Day 24 (Tuesday, May 6th) - Tri-corner Knob to Painter Branch Campsite

Crazy beautiful

Today's Miles: 20.50 
Trip Miles: 242.90

The twenty mile push

Sometimes what seems to be a good idea isn't good in reality. 17 miles would get us out of Great Smokey National Park and back to the freedom of camping in multiple areas instead of being forced into the shelters. At 20 miles was a campsite listed as having a good water source so, Duck Tape, Mike, Natalie and I went for it.

Most of the hike was a series of long winding downhill switchbacks. Normally a downhill is a nice break after a tough climb out of the innumerable gaps in the southern Appalachians, but they hold their own perils. They put a lot of pressure on your knees and feet. Mile after mile of pounding with a thirty pound backpack inevitably leads to some kind of damage. For me it was blisters on both heels. I thought maybe I was immune to this most common of hiker maladies, but even after stopping early to treat the issue with mole skin and duct tape the blisters ripened like tomatoes through the day.

Ahhh!

I wasn't the only one afflicted; both Natalie and Duck Tape have been suffering with blisters all hike long, but the constant downhill pounding today seemed to make things worse. We actually were looking forward to the few climbs we had to make.

We took an hour and a half lunch at Cosby Knob Shelter, where we soaked our feet in a creek and rested. We still had about 10 miles to go and the day had heated up to the 80's. We headed for Standing Bear Farm, a resupply and hostel just outside of the GSNP and about two miles from our campsite. We needed alcohol for the stove and some snacks.

At 17 miles we left the park and followed a cascading stream that fed the Pigeon River. There were some nice looking sites we could have camped at, but we were determined to do the 20 miles.

Our birthday pic for Sarah

We crossed I 40 and had a mile climb to Standing Bear. A lot of people like this little hostel and recommend it, but I wasn't that impressed by it. It reminded me of the communes I had seen in the early seventies; none of which thrilled me. They were friendly enough and the resupply was on the honor system, take what you need and put the cash in an envelope. Maybe I was just tired, but I followed my instincts, got what we needed and left. Duck Tape hung out for a bit to talk with Growler who was staying there and to have a beer.

Duck Tape on high

The last two miles were the worst. I had begged for uphills to spare my heels and now I got them. 1500' in two miles. I whined my way along behind M and N regretting the decision to do 20. I thought Mike might have to call the whambalance to carry my sorry butt the last few feet.

When we finally got to the spring just before the campsite, we met Luke and Taylor, two thrus we've met off and on over the course of our hike. We all filled up on water at one of the best creeks we've seen on the hike, and with a few minutes rest things didn't seem so bad. Amazing how H2O and knowing you're done hiking for the day can change your mood.

The sites were nice and flat and we set up as the sun settled behind the mountains. Got a fire going
and we all sat around eating and talking. Duck Tape came in just as the darkness took over. He was glad for the fire to lead him in and we were glad to see him. He had carried a beer for me up from the hostel; that's friendship! Bye for now.

Duck Tape,Mike, Natalie, and Taylor

P.S. I forgot to mention it was a particularly epic day for Natalie. She had four, count em, four falls (none serious). The last one was a beautiful glissade down a slick rock creekside that gained her a score of 10 from each of the judges. Well done Natalie!

Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata)

Fire Pink (Silene virginica)

Flame azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum)

Views along the way

Views along the way