Smokys Trip Report: was Re: [at-l] How Cold can it get on the AT in the South?

--- woodelf@juno.com wrote:
> Very true. A few years ago a young woman died from exposure in the Mt.
> Rogers Recreation area during an "average winter storm". She and her male
> companion were not prepared, Chase was there during this same storm and
> had a great time. Winter can be very unforgiving. Be prepared and know
> your limitations. Even with this in mind never forget the unexpected can
> still kill you, even in relatively mild southern winters.> 
> woodelf 
> 
> On Thu, 23 Nov 2000 20:46:51 -0500 "David Hicks" <daveh@usit.net> writes:
> SNIP example of how not to trust the "normals" or "averages" lows 
> > for long range planning.
> 
### (Sloetoe pipes in from under the blanket)
Winter "unforgiving"? "The unexpected" in "relatively mild southern
winters"?
Hoooooo, like you don't knowwwwwww, Mr. Elfage! As my hands defrost, I'll
try to tell a tale (some parts true) of the Stitches and the Toe (highly
under-cheesed) and the winds that blow cold on top of Ol' Smoky. (I see
close to 500 emails to run through, so forgive if I repeat someone's
stuff.)
I packed for this trip expecting 20-40*F, with some margin for ... the
unexpected.

Monday, 11/20 XX*F, 9 miles, roughly. Fontana --> Mollies Ridge Shelter.
Stitches and I [insert pre-trip adventures] hit the trail 10:40 Monday
morning. Dang cold. Dang windy. Dang. Fell asleep while walking. Dang. At
one rest stop, snored self awake; that was interesting. ["NOT!"] [Ref.
pre-trip adventures.] Did I mention it was cold? 

Tuesday, 11/21 08*F, 12.4m. MRS --> Derrick Knob Shelter. Eight
f-f-finger-sticking-to-fuel-bottle degrees. All clothes on, in 20* bag; bag
wet from condensation from fleece worn all day. [A theme to be repeated.]
Legs {tight on a good day} won't work. Dang. Feet slip alot in uneven snow
cover; uphills SUCK. Dang. Too cold to sit for rest stop; hot lunch works
nicely; too cold to "cook" dinner; GORP looses all flavor below freezing.
Started day by forgetting to make coffee: badddddd moooooooovvve. Actually,
nice views from Rocky Top, etc. -- never saw this stuff on my throughhike.

Wednesday, 11/23 11*F, 13.5m. DKS --> Mt. Collins Shelter. Nasty night's
rest in wet bag, again. Stitches asks "Howz de leggs?" through the day. I
answer honestly "BEAT TO CRAP!" [Ed. note: I raise whining to operatic
levels.] But it's been warming all day, and it's probably 20*F, and toward
Clingman's, you're getting plenty of windbreak help from the new [and
young] pines, and if you manage physical movement and fuel just right, it's
getting more than tolerable. We see the sunset from Clingman's (well,
*that* visit was brief!), and after walking through the "Winter Wonderland"
of powdery, powdery snow in close-quarters spruce, make Mt. Collins by
8:00pm or so. [Tech. note: You *can* night-hike with a Photon. Recommended
in snow. NOT recommended w/o snow {see next day's entry}.] Tried to con
Stitches into the additional stagger down to Newfound, where we could cop a
ride into G'Burg and hit a jacuzzi to warm "our" [my]
frozen-tight-as-a-drum leggs, but she would have none of it. Note to
night-hikers: do NOT challenge Stitches to a night hike -- she has owl
eyes.

Thursday, 11/23. 24*F, 14.9m. Mt.C -->Peck's Corner Shelter. I wrote in the
Mt. Collin's register "I never thought I'd write 'balmy' and '24*' in the
same sentence." After another restless wet night, woke to find things just
about perfect with the world. Snow was white, white, white and Hollywood
fluffy, and just cold enough to behave nicely underfoot. [FINALLY.] Hit
Newfound Gap and brushed teeth for first time in memory. [FINALLY.] Funny,
but no B.O.! Hmmmm. Happy Thanksgiving! Left around noon; POG passed
through around two. [....] Big hot lunch at over-rednecked Icewater
Springs. Actually went without a hat OR balaclava (when uphill hiking).
Managed to walk in shirtsleeves for some miles -- whoa! -- can actually
manage heat/clothing!!! Left Icewater around 3-ish, got great shots from
Charlies Bunion (for first time in 4 visits), and had EXTRAORDINARY
views/hiking through sunset and early darkness through the Sawteeth, Laurel
Top, and Bradley's View. Holy COW! what neat stuff -- I hope the camera
caught half of it. Walking along, seeing the city lights of Gatlinburg to
the "west"; walk a quarter mile and to the "east", Cherokee is laid out
below; another quarter mile, and to the "north" there's I-40, Newport, the
dammed French Broad (an hour's drive away); and no sound around at all
except a far-off sighing of wind over the forested slopes. Wayyyyyyyyyyy
cool. But now it's like 7:00pm or so, and I'm night-hiking on mostly bare
ground with a red Photon -- a bit of a ahhhh 'challenge.' [Tech. note: NOT
recommended.] Pull into Peck's Corner around 7:30pm, feeling thrilled at
the afternoon's walk (and more than a little relieved). TOASTY fire
(assiduously tended by three Hoosiers through the night) kept the shelter
-- and my (now) dry bag -- marvelously warm. Snores (not a trail name)
still kept sleep to a minimum, though.

Friday, 11/24. Woke to 34*F; 12.9m. PCS --> Cosby Knob Shelter. Woke to the
sound of icicles dripping from the shelter; wierd. Warmed sneaux
stutter-crunched into sloppy packed rot, instead of the squeaky crunch of
the previous days' cold. Sloppy footing but easy hiking caught me off
guard: leggs got cold at lunch, and climbing out from Tri-Corner Knob, I
tweaked my left achilles tendon because I didn't start out sloe enough.
Dang. (Barely bothersome now, it reminded me not to relax my "cold"
precautions.) Fit 18-19 people into Cosby Knob Shelter easily; best use of
space by packed hikers I've yet seen; but everyone was humorous about it,
too. Waxed boots in anticipation of Saturday rainage.

Saturday, 11/25. 40*F, 8.0m. CKS --> Davenport Gap. Shirtsleeves again:
whoaaaaaa. Light rain, slightly sloppy trail. Met POG at Davenport Gap
Shelter, where she fed Stitches and I some well-received homemade chicken
soup. (Beat that with a stick.) POG shuttled Stitches and I around to
Fontana, where we hit the lodge for a meal (and I cleaned my plate, and
POG's, and Stitches'.)

Sunday, 11/26. Drove 'home' to Indianapolis, passing through Cincinnati
suburb of Hamilton(?) Kentucky. Hit Chinese AYCE buffet so hard they had to
change their name. No lie. Tried(!) to get Stitches to Boston for work
Monday morning, but air delays said "More adventures!"

Started writing this at 06:00 this morning. Gonna be a busy day.

Have a ahhhh, warm Holiday Season,
Sloetoe


PS: possibly some equipment discussion to follow........ 

=====
There is little use for the being whose tepid soul knows nothing of the great and generous emotions of the high pride, the stern belief, the lofty enthusiasm, of the men who quell the storm and ride the thunder.

T.Roosevelt 4/23/10

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