A Perfect Morning

I woke up this morning to the sound of birds singing. My new friends Mule and 5 pound had this awesome app that will tell you what kind of bird it is based on the sound of their song. The morning was brisk, but I packed up quickly and hit the trail in shorts and a sun hoodie. Most of the time, unless it’s in the 30s, I don’t put on extra clothes in the morning because I find myself stopping a quarter mile into my day to take them off.

Hurricane

There was obvious evidence of Hurricane Helene in this section. There were frequent downfalls on the trail that required either climbing over or detouring around. Today was a hard day with a steep descent in the morning down to a creek where the trail crossed on a bridge. I wish I had brought my fishing pole when I saw this creek. The trail then took me back up 2000 feet. That climb was a hard one. After the climb, I walked along a ridge for a few hundred feet before starting another massive descent.

Private swimming hole

The descent took me to an epic campsite that had its own private swimming hole. Campsite 47 in GSMNP, I highly recommend.I immediately jumped in and was caught off guard by the bone-chilling water. I didn’t stay in long, but I washed my stinky armpits and my face. I then had a nice Lunch break consisting of half a pound of ham and some cheese. The bugs were interested in my food, and the flies were quite bothersome. When I was retrieving water, I saw a family of vibrant butterflies.

Laid back afternoon

Then it was a 1200-foot climb during which I almost stepped on a snake.

Are you seeing the pattern here? Down, up, down, up, with maybe a quarter mile of flat in between. Once the climb was finished, it sent me right back down. This time, 2400 feet down into my campsite. My knee didn’t feel great at first, but I felt great the last 2 miles going into Camp. My tentsite was just feet away from a beautiful creek that was flowing strongly. I made it to camp early in the day, so I spent my afternoon listening to an episode of Backpacker Radio. I enjoyed my beans and also had a Starcrunch and some Peanut Butter for some extra calories. Tonight’s tick check was a success with no ticks being found. I rolled out with my massage ball and hit a deep stretch before climbing into my tent. I was still wondering how this was the Southern Appalachians. To me it felt like I was in the middle of a Jungle.