Through the Smokies

My last post was from the Nantahala Outdoor Center, just prior to entering the nation’s most visited national park, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I spent a few days hiking through the park and am now about 40 miles beyond the northern boundary, spending the night at the Laughing Heart Hostel in Hot Springs, North Carolina. I got into town early for a massive breakfast (eggs, bacon, hash browns and pancakes) at the Smoky Mountain Diner (same place I visited as a south-bounder back in 2015), did my resupply, shower, tent-drying and laundry chores and still have a few hours before turning in for the night so I’m here at the Hot Springs Public Library using their computer to write up this post. I’ll hike out again early tomorrow morning and I think my next stop will be Erwin, Tennessee, possibly to stay at Uncle Johnny’s Hostel near there. I’ve also uploaded a number of new videos to my YouTube channel (see videos 11-21) so feel free to check those if you’re interested.

A couple of items to note since my last post. I’m now about 275 miles into the hike and my feet are doing great- no significant pain, no blisters. Given that we’ve been hiking in steady, cold rain the past few days I’m quite happy my feet are responding so well. My right knee has bothered me a bit so I’ve continued to wear the knee brace I pinched from Wendy and it seems to be helping in a preventative way providing needed stability. A couple of nights ago I was escaping the rain staying at the Standing Bear Farm Hikers’ Hostel (I stayed in the bunkhouse pictured in the link) and around 5:30 p.m. someone opened the bunkhouse door asking “Is there a Maxheap in here?” to which I responded and in bounded Chickenfat, one of my hiker family from the Continental Divide Trail in 2019! He’s also a triple crown hiker and was hiking nearby, having earlier the same day set the new FKT (fastest known time) for the Benton MacKaye trail. He had heard some day hikers describing someone they’d met on trail named Max and he realized it was me so he got them to drive to Standing Bear to see if I had stopped there!

Some days ago I took my first “zero” of this hike, a day with no hiking (thus, zero miles). I spent the zero in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. In my estimation, Gatlinburg has to be in the running for the strangest trail town on any of the triple crown trails. Given that it is accessible from Newfound Gap- an approximate mid-point of the walk through the Smokies- it is a natural resupply and rest point for many hikers, as the Smokies present an early challenge before many hikers have developed their “trail legs.” But unlike other towns frequented by hikers, Gatlinburg mainly serves a very different clientele. The town is a throwback to the old school big-tourism destination with all of the attendant unique attractions, brightly colored snacks and souvenir bric-a-brac. The streets of the small town pulsate with sticky-handed masses who browse overtly christian shops and queue up in long lines in front of the various pancake houses in town each morning. The quality of people-watching is on par with my personal gold standard: the Minnesota State Fair. Needless to say, for hikers adjusting to the rhythms of life in the woods, it presents weird.

Well, I think that about covers it for now. Thanks for following along and I’ll post again soon. Love and best wishes, Max