30 Days on the Trail

April 18, 2011
Tom and Ben started their hike into the most remote section of the trail this week.  This section of the trail passes through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and one must hike more than 40 miles before reaching the first and only highway to cross the AT in the Smokies.  Once at the highway it is 18 miles east to Cherokee, NC or 15 miles west to Gatlinburg, TN.  If a hiker decides not to get off the trail here and resupply, then he would have to hike another 30+ miles out of the national park before hitting another highway.   The highest point along the trail is also in the Smoky Mountain section.  Clingmans Dome has an elevation of 6,643 feet.  Tom and Ben reported that it was very cloudy and there were no good views the day they arrived there. Check out the viewing tower. It's really awesome!

http://web.mst.edu/~mstauter/highpoint/cling.jpg

Yesterday, (Sunday) the boys hiked to the highway and were met by a pick up truck handing out bowls of hot chili, drinks, and fresh apples.  Then the "trail angels" offered rides to any hikers wishing to go into town and get supplies and/or stay the night.  Tom and Ben assessed their current situation and decided they needed more food as they were hiking slower than planned because Ben's injured knee was not improving.  When he called home, Tom informed us that he had purchased a knee brace and additional food supplies and that they were headed back to the trail.  After talking with Ben about his knee, we asked the boys to stay in town for 2 days and give Ben a much needed rest.  Apparently he was having trouble sleeping due to his knee cramping up in the middle of the night.  So they are staying at the Grand Prix motel in Gatlinburg, TN that offers a "hiker" room rate!  Today, the guys are headed to a walk in clinic to have the knee evaluated.

I waited to post this update until I heard back from the guys.  Ben has a bit of fluid on his knee but the x-ray looked fine.  The doc gave him a steroid shot, some pain meds, and more steroids to take for the knee.  He recommended 2-3 days of rest before hitting the trail again.  So I asked Ben what he wanted to do: continue hiking or come home.  He said HIKING!  So they are going to spend another night in Gatlinburg, then they'll hit the trail again on Wednesday.  This week will find them back in the Smokies with a bit more than 30 miles to finish up that section.  Then they will be heading for their next goal of getting to the Standing Bear Farm Hiker Hostel where they have an Easter package awaiting them.  After that they will be aiming for Hot Springs, NC where the AT is marked by special AT diamonds in the sidewalk as the trail passes through the center of town.

Tom also reported that they weighed in last night at the Grand Prix Motel in Gatlinburg.  The motel provides a a scale for hikers to weigh their gear.  Apparently Tom lost 19 lbs and Ben has lost 22 lbs.  Good job guys.