I had almost forgotten this feeling. The cool morning, flocks of robins squabbling in the skeletons of deciduous trees, the soft path that yielded to my steps, and flashes of green as I passed through Longleaf and Loblolly pine sanctuaries and past hardy Christmas ferns. The strobe light effect of walking swiftly past the long shadows of trees in the morning. Not every day of every trip is a high. But the good days are great. I hiked about 11 miles in 4 hours, and could have leapfrogged part of the next section to finish up some more miles. Instead, I cranked up my Ace of Base tape in the Buick, picked up the Huffy, and drove to resupply at Whole Foods and Great Outdoor Provision Company. I have one more day of the Falls Lake Trail before I am dropped off at its western terminus to bike westward to the mountains. My face is healing, after undergoing some pretty gruesome transformations this week.
Conclusion: Phook Yeah!
Total MST miles: 154.1 (all on foot)
Total trip miles: 198.3 (187.8 foot, 10.5 bike)
3 comments:
Still planning to summit Clingmans Dome as a final sign of completion? I didn't see a mention of GSMNP in your revised itinerary. The MST route through GSMNP is a very good one, lots of change in topography, good creek walks, good to great campsites. It's my regular stomping ground.
Awesome pics by the way. I took some good ones of Deep Creek on Monday. Plenty of ice and snow.
Yessir, I wouldn't miss a chance to re-dominate Clingman's and salute the Appalachian Trail! I plan to hike west through the mountains, finish at Clingmans, and return to thru-kayak the Neuse and hike through Croatan.
Excellent. I have a couple trips in the works for Feb. and March to GSMNP. Let me know if you need a shuttle, food drop, etc.
I'm planning a 6 day section of the complete AT thru the Smokies (north to south) but haven't set a date yet. I'm trying to get my hiking partner to take off and go with me but if he can't I'm goin solo.
Post a Comment