4/24 Fontana Dam shelter "fontana hilton" 166
4/25 Spence Field Shelter 183
4/26 Mt Collins Shelter 203 (past Clingman's dome)
4/27 Tricorner Knob Shelter 223
4/28 Standing Bear Farm (hostel) 241
4/29 Roaring Fork Shelter (past Max Patch) 257
4/30 Hot Springs (Laughing Heart Hoste, right on the traill) 275
5/1 Little Laurel Shelter 295
Delayed posting from yesterday due to servive
This week I got to go through and past the smokies. I hadn't heard much about the smokies before going into this, but I baught my permit and entered the best maintained section so far. The forest shifted to pines and the whole forest floor was a moss blanket or wildflower meadow. It was so nice to finally be hiking through a green forest.
I once again brought too much food with me, as I continued to bring up my pace. I hiked my first 20 mile days, and blew through the smokies in 4 days. They were a step up in elevation, including the highest point on the AT - Clingman's dome. I had a little culture shock seeing the tourists that had simply driven to the top.
I got to see my first bear for the trip. It was playing with the bear cables provided at the spence field shelter. It was easily scared away, and didn't come back. Some people go through the whole trail and never see a wild bear, and I'm happy I was able to see one at a distance.
Every time I get off the trail, I'm shocked by the number of hikers I see in town. While hiking I'll often just see a few other thru-hikers on a given day. In town I've seen dozens of people together. Some of them are spending multiple nights, but the impression is still strange. They say this year was more popular, and I guess it shows.
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