April 6, 2024 3 min to read

AT Blog: 16 and 17

Smokies and The Cold

Day 16:

Wake up before the sun. Russell Field shelter was decent but some loud sleepers meant a shallow sleep. It was cold last night but I didn’t have all of my layers on.

I make my coffee and get going. Lobster was gracious enough to lend me some of his hot pressed coffee, it was strong too.

The day is colder, with a decent wind chill. I get to rocky top and blast the song.

The hike is slow going, but eventually I get to Derrick knob shelter, where I’ve stayed before. I get water and start lunch, when Lobster and a section hiker join me. We chat about the weather, and eventually Veggietales (trail names for the couple from Main) join us.

The next 7 miles are gruesome and slow The constant change of winds and going up and down, means I have to shift my clothes constantly. One minute I’m freezing, the next sweating through my jacket. I also had to dig a cat hole to do my duty, since I had to go and most shelters here don’t have privies.

Lobster passes by close to the Silers bald shelter, where one guy is trying to light a fire. We keep going to double spring. By now I’m cold and literally put on all my clothes including my rain jacket.

Fortunately there is a large tarp here covering the whole entrance and only one of the springs are frozen over. It’s going to be a cold night, but I stay warm.

Day 17:

It’s the kind of cold you don’t want to feel. As someone who grew up in Florida and Georgia, I hate the cold. Today it’s 12 degrees and a nice toasty -1 Fahrenheit with wind chill.

As I get all my stuff together, my dirty water is completely frozen, and my clean water is mostly slush. I keep all my layers on getting ready, and try and get moving fast.

The climb up to Clingmans Dome is a cold one, probably the coldest I’ve hiked in. It’s not a terrible hike starting at double spring, it just the weather affecting me.

But the hike was worth it, not only is Clingsmans Dome (tallest point on the AT) completely clear of clouds and fog, but there is also nobody there. Usually the place is packed with people from the parking lot, but today the road is closed.

I enjoy the 360 view from the observation tower, then head back down to avoid the wind.

The rest of the hike is not too bad. There are times where the entire trail is covered in ice, and I almost bite it, but I stay OK.

I eventually make it to Newfound Gap, where a major road intersects the trail and the smokies. My parents are meeting up with me again and they introduce me to Tea Party, a hiker that passed by shortly before I did. He was the only other through hiker they saw, probably due to the weather.

We eventually head off for lunch, where I get a BBQ sampler, with tons of food, fried green tomatoes and of course a cheesecake for dessert.

After lunch we run into Lobster, he had come into town for a ressupply and saw us as he entered. Fortunately my mom brought plenty of goodies and he was able to resupply properly with us!

Aa a last minute decision, I decide to stay with my Aunt and Uncle who live nearby for the night. Partly to get some good rest and partly to stay out of the cold. My parents drive me over and we chat with them a while. It has been a minute since we saw them but it was great catching up and eating some of their leftovers as a meal.

The best part is they have a new hot tub I was able to soak in. Despite the cold weather it was amazing.

I am very thankful for my aunt and uncle for hosting me and my cousin for coming over.