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Appalachian Trail – Great Smoky Mountains National Park I

North Carolina / Tennessee
Great Smoky Mountains National Park

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because the people who mind do not matter, and the people who matter do not mind.”

Journal Entry 3.22.00
“4:30pm at the Birch Spring Shelter in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We left (or escaped) the Fontana Inn after our last nasty meal of stale waffles and bad OJ. We caught a ride back to the trail from Jason at the Adventure Center and started hiking around 11am. We crossed the dam (no damn tour guide!), entered the park, and hiked up, up, up to the shelter. Right foot feeling ok, left ankle still sore but better, body getting used to the heavy pack with seven days worth of food. The shelters here are majorly bear-proof with a chain-link fence in front and cable wires in the trees to hang food. We’ve decided to take a risk and tent out, so we’ll either have a great view for the bear-attack show on the shelter or we’ll be the show – hah! Sarge from New Orleans seems to be more worried about the wild hogs.”

Journal Entry 3.23.00
“It’s 6:15pm at the Spence Field Shelter and the sun is still up! It’s so nice to have more and more sunlight every day. Our mileage seems to be limited in the Smokies because we have to stay at shelters (park rules). At this rate we will be here for an additional 1.5 days – we’ll just have to ration some food for that…”

Journal Entry 3.25.00
“11:30pm inside my tent at the Icewater Springs Shelter. It’s been raining for awhile now and I can’t sleep… Well the historic moments of the day include reaching the summit of Clingman’s Dome (at 6643 feet, the highest point on the trail), and reaching the 200-mile mark (only 2,000 more to go). Less historic moments of the day – losing the trail on the north side of Clingman’s Dome due to blow-downs, crawling under, over, and in-between the 100+ colossal trees blown down all over the trail, and being rained on by an overhead leak as I presently write. Mental Note: Seam-seal this tent on next day off. Highlight of the day – Trail Magic – meeting a former thru-hiker in the parking lot at Newfound Gap who had a car full of goodies – soda, fruit, snacks, candy. Thank you Ox! Oh yes, and in the spirit of ditching as much pack weight as possible, I threw out my deodorant in the trash can at Clingman’s Dome today.”

trail fact: A.T. Completions by Year: As of February 2000, 5,323 hikers had reported to the ATC that they completed the entire Appalachian Trail, whether in one season or over a period of many years. Section hikers represent about 20% of the total, northbound thru-hikers account for 70%, and the remaining 10% are southbound thru-hikers, flip-floppers, and other variations.

Journal Index

Georgia – Overview And the poop on the Trail Divorce

0 (miles from Georgia) – Springer Mountain, Georgia Whose idea was this again??
87.7 – Georgia / North Carolina Aint no all-inclusive package vacation story…
161.7 – Fontana Dam, North Carolina No Rain, No Pain, No Maine
204.6 – Great Smoky Mountains National Park I My deodorant gets the heave-ho!
268.7 – Great Smoky Mountains National Park II The Food Appreciation Trail
336.5 – North Carolina / Tennessee & Trail Names How the Gimp got her name
390.7 – North Carolina / Tennessee The famous Roan Mountain hitch
452.9 – Crossing into Damascus, Virginia 3 states down, 11 to go!
516.7 – Grayson Highlands State Park Roughin it at Partnership Shelter
573.3 – Bland, Virginia My wonderful trail angels!
665.3 – Pearisburg, Virginia The switch from boots to sandals
767.4 – Catawba / Troutville, Virginia Heat wave in Virginia
839.4 – Montebello / Rockfish Gap, Virginia ‘Hiking with Gimpy Sr.
920.0 – Shenandoah National Park Rattlesnakes, Jack Daniels, and bears – oh my!
988.3 – Front Royal, Virginia Invasion of the Boy Scouts
1001.1 – Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia The mental half-way point
1061.4 – Maryland / Pennsyltucky Y’all done drank enough beer!
1123.8 – Duncannon, Pennsylvania The Half-Gallon Challenge
1208.9 – Port Clinton, Pennsylvania $1 Yuengling drafts and the rocks of PA
1283.9 – Pennsylvania / New Jersey Friends and family visit WonderGimp
1334.2 – High Point, New Jersey Rain, rain, rain, trail magic, and more rain
1440.7 – Bear Mountain, New York Hike Naked Day!
1486.1 – Kent, Connecticut Gimpy Sr. and Barkeater hike with W.Gimp
1543.8 – Great Barrington, MassachusettsWelcome to Mosquito Hell
1618.0 – Massachusetts / VermontPhoton and strobe lights for the 4th of July
1687.3 – Killington, Vermont The Inn at the Long Trail
1738.1 – New Hampshire Live Free or Die!
1794.4 – North Woodstock, New Hampshire Gettin’ above treeline
1814.4 – AMC-land, New Hampshire Entering the White Mountains!
1854.0 – Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire Mooning the tourists on Mt. Washington
1869.2 – Gorham, New Hampshire My first Moose sighting!
1920.7 – Andover, Maine The way Life should be…
1979.3 – Rangeley, Maine Closing in on the end
2015.6 – Kennebec River, Maine Eye of the Tiger!
2095.7 – Monson, Maine 100-mile Wilderness
2152.0 – Abol Bridge, Maine Katahdin is in sight!
2167.1 – Baxter Peak, Mount Katahdin, Maine Goodbye Capilene – Hello Cotton!!

Other Pages:
Map – Yep, 14 states
Gear – What to Bring
FAQs – See for yourself
Glossary (learn the AT lingo)
Links to Additional Info
Trail Injuries Everything from blisters to swampfoot
Trail Privies Bring your own TP
Class of 2000 Katahdin Thru-Hiker Pictures