Appalachian Trail, Section Two

The following year (2004) we hit the trail again beginning where we had left off the previous year. Our good friend, Herb, rode with us to Newfound Gap Road and drove our car back to Nashville. The plan for this trip was Newfound Gap in the Smokies to Damascus, VA a distance of about 250 miles. Again, we had the month of September to hike.

Starting our hike at Newfound Gap in the Smokies.  Thanks, Herb, for taking car of our car.

We had not been as diligent about staying in shape as we had the previous year. This was the year we had driven to Alaska and spent much more time in the car and sightseeing than hiking. We paid the price as we suffered through the Smokies. The Smokies are hard even when you’re in the best of condition. But we were in good spirits and were off to a good start. We were staying in the shelters as required. I had my little tent cocoon so I was happy. Some of the shelters had been remodeled which was great, but the others were dark, damp, and dreary. We were going slow, trying to build up some strength and endurance.

Morning break near Mt Guyot in the Smokies

Hurricane Francis was barreling down on North Carolina as we came out of the Smokies at Davenport Gap. We saw signs posted at the trail advising hikers that weather conditions were not favorable for hiking and “do NOT expect to be rescued”. How comforting is that? We were exceedingly glad to be going into Standing Bear Hostel. I, for one, needed a rest and a shower. Plus we could lay over there to wait out the storm if needed.

Davenport Gap Shelter in the Smokies has since been remodeled and the chain link fencing removed.

We took a “0” day at Standing Bear getting our laundry done, taking on another food supply, drying out wet gear, and resting in the sunshine. Numerous checks of the weather channel indicated the storm was still several days away, so we took an extra day’s food and hit the trail. We were able to get in 2 days of hiking before the storm hit. That second day was long and hard in the rain. The next day was a “0” day at Roaring Fork Shelter as we waited for Hurricane Francis to do her thing.

On the eleventh day of the trip we hiked down into Hot Springs, NC in glorious sunshine. I was doing laundry when Gene checked the email and we learned that my mother was in the hospital after a fall which had broken her hip. She had been hiking on Mt. Katahdin in Maine when she fell. I will not even begin to speculate why, at age 80, she was hiking a mountain rated Class 2, Strenuous by the Yosemite Decimal System for rating hikes and climbs. In any event, we were off the trail and heading to Nashville.

Waiting for the Greyhound Bus.  That was an all new experience, also.

I cannot praise Bluff Mountain Outfitters enough for their assistance in getting us out of Hot Springs and on our way to Tennessee. They took back some of the food we had bought for our next section and found us a shuttle to Knoxville where we got the Greyhound to Nashville. Instead of a month and 250 miles on the trail, we were out for 11 days and hiked 67 miles.