Successfully summited Clingmans Dome, the highest point on the AT. The weather was just starting to clear up but it was still mostly foggy when I passed. Maybe I’ll come back in the van after I finish the trail and see what it’s all about.
Throughout the day the Smokies transitioned from grass and oak tress to a moss covered pine and cedar forest. So far it’s the coolest scenery along the trail and somewhere along the way I passed the (unofficial) 200 mile mark. These markers count up from Springer Mountain, so they don’t quite match my mileage count starting from Amicalola Falls but it’s still exciting to see the miles count up.
After the climb it was relatively easy the rest of the day, though it was about 10 miles total into Newfound Gap. This is the location where President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the Smoky Mountain National Park and it was a busy place. It didn’t take more than 30 seconds after arriving the parking lot before Little Bug and Satchel offered up beer, donuts, and cookies. They were 2017 thru-hikers that came to Gatlinburg for a few days to share the magic with this year’s thru-hikers. Met a few more thru-hikers while I was enjoying the trail magic, it always draws a crowd. While we were hanging around Shari, a local, offered us a ride into Gatlinburg. Festus, Bubbles, Kiwi, Pin Drop, and I piled in and headed off to town.
On the drive into town we passed Chimney Peak, where a forest fire started in 2016 and did a ton of damage along the trail. Twenty minutes later and we’d arrived at the Lodge of Legends hostel for the night. The hostel is a fully furnished basement with a ton amenities.
We grabbed a trolley into town for dinner and found ourselves needing to kill half an hour waiting for the return trolly. We wandered into a nearby bar and were surprised to find a live band and a lively atmosphere. We had a round and caught the trolly back to the hostel satisfied with our night on the town.
Kacy shared with me a picture of the national geographic map she’s using to track my location. It has the same pins that the digital map, but there’s something cooler about the real world version.
The map on her wall is another tangible sign that I am making progress and makes me want to keep going.
Day 23 Mileage: 10.5 mi [Double Gap Shelter -> Newfound Gap]
Total Mileage: 215.8 mi