Day 28 – Gatlinburg, Here I Come!

Day 28

Start: Mt. Collins Shelter

End: Newfound Gap

Miles Hiked: 4.9

Miles on AT: 207.9

I woke up early today around 5:15, used the privy, then laid down for a bit before starting to pack up at 6:10. Billy Bob is usually up early, so he was there to eat breakfast with me. Towards the end, a few more people started showing up and the sky got lighter. I was itching to make progress, so I said my goodbyes and hit the trail around 7:10 am.

Town Day! Eager and excited to get food and to see my fiance again, I was more than ready to get these 5 miles done. Hiking so early in the morning was a real treat. The cool, fresh, morning air enveloped me and the birds were singing their morning songs. It felt like the whole world wasn’t yet quite awake, instead sleepily stretching and preparing to sit up out of bed.

The morning passed uneventfully. I traversed through the beautiful mossy world before the terrain changed again. I could hear a road to the right of me and felt like I was getting close. A stone wall emerged from the ground; as I turned the corner, a parking lot full of cars and tourists appeared. I made it! It was 9:24 am.

Newfound Gap wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I thought it was just a highway crossing. Instead, it was a full on viewpoint full of information boards, view points, and historical markers. And the view of the mountains was amazing.

I had some time to kill before my ride arrived, so I ate a snack while soaking in the mountains. Tourists and other thru-hikers milled around me. I chatted with a few here and there, sharing my story and hearing theirs.

Soon, my ride arrived and to Gatlinburg I went. The drive through the rest of Great Smoky National Park was breathtaking. The mountains stood so high and as we weaved through them, there were a number of convenient places for people to pull off and take pictures or hop on a trail.

Once in Gatlinburg, my #1 priority was to take a shower. After that, it was to eat food. I had a great BBQ sandwich meal and left the restaurant uncomfortably full. As I waddled through town, the sheer degree to which this place was a tourist trap struck me. There were animatronics and weird attractions everywhere; it wasn’t at all what I expected Gatlingburg to be.

Lastly, I needed to get some chores done, so I stopped by the NOC to pick up a new jacket and replace my current one, which was shedding plastic everytime I looked at it. I finally made it back to the hotel and laid down to rest my bones.

From chatting with the fiance, it seems that he will be able to make it back on trail tomorrow for the next leg of the Smokies. I can’t wait! I’m so happy we’re reunited.

And that’s day 28.

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