Muddy trail in the Smokies

April 24, 2000 -- Day 24
Destination: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Today's miles: 12.6
Trip miles: 219

Today, I definitely walked to get somewhere, with my head down against the cold, gusting wind and driving rain. Well before I reached my destination, I was soaked to the skin, right through three layer of clothing, and "waterproof" boots. When Joker, Marie and I set out this morning, the rain hadn't started and we had some wonderful views. But the fog quickly moved in and, with it, the liquid sunshine.

This was a day I just kept on moving. That was the only way to stay at least somewhat warm. I hiked faster than usual over the loose rocks, through the mud, and over the piles of ice that had fallen from the trees yesterday along with lots of branches. For a stretch, the trail was a rushing stream. No, today was not a leisurely walk in the woods.

But now I'm in warm and dry in my sleeping bag in a very crowded shelter. There are wet clothes and and other items hanging all over. I think everyone is inside who was headed for the shelter. That's a good thing, because we hear this weather will continue through tomorrow, at least.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the shelter system in the Smokies, it basically works like this: Anyone staying overnight in the backcountry is required to obtain a permit and use the shelters. The three-sided, stone structures with metal roofs are spaced at varied intervals along the A.T. and some spur trails. In the Smokies, all but one shelter that I've seen and know of have chain link fencing across the front to keep the bears out--though they feel more like people cages to me. Ice Water Spring Shelter was refurbished and the chain link removed as an experiment, I'm told. Pulley systems are provided at the shelters for bear-bagging food, though many people hang their food sacks inside the shelters that have the fencing.

The shelters I've seen within the national park have two tiers--what I call shelves--for sleeping. The Park Service leaves three spaces available at each shelter for thru-hikers, who are supposed to fill out self-service permits. The permits are available at register boxes on the A.T. at both park boundaries for north- and southbound hikers. The rest of the shelter spaces are for other permitted hikers. If there's extra room, more thru-hikers can stay under the metal roof. Thru-hikers are the only people "officially" allowed to tent near the shelters, if the shelters are full. All that being said, no one at any shelter I've been at in the Smokies has hesitated to make room for another person, and it's often been a very tight squeeze. No one has asked who's a thru-hiker or who isn't, at least not for the purpose of determining shelter priveleges. In the past, I've heard reports of confrontations about who was there first and who has the right to the spaces. I haven't seen any of that.

I know I must sound like a broken record, but I must once again say how thankful I am for the people I've been hiking and camping with. As I've also said before, weather such as we've experienced is quite a challenge, but the companionship really lifts my spirits. Last night at Ice Water Spring, we laughed so hard, I had tears streaming down my face.

Well, it's time to visit the privy during a lull in the rain. We'll see what happens, but we may go all the way to Davenport Gap and Mountain Mama's tomorrow. Either that or we'll stay at the shelter just before the gap and go in in the morning.

--Ramkitten