Day 17 - Mar 9

I did not sleep good last night. I woke up to feathers from my down sleeping bag scattered across the bunk. At some point during the night, probably when I got up to use the bathroom, mice has gnawed through my sleeping bag and started taking down for their nests. The great smokies have been wonderful, the shelters have not. 

I woke up as a red line started to ascend over the distant mountain tops. As I cooked oatmeal and ate my last poptart the sky quickly filled up with bright orange, red, and yellow hues. The smokies sent us on our way with one last gift. 

We arrived at davenport gap around 1130 am. having hiked around 8 miles since the time we left camp slightly after sunrise. We arrived at the gap we were blessed by a famous trail angel by the name of freshgrounds. 

As most of you dont know who freshgrounds is or what a trail angel is, he is someone who supports thru hikers free of charge, whether with food or simply taking our trash. Now, freshgrounds is leagues above most trail angels. I had dearly hoped that at some point on the trail we would meet him.

After introducing ourselves and thanking him for the incredible work he does, it was time to get serious. It was time.... to eat! 

Over the course of two hours, the following food was consumed:

10 strips of bacon, 4 sausages, 4 eggs, 2 plates of potatoes, 2 slices of toast, 2 apples, 2 bananas, 1 orange, and a burrito full of beef, onions, lettuce, and tomatoes. 

At the time of writing this blog, 9pm, I have not eaten or had the need to eat since being fed by freshgrounds. 

The only bad part of the day was walking a mile uphill after eating that much food. I've never struggled to do such a simple task before. To make matters worse, it was nearly 70 degrees today. Our mountain cooled bodies were not ready for such heat. I sweated like a pig going uphill for that mile but boy you bet I didnt regret eating real food. 

The rest of the day was spent lounging around at standing bear hostel, treating blisters, stretching, and talking to other hikers. When it was time to go to bed we walked .2 miles away from the shelter and set up camp next to a creek. It cost 25 dollars if we wanted to sleep at the hostel. We have both been desperately wanting to sleep in our tents again and not around other people, plus I'm just not gonna spend 25 dollars to sleep near 20 other people. 

I'm looking forward to the following weeks to come. Now that the smokies are done, my goal is to get to virginia, roughly 200 miles away. 

The way our pace is shaping up, we should be hitting Virginia late march, potentially around the 25th or maybe slightly later. We have been making great time so far and I'm very pleased with our mileage. 

In terms of how we feel physically, we actually are doing great. Our feet hurt for the last 3 or so miles each day but that's just an occupational hazard. My ankle is almost completely healed, and both our knees have been doing well, especially considering all the down hill hiking we have been doing recently. 

I believe 10% of the trail or more is done now.... I still cannot believe that I am out here doing what I'm doing every single day. 

Upcoming week looks like rain but who cares, not the first nor last time I'll get rained on, life goes on. 

Hope everyone reading and following along is doing well. Thanks for coming along for the ride. 

Goodnight,

Tyler M.