April 14

Holy double trail magic batman!

Great start this morning.  Another beautiful day.  All I had heard was how tough the Smokies are, and that it rains just about every day.  What a blessing it's been to have such great weather.  I made quick work of the 4+ miles to a major road crossing at Newfound Gap.  When I crossed the road and entered the parking lot, Y's Guy was there waving me over to a pickup truck.  A couple, Mark and Wendy, had a cooler of sodas, fruit, chips, homemade brownies, and ham sandwiches for any thru hiker passing by.  Really nice people, and oh man was the food a great treat.  Also arriving in time for the magic was Thai Dye, Sweetwater, Three Ten, and the Australians - Big Brother and Little Brother.  As we finished our lunch, another group from a church in the area pulled up and offered more goodies.  I got an orange, 4 ginger cookies, and a bag of cheetos.  Double score!  My appetite is definitely in high gear now.  I stopped for 'second lunch' at Ice Water Spring shelter just about 3 miles up from the road.  I also talked to a back-country park ranger for a bit, who was meticulously checking all backpackers for their required permits.  I took a short side trail to snap some great picks at an amazing spot called Charlie's Bunion.  I met Pippy and Bojangles there, and they were nice enough to get a good picture of me standing on the massive rock.  Hiking was pretty easy today, just rolling up and down ridgelines between 5000 and 6000 feet.  The views have been incredible.  In some places the trail is really narrow, on top of a ridge, with massive drops on either side.  Firs, spruce, and other trees and shrubs, cling to the sides of the mountain.  More perfect, sunny weather.  I can imagine this being pretty treacherous in rain/snow/hail.  After a 15 mile day, I pulled in to Pecks Corner shelter.  I thought about pushing on to Tri-Corner Knob, but my sugar fueled afternoon energy had worn off, and I needed to rest.  Pecks was 0.5 off on a side trail, and the water was a few hundred feet down a steep path, but it was a really nice area, at 5555 feet.  An owl hooted several times.  I guess that's my dinner bell.

me on Charlie's Bunion