Day 17 - 4/27/10
It rained throughout the night but by 7:30 when I woke up it had stopped. It even looked like the sun might poke through. Wrong!! I was out by 8:15 and within 2 hours it started pouring again. Man the Smokies just wouldn't quit. I only had about 9 miles left of them, but they didn't want me to leave without a memorable farewell.
I hiked with Not Worthy most of the morning, but when we hit Davenport Gap Shelter he stopped and I pressed on. I didn't want to stay in the rain longer than I had too. It was only about 1.5 miles to I-40, so when I got there if felt kind of strange crossing near an area where cars and tractor trailer trucks are going 60 miles an hour down the road. After I-40 Standing Bear was only a mile up the trail, but it couldn't come soon enough. I was beyond soaked, after 2 days of solid rain there was no way I wouldn't be. Finally I see the sign and run up the hill to the hostel.
Standing Bear is great. I've been here for over 4 hours now and I'm happy to say I'm dry, clothes are cleaned and dry (I washed them on one of those old timey washboards myself!), I'm full (people are sharing all this awesome food, one guy made amazing potato/bacon soup), and relieved. The smokies are behind me, and according to the forecast the next 3 days should be sunny, which means the trip to Hot Springs (the next town--30 miles away) is sure to be a great time. I haven't been able to air out my tent yet, but I will hopefully be doing so tomorrow somewhere along the trail.
A few last things. My maildrop was awesome! All these great snacks and food! I haven't had this much stuff in my foodbag since Springer. Thanks Mom! Standing Bear Farm Hostel is grade A gold. If you are going through this way, stop in. The guy who owns it set up this sweet little grocer/resupply place in a shed. It's decked out with food, snacks, smaller end gear, hygenic supplies, etc. It's really handy. I actually bought a 1.00 nailclipper and trimmed my nails for the first time since I left Maine almost 3 weeks ago. Ian, I tried the stuffing recipe at my house before I left for the trip and I loved it. I made it once while on the trail, but haven't been able to get all the ingredients together since. I will hopefully be making it again soon. If you have any other trail recipes, let me know. And I saw that Nemo is now sponsoring your PCT trip. Sick! I do have to say at first my tent was a little difficult to set up, but man I love it now. So much space, so light, and set up has become a sinch. Thanks for steering me toward that purchase.
Anyway, that's all from me. My time on the comp is up. Not sure where I'll be tomorrow, just know that I'll be back on the trail. Can't wait.
Total miles: 238.8 (not sure if this is right, I don't have my book handy.)
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Yeah Coon Cat you got your mail drop. Give me an address for the next one and I'll try to find some of those SB singles and some nutella. So glad you made it out of the smokies in one piece. Too bad it had to rain for most of it. But better weather is up ahead with new adventures. You are making great mileage. I wonder if we drove by that little stretch of I-40 where you went to get to standing bear. We did drive on I-40 for a little bit. Take care and love you, Mom
ReplyDeleteI hope you took a picture washing your clothes on that old timey washboard, that's cool! Isn't it weird to think you crossed I-40 where only a year and a half ago we drove right by. Glad to see you made it out of the Smokies in one piece, the lack of update and/or text made me nervous. I got my map today (which is almost as tall as me when you unfurl it), so I'm going to hang it up here in the apartment. That way Lani and I can follow you. Speaking of Lani, she is sitting in front of the tv watching a cvs commercial right now....haha, you would think it's cute. Love you Danny, can't wait to hear your voice again!
ReplyDeleteLove, Jen
Glad I could help, and as much as I would like to say that you won't get wet again, I have to say you're lucky it was only 2 days!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy, and make sure to throw wood in that heater in the bunk room at night, or it WILL get cold.
Oh, and as for recipes, you can't get any simpler than a packet of instant mashed potatoes. The best is Idahoian, they come in tons of flavors and are super easy to make. Throw in a handful of packaged bacon bits and you're all set! All major grocery stores along the trail will have it all
ReplyDeleteOut of the Smokies...what a milestone. Great job Dan. The black flies are out up here; wonderng if you have had any trouble with pesky bugs. Seems like all that rain might bring out the mosquitos. I love your stories of the comradarie on the trail. Safe travels!
ReplyDeleteThis morning I spoke with my buddy in Jefferson (north of Mt Washington, west of the Berlin/Gorham area), and they got over a foot of snow, and expecting maybe 5 more inches! There are 16,000 in VT with no power, and a bunch in NH also. And to think that I've mowed my lawn twice already! Crazy NH weather. This weekend is looking like 70's and 80's. The other day I was grilling up some red snappers, and thinking about you. Keep on truckin'
ReplyDeleteUncle G