Another decent day of weather- with cold rain predicted for the afternoon and the following day.
Took this early morning picture of what turned out to be a tent village- the most crowded site so far but all the people were nice as seems to be the norm.
Thought you’d enjoy the bird sounds on this early morning trek- It’s one reason I haven’t yet had my earbuds in so far-but I’m sure I will at some point; I’m not that much of a purist!
I stopped by this tree for a drink and short rest; this fat little bird deliberately hopped up all the way to the top of this branch and took a long look at me -right next to me- and began to sing to me. (Again, folks, I’m sober as a judge out here.). I sat there and listened and watched him and then moved on—and he was still singing.
More tree clams. I can’t figure it out.
Got to Clingman’s Dome, the highest point on the AT. Then took a very reasonably priced shuttle into Gatlinburg with Doodge, Fastlane, and Forest Gump. We stayed overnight and resupplied. Before we left, since this was the 200 mile mark, someone did the usual rock numbers for us to take a picture of.
You know what they say about the Appalachian Trail- if someone makes it the first 200 miles the odds go way up that they’ll love being warm and dry.
AT 102: Shuttle Driver Stories. There is a small and neat cottage industry of shuttle drivers who take Thru-Hikers into resupply points that are proximate to the Trail; a lot of these are former Thru-Hikers and some church groups do it as well. So, on the rides, we hear stories from the drivers: “Just dropped off a guy and his wife back on the Trail. She’s on her 6th pair of trekking poles! She keeps losing them and he keeps buying more for her!”
While we were digesting this astonishing fact I wondered aloud if it would be cheaper for him to just divorce her and everyone laughed.
Another one: “I got a guy in here who just bought 22 cheeseburgers and had ’em in his pack. He said he was tired of hiker food! He said he’ll use them to trade with on the Trail also. I asked him how long they’ll last and he said forever- because of the preservatives!”
So, we got into Gatlinburg.
Shower. Laundry. Sleep.
Penultimate 