Day 14 - Mar 6

The wind howled on the ridge above us all night. Thankfully we were 200 yards below the ridge. Sadly, at 8 am when we started walking again, we got the joy of walking up the ridge into the wind.

Everyone wakes up differently, some like coffee, tea, or maybe a nice shower. Let me tell you, no matter what you think, there is no quicker way to wake up in the morning than having a 15 degree wind blast you in the face. That is simply the truth.

We spent the majority of the day above 4000 feet. We climbed two 5000 footers with the most memorable one being thunderhead mountain. At its false summit you had a 360 degree view. Even with it being a cloudy day we could still see layers of mountains in the distance.

Today was a solid day of progress. We went from birch spring campsite to Derrick knob shelter. Totalling about 17.5 miles for the day.

When we arrived here at the shelter a few guys had a fire roaring which was such a welcomed surprise for our chilled bodies. After sitting around the fire for an hour or so I realised it was past my bedtime so I got into bed at 705.

I am looking forward to tomorrow for a few reasons. First, tomorrow should be warmer and the sun should even come out. We will also go over clingmans dome tomorrow which is not only the highest peak on the AT, but also the 200 mile mark. It feels like just yesterday we walked over mount albert and hit 100, now we are at 200... time flies when you're having fun I guess.

One thing to note about the tempurature. I am very warm 95% of the time. I have excellent gear and I am rather conditioned to the cold. The 5% is simply when I am either waking up and am not generating the same amount of body heat as I would if I was walking or when I am changing clothes to put something warmer on. I dont want anyone to think that I am hyperthermic out here whenever I make a comment about the cold. All I'm saying is that the air is very cold, and I have made the right adjustments to stay warm despite the temp.

After tomorrow the smokies will be more than half way done. I hope we will continue to get amazing views.

Goodnight,
Tyler M