Day 37

Icewater Spring Shelter to Tri-Corner Knob Shelter 12.6 miles – AT mile 223.7

Card of the day – 9 of disks (again)

Last night it became apparent that the privy was screwed closed, it’s full apparently!  How’s that even happen?

Through the night I thought I heard lots of animals around so sleep was hard to come by, but I was comfortable enough.  I’d found a flat bit to set up on.

What I would say is that the simplicity of camp life is a beautiful thing.  It goes a bit like this

You get into camp and say Hi

You find a place to set up your tent

You find water

You eat

You use the privy

You hang your bear bag

Hiker midnight, you go to bed!

I had packed up camp and was ready to set off when two Deer just sauntered in and started nibbling at the scrub, as brazen as any thing and not really caring that I was stood there.  I figure it was those two that were around my tent all night.

I set off on my own about 8.30.  I was lost in my own thoughts and needed some space.

Shortly along the way today was Charlie’s bunion, and what a place it is to contemplate life.  There was a guy sat up there doing just that so I took my selfie and got off.  It was lucky really as the fear of hight’s did not like it either!

Further up the way you find your self once again walking along the ridge.  “Don’t look down” I get ready to shout, but realise I’m on my own, so I may as well just walk on by.

A Chipmunk jumped out at me! Cheeky little thing, nearly scared me half to death.  They kind of remind me of red squirrels that you see in Formby Forest.  Cute little things.

I also saw a grouse type bird but it flew off before I could take a snap.  Hay ho.  Apparently your supposed to see nature in the smokies after all.

I took a pack off break, just there in the middle of no where, and I was just listening to the bird song.  Imagine being somewhere where the only sound is bird song.  We get such little of that time in the modern world.

The one thing about all this hiking is that I’ve had to take another notch off the kilt.  Now I’ve had this kilt since my 2019 Camino, and it’s always been around notch 2 or 3, after all my hikes!  Now I’m down to notch 5 and that’s the last one.  I really need to try find a scales to see just how much weight I’ve lost.

There have been so many interesting and different landscapes today, ancient pine forest, open meadow.  Hard stones and roots but also soft mud.

I sat on a stone outcrop for lunch with a view!  What a day job.  They say the worst day hiking is better than the best day at work, and this view is far from the worst of it.  I still pinch myself that I’m actually out here living this experience.  However for the first time I thought to my self why the hell am I here?  What do I hope to achieve?  What’s the point?  I still don’t really know, but just because it’s there is not really good enough.  I need to find another reason to be here.

One of the things of walking through old pine woods is the smell of the pine!  It’s just so beautiful and reminds me a lot of walks I used to do with my ex which brings up all kind of feelings and emotions.

Any way, that last hill was a killer.  All that crap about being better at hills is clearly a lie!  So don’t listen to me!  These ups still hurt.

When I finally get into camp there was not a lot of camping, so I’m up near the privy! Which is nice, but it’s kinda flat.  I’m out of the smokies soon, and it can’t come soon enough.

I had dinner around 5 when the guys got in.  We chilled for a while and I was in bed by hiker midnight.

Hike, sleep, repeat.