I was right about my prediction of a cold, miserable night. We got smart enough to place our rain coats under our hips to give us a little more insulation from the ground. This helped a bit. Instead of getting cold every 10 minutes and having to flip over, we were able to extend the interval to every 15 minutes. Bottom line, very little sleep. Add in the fact that the cold seems to kick my kidney into high gear and I was up several times to try and give them room to work.
Since we were tired of everyone passing us yesterday, we decided to try a new approach to the day. Actually, it’s more of an old approach. We didn’t hit the trail until 10:30. If everyone is ahead of us, there shouldn’t be anyone left to pass us. This maneuver worked surprisingly well. Only 2 people passed us on the way to the first shelter (and they both stayed in the shelter). This made us the 3rd and 4th hiker in the shelter if we decide to stay—which we did.
Today was the first time I actually questioned if we belonged on the trail. I was sluggish and out of breath. My ankles were in constant pain (from all the slipping and sliding). In retrospect, I was dealing with sleep deprivation. Now that I’m rested up a bit and fed, I feel better once again. But, I can honestly say, I am sick of the snow and cold.
The original plan was to get out of the Smokies in 3 days. Thanks to our short day today, that’s now been extended to 4 days. Bunny was even slower than me and I was doing my Tim Conway shuffle all day. I still think she goes slower, on purpose, than whatever speed I go.
Even though the temperature made it up to 40 (we were hoping for 60s), neither one of us felt it. Finnegan camped next to us last night and took off the same time we did today. He felt the same way. The slushy snow and ice made walking treacherous to these old bodies. Younger people just don’t have the same fear of falling that we old farts do. I’m still amazed seeing young hikers whiz by without any walking sticks or trail spikes. We don’t have spikes, but they would definitely be handy. In another day or two, they will no longer be needed.
A trail runner stopped in at the shelter while we were having lunch. She checked permits and told us there are 10 reservations for tonight. As long as we stay, we will be guaranteed a spot “inside” so that sealed the deal for us. We claimed our spot and got all of our stuff organized. Thru-hikers kept pouring in. Before long, the shelter was full and none of the reservation holders have shown up. We tried to warn everyone, but we are not getting out of the shelter tonight.
We cooked our supper around five and tried to stay up until dark, but as soon as the temperature started to drop, we gave up and went to bed.
EFG