.
Today delta and I hitched into Gatlinburg with the intention of resupplying then hitching back and hiking five more miles. But by the time we got to town we’d only have had an hour and a half to get everything done and decided to just stay in town. Kind of a wimp decision but oh well, I need the rest. Gatlinburg is a super touristy and hoakie town with tons of restaurants and old time photo places and mini golf and mirror mazes etc. it was very overwhelming but also hilarious to walk through. Back on the trail tomorrow for two more days in the Smokies. Tomorrow I hit the 2000 mile mark and also hit under 200 miles left. Wahoo! It’s supposed to rain for about a week straight after that which I’m not too excited about but I won’t have to deal with that too much longer. I just found out about three people who just got off trail, two in Hot Springs and one at the end of the smokies. It’s so sad to hear about friends leaving and giving up especially so close to the end!! I’m determined to keep going, I will crawl up springer if I have to.