double spring gap shelter to pecks corner shelter

i woke to the sounds of the shelter packing up. it wasn’t even 5 yet. i waited just a couple more minutes before i got going myself. quick, intel, dan, and i skipped breakfast and just got on trail. we hiked in the pitch black freezing wind and fog by headlamp. we hiked i think just over an hour before we got to clingman’s dome. we hiked up the ramp. it was still pitch black. at the top the wind was howling. fog was blasting through. other shelter mates had made it there before us, and still more arrived after us. three sleeping bags, with occupants were there, having had spent the night. we all huddled below the railing waiting for dawn, freezing.

7:00 came, and while it was lighter, we couldn’t see a thing. the fog was so thick we could barely see the first set of trees. i noticed both the trees and the railing were covered with frost. eventually we called it and everyone headed down.

we immediately all took to the trail, trying to hike ourselves warm. even though i was hiking in my puffy, my rain gear, gloves, and my buff overvmy face, it took almost 3 miles before i had the need to shed any layers. we stopped for breakfast at the junction to a shelter. it was .5 miles to the shelter, and no one wanted to hike an extra mile. quick and i breakfasted and were on the way before the others.

the trail could have been the high altitudes of the long trail. fir forests practically devoid of sunlight and a mossy floor. the only thing that was different was the ground cover was a plant i didn’t recognize.

at some point a hiker headed southbound alerted us to some trail magic a couple gaps away! perfect! i had just been lamenting to quick the fact that i was 1/2 a lunch short on my food supply.

we hiked up to indian grave gap and checked our mileage. 8.6 miles and it was only 10. not bad. we carried on through some grates designed to keep hogs out of the landscape, and eventually made it to newfound gap.

as soon as we popped up onto the road, i recognized the place. i was here a few years ago on a small vacation with my parents. magz and i had taken the opportunity to do an 8 mile hike to charlie’s bunion and back.

trail magic! there were two separate trail magics. one had gatorade and really good muffins. (yes please!) the other had made to order burgers, hot dogs, and mac and cheese as well as myriad snacks and drinks. i ate and ate and ate and ate. my hiker hunger is definitely kicking in. last night i finished dinner and was still hungry.

at long last my hunger was satiated. i was actually full. i put more snacks in my pack at the encouragement of the lady doing the magic, and we headed out.

the 4 miles to charlie’s bunion were actually uncomfortable because i was so full. thankfully the trail was reasonably easy. we passed a ton of day hikers on the way. when we got to charlie’s bunion, we had a tip that there was a second trail about 10 feet past that would lead us to an overlook over where all the tourists go. we scrambled up that and snapped a few photos before returning to the signed charlie’s bunion trail.

the rest of the afternoon was spent traversing the ridges of the mountainscape. there were tons of fantastic views.

quick and i arrived at the blue blaze for the shelter and found it was a steep .4 mile downhill from the trail. we were the first to arrive, but other hikers started pouring in shortly thereafter. the site didn’t have any tent sites that weren’t essentially sideways, meaning you end up trying to sleep on a slip and slide. ultimately i opted to stay in the shelter.

the rest of the afternoon was spent journalling in the sun, which due to the steep terrain meant i needed to keep moving. there was very brief cell service and i was able to check the weather. yet again our forecasted warm night has been changed to 33f. that’s 2 nights in a row, and now multiple nights of freezing temperatures. everyone is getting sick of the cold nights, myself included.

dan arrived and is now known as ‘yogi’ because he does a brief yoga session every afternoon. i attended.

dinner was had on the top of the gap as when the sun left the shelter, the temperature dropped precipitously. sadly this was also the cell phone spot, and when i went to contact magz, it was gone. i miss her.

newfound gap is littered with views. here are a few more: