4/2 Zero Day in Gatlinburg, Tennessee
I ate a filling breakfast in the hotel of pancakes, cereal, fruit and granola bars. Then I explored Gatlinburg. I really enjoyed the NOC outfitter there. Not only did they have a great selection of gear; my favorite part of the store was their book section. I spent a while in a rocking chair in the store reading about the Smoky Mountain scenery and fantasized about all the things that I love to cook at home while reading the NOC’s own cookbook.
I dedicated a few hours to face timing with family and friends. Hearing their words of encouragement energized me. Our group ate dinner at a barbecue restaurant and I got a large cup of Kilwins ice cream as a treat afterwards. The river running straight through town and all of the gardens along the sidewalks in town were very pretty. I wouldn’t rush back to Gatlinburg though; it was too touristy for my liking.
4/3 Gatlinburg to Peck’s Corner Shelter (11 miles)
The day didn’t start as planned. We showed up to the NOC hoping to ride the free 8:30 AM shuttle back to Newfound Gap, only to find out that the road into the national park was closed and nobody could drive up there. Idle time in town kind of sucks, especially when you’re geared up and ready to hike. I passed time hanging out at the NOC and reading the first section of Walking Home by Lucy and Susan Letcher. It’s the sequel to the book about their southbound thru hike, Southbound, which I read right before starting my thru hike.
We finally got back to Newfound Gap at around 2 PM. The day’s hike was relatively flat and had great views from Charlie’s Bunion and numerous outlooks along the trail. I felt a bit out of it in Gatlinburg, and was becoming restless in the morning while waiting to come back to the trail. Within minutes of beginning to hike I felt back in my element. My best purchase in Gatlinburg was a pair of wired headphones. I didn’t realize how much I was missing music and podcasts. I downloaded the audiobook Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. I don’t like listening to anything while I hike, but it will be nice to have some entertainment at night before going to sleep.
The view from Charlie’s Bunion!
4/4 Peck’s Corner Shelter to Cosby Knob Shelter (13 miles)
This was one of the prettiest stretches of trail that I’ve ever hiked on. I was in awe of the verdant forest with its mossy floors, and appreciative of the flat dirt path as opposed to the rocky terrain I’ve grown accustomed to on the AT. I think that backpacking Newfound to Davenport Gap (with a possible addition of Kuwohi) would be a great backpacking trip. I noticed lots of white and yellow wildflowers, and a wonderful smell coming from one of the plants of the forest (with my limited flora and fauna knowledge I’m guessing it’s coming from the pine trees).
4/5 Cosby Knob Shelter to Groundhog Creek Shelter (18 miles)
The descent to Davenport Gap went quickly. I hiked past a wide stream with a few cascades in it. As I approached the bridge under I-40, I saw rafters heading onto the Pigeon River. The river was a prime swimming spot but I continued on so as to not fall behind the group. I quickly regretted that decision and decided that I will never pass on an opportunity to swim again. It was strange walking past an interstate. I laughed at the cars sitting still in traffic and reflected that I might not experience traffic over the next five months.
I took a lunch break at Standing Bear Farm. I would love to go back and stay there sometime. It has an idyllic setting, with colorful flowers and a stream running through the middle of the property.
Today was the hottest day yet – over 80 degrees and sunny. The climb to Snowbird Peak was brutal. I had to stop, submerge my shirt in a stream and put it back on to cool off. It was another summit with great views. I clearly saw Max Patch where I’m headed tomorrow; a bald which offers some of the best views of the Smokies on a clear day.
The shelter had a wonderful stream where I rinsed off the day’s sweat and soaked my feet in the cold water.
Rinsing off at the end of the day.
The stream on the descent to Davenport Gap.
4/6 Groundhog Creek Shelter to Garenflo Gap (19 miles)
It rained lightly all day but it was warm so I hiked in a t-shirt and shorts. It was cloudy but the views on Max Patch were still great. The mountains all appeared in bluish-gray hues and in some places I could see beyond three layers of mountains in the range.
I backpacked from Max Patch to Hot Springs with my mom in 2021. I felt glad to be in familiar territory. I was surprised at how little of the scenery and trail I remember – either because it was almost four years ago or I just pay more attention to my surroundings now. I marveled at the hiking shape that I’m in now. Today I probably tripled the distance and elevation gain that I did on the first day of that trip in 2021.
Max Patch!
4/7 Garenflo Gap to Spring Mountain Shelter (18 miles)
During my descent into Hot Springs, I took a quick detour to look at Deer Park Mountain Shelter. My mom and I camped there in 2021. I remembered vividly exactly where we camped, and remembered how in the middle of the night she woke me up to go outside and set up a tarp over our tent because the rain was splashing and getting us wet.
I grew increasingly excited along the descent. I was looking forward to being in a town where I created special memories years ago. My memory continued to serve me well for the rest of the morning. Everything from the Laughing Heart Hostel to the other edge of town (it’s a short town) was familiar.
If you didn’t already know, Hurricane Helene devastated the town of Hot Springs. Bluff Mountain Outfitters somehow managed to relocate and open in a new space before this hiking season. Many of the other businesses were completely destroyed and are still in bad shape today. I remembered a peaceful dinner at Spring Creek Tavern with my mom in 2021, overlooking the French Broad River from their patio. That very patio was nowhere to be seen today. The storm completely washed it away. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Hot Springs community. It was upsetting to walk through ground zero of such dramatic hurricane damage. On the bright side, I spoke with the staff at the outfitter and was glad to hear that those businesses are rebuilding and hoping to open back up soon. The Smoky Mountain Diner was one of the few restaurants open. I treated myself to a delicious and extremely filling lunch there before leaving town.
The trail meandered right along the French Broad past the other edge of town, and then climbed up steeply. I caught a few last views of Hot Springs from the cliffs above. A cool, light rain fell all afternoon and it quickly became misty for the rest of my hike. Initially I planned to camp closer to town, but Early Bird told me that he was at the shelter 11 miles from town. I changed plans and set my sights on catching up with him at the shelter. I made good time, got to catch up with him and meet a few other thru hikers at the shelter.
Something that I’ve struggled with in my life is fitting in. Often, I feel very different from my peers. I either struggle to try to sculpt myself into someone who will fit in with them, or I give up trying and resign myself to loneliness or a feeling of disconnection. I’ve felt those feelings on this hike. Overcoming them might be the pivotal lesson that I learn through this journey.
In Brother Bear, Kenai receives the emblem of the Bear from his tribe. It symbolizes love and is meant to guide him through life. I am working on loving myself more for who I am. I keep telling myself, “it’s ok Jared. It’s ok that you’re different. You don’t need to put pressure on yourself to fit in. You are out here to enjoy this time. Follow your heart and do what makes you happy.” I repeat this mantra in various forms in my head all the time. Like Kenai, I hope to emerge from this experience more in tune and accepting of where my heart is calling me. It takes a lot for me to open up and share this. If you are reading this, know that I intended for these blog posts to be a very candid picture of what hiking the AT is like. There are ups and downs. I hope that maybe you can relate to these feelings and grow with me through this journey.
Where my love of backpacking started! My first backpacking trip was with Blue Ridge Hiking Company in 2021.
The view of Hot Springs after passing through.
4/8 Spring Mountain Shelter to Jerry’s Cabin Shelter (16 miles)
This morning I met the infamous Southern Cookie Lady, Peggy (who I had only learned about a few days prior). She lives on a dirt road several hundred feet from where the AT crosses it. She invites all hikers to her porch, where she hands out free, freshly made cookies. Today she gave out peanut butter cookies. For donating $10 towards the Hot Springs library restoration project, she even gave me one of the best, homemade cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting that I’ve ever had. I chatted with her about how I love to bake at home, and she gave me her secret cinnamon roll recipe. It was a wonderful mid-morning boost.
I had lunch with Early Bird at a shelter and dried out all of my soaked gear. I’m really glad to be back at the same pace as him. We hiked in the afternoon and hit mile 300 together. Early Bird is kind and fun to be around – a perfect example was when he pulled out five extra peanut butter cookies which he bought from Peggy and gave to all of the younger hikers in our group at camp that night.
It got very cold today and is supposed to go down into the twenties tonight. Cold temperatures require extra precautions on trail, such as sleeping with your water filter in your sleeping bag so that it doesn’t freeze. I also put my battery bank and phone in the sleeping bag because I heard that they lose charge quickly in the cold. I’m hoping that soon the weather starts warming up. We’ve been teased with some warm days but cold weather is still lingering.
Peggy and I!
Early Bird and I at mile 300!
4/9 Jerry’s Cabin Shelter to Stealth Tentsite (19 miles)
This morning was chilly but it quickly turned into a gorgeous day – temperatures in the sixties and a clear sky. I filmed shots all day for a day in the life video that I’m going to post on my Instagram. We stumbled upon a cooler with trail magic and I got a Pop tart and Rice Krispie Treat. I hiked all morning and ate lunch with Bugs, Early Bird and Beats.
I had a good conversation with Early Bird and he said something which resonates with me: you have to be lucky on and off the trail to successfully thru hike the AT. Not only do you have to navigate physical obstacles and avoid injuries on trail, but a family event or other obligations off trail could easily pull you away from your journey. This was a good reminder for me to be grateful for my loved ones’ health.
This is the first night that I have a tentsite to myself. Our group dispersed towards the end of the day but we’re all meeting back up tomorrow. It’s peaceful being by myself amongst all the sounds and sights of nature. It’s been awfully “loud” on my hike so far due to the higher concentration of hikers near the start of the trail. Some quiet, private time is a nice change sometimes. The site had an abnormally good signal so I was able to fully edit and post the day in the life video on the same day that I recorded it!
My tentsite and I.
4/10 Stealth Tentsite to Uncle Johnny’s Hostel in Erwin, TN (23 miles)!
In the morning I climbed Big Bald and had one of my favorite views of the entire hike so far. There was an orange/yellow haze above the mountains and in one spot I could see four layers of mountains behind each other. I hiked through a hillside that must have had thousands of fallen trees. It must have taken so much work for trail crews to clear the hurricane damage and make the trail passable for this season.
I initially planned on stopping at a shelter and hiking the final 6 miles into Erwin tomorrow. I got to that shelter at 2:30 PM, Early Bird brought up the idea of pushing to Erwin, and the thought of a bed and shower was irresistible. Early Bird, Beats and I pushed all the way to Uncle Johnny’s and now we get to enjoy a full zero tomorrow. I’ve been ramping up miles and feeling very strong. I’m optimistic that I can start averaging around 20 miles per day.
At the hostel, I did laundry, hung out with some hikers who I hadn’t seen for a while, and took the best shower of the whole hike so far. My clothes and I were smelling pretty bad! From the hostel you can also see where the bridge across the Nolichucky River was wiped out during the hurricane.
The view from Big Bald!
4/11 Zero day in Erwin
We shuttled to the food store in town to resupply in the morning. Then I tried Bojangles for the first time. I had a bacon, egg and cheese on a biscuit and brought a chicken tender meal back to the hostel for lunch.
I had a relaxing afternoon at the hostel. I spoke with family and took a short nap, taking advantage of a comfortable mattress.
In the evening I got the best trail magic I’ll probably have of my whole hike. I’ve kept up with my friend Tanner over the past couple years. He guided my mom and I on a backpacking trip on the Art Loeb Trail in 2022. He lives in the area and offered to do some trail magic for me. He picked Beats, Early Bird, Skyscraper and I up from the hostel and took us out to dinner at Los Jalapeños Mexican restaurant in town. Their guacamole was delicious and I got a huge burrito for my main dish. I loved catching up with him and hearing tales from his thru hike. Thanks for the trail magic French Press! Back at the hostel I had a whole pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream for dessert.
French Press and I outside Los Jalapeños!
