A couple things I forgot from the earlier post:
- With the smell around Clingman's Dome, I could not help but think of Christmas. Got kind of homesick.
- There were numerous large trees uprooted due to the weather this last winter. See the picture below of Richard looking at a tree with a huge boulder imbedded in its roots; and notice the size of the root system compared to Richard.
- Leaving Gatlinburg was beautiful. There were lots of flowering trees....dogwoods, some sort of pink trees.
- A nice climb out of Newfound Gap
- After the climb, we walked the ridges of the mountains most of the day. There were times the trail was only about a yard wide with a several hundred foot drop-off on both sides.
- With the evergreens in the mountains, it reminded us of the Rockies.
- Stopped at Pecks Corner Shelter
- Hiked 10.4 miles
One of the ridges, not the narrowest, but narrow enough.
The drop-off on either side is
hundreds of feet and very steep.
April 14
- Today is another beautiful day for hiking.
- Passed a large stand of spruce that had died. The same problem that the evergreens are having in the west is hitting here.
- My right shin has started hurting today.
- Stopped at Cosby Knob shelter
- Hiked 12.9 miles
Tricorners Shelter
At this shelter, a bear stole a hiker's backpack while
he was hanging his food bag.
This is a few days after that happened.
A stand of dead spruce
A waterfall where a downed
log is acting as a chute for the water
April 15
- Started early again today; mostly downhill hiking; shin still hurting
- When we got to Davenport Gap, we discovered Trail Angels had left sodas and candy bars for hikers. What a treat!!
- Leaving Davenport Gap, we are leaving the Smokies
- After Davenport Gap, we follow a stream with waterfalls and beautiful flowering trees down to the Pigeon River.
- After the river, we pass under Interstate 40, our first interstate.
- We had planned on stopping at Standing Bear Farms hostel for pizza, then continuing hiking for another two miles, but my shin is hurting bad enough that we stop for the night.
- This was our first hostel. Kind of like the shelters....wooden slats with thin mattresses for a bed and a lot of hikers (most of them young)
- An experience, but not for some of us older hikers. Would have been a great experience if we were younger.
- Hiked 10.4 miles
Dogwoods in bloom alongside the Pigeon River
Interstate 40 - closed due to a rock slide
Richard and me at the Standing Bear Farms hostel
April 16
- Woke up this morning and I could hardly walk. We decided to take a shuttle to Hot Springs, NC.
- Went to a doctor in Hot Springs. Doc grounded me. Diagnosis: shin splints. I'm supposed to take Advil and rest until Monday. On Monday, if I can walk around Hot Springs with my pack on and if it doesn't hurt, I can start hiking again.
Hope your back to hiking again Jerry. The country you are in looks beautiful. I liked the looks of the place you stopped at until your shin splints healed, very quaint.
ReplyDeleteCarol Holtorf
Thanks for sharing the pictures! I, too, hope your shin splints healed all the way! I used to get them all the time from hurdling in track. Since I was too stubborn to wait for them to completely heal, I've found that a solid arch support in the shoe really helps, as well as wrapping an ace bandage really tight around your shins to provide support and lessen the pressure that's applied to the muscle attachments. It helps a lot, but don't rely too much on this or you'll lose muscular strength! It's only for emergencies! : ) Can't wait to read your next update!
ReplyDeleteI love reading your updates! Seems like you guys lucked out at the bear shelter! Close call! I wonder what was so good in that guys backpack that the bear stole the pack.... :)
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