Mar 27

DAY #24
START LOCATION: Newfound Gap/Gatlinburg, TN
FINISH LOCATION: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
TODAY'S MILEAGE: 15.6
TRIP MILEAGE: 220.3
MILES TO GO: 1,958.8

I'll start with this... Today's hike was by far the most visually
stunning of this trip. It was also the most disaster defying. I'll
come back to these.

Cornpatch and I met some great guys who were road tripping from
Indiana. The "Lincoln Brothers" were headed to Newfound Gap from
Gatlinburg and were going to do some day hiking. We all picked
probably the best overall weather of the the trip as well. Anyway...
The Lincoln Brothers were great, hospitable company for the 15 mile
ascent to Newfound. When we got out, we got a pic together at the
norhtbound AT mileage sign reading 1,972 miles to Katahdin Maine. The
first Katahdin mileage sign of the trip. They wished us the best and
made known their desire to join us out there. I hope they get the
chance, especially after the views we were treated to today.

After some hilarity resulting from Cornpatch's new mascots... The
squeaky pirate themed rubber chicken and his new stuffed bear's head
hat... We reached what I'm standing by as the most magnificent spot
I've seen on the trail yet... Charlie's Bunion. The name does not lend
itself to magnificence. As a matter of fact it sounds miserable.
Almost as bad as the Sweat Heifer Trail. It's a knobby protruding rock
vista. Its exposure, its elevation, the perfect blue sky and the ice
coated trees just made it a stellar overlook. Tons of pics taken.

But after that, about 4 miles in, the trail turned evil... This is
where the disaster defiance comes in. The trail out of Charlie's
Bunion traversed a 60 degree sheer face of the mountain for about a
mile. The face sloped down to our left hundreds of feet. The trail
was also buried beneath a 2 foot snowpack. The rain that had fallen
the day before was iced ontooi the tree branches and the sun had begun
sending the ice chunks off the branches and onto the trail. Loose ice,
a sheer drop and only snow beneath our feet ground us down to a nerve
racking crawl across the ridge. It cost us so much time that darkness
almost beat us to the shelter tonight. In all, we lived. But, wow did
we earn our spectacular views today.

After that we were all business... It was about getting to Tri-corner
knob before darkness. Reason being... sub freezing temps forecast
tonight, 6,000 foot elevation and thunderstorms forecast tomorrow
afternoon. We need to get down and out o the Smokies fast before that
storm. A 15 miles day was a must. And my body responded. I felt
fantastic today. The zero in Gatlinburg was perfect. Got us good
weather today and got me the rest I needed to power through what ended
up being the toughest but most spectacular day in the Smokies.

Our days of fighting snowpacks and freezing temps are coming to an end
as we leave this amazing national park. I'm absolutely thrilled with
how it's gone so far. Five days to get across the Smokies with all the
snow. Cornpatch and I were gushing about it today. But now we are
ready for the spring and smoother faster trails. Bring it.

-natedog