Day 10

Day 10: 26 miles

Today was a much better day. I passed Clingman’s dome (the highest point of the AT) early in the morning and the views were excellent but it was chilly so I didn’t spend too much time up there. I rushed down to newfound gap and surprisingly there were a lot of tourists there even with it being winter. An old man was staring at me while I took dirty socks, which were in my pocket to warm up and dry out, and moved them to the outside of my pack to air out and he was disgusted.

Went past a sign at Newfound gap that was a nice reminder I’ve just got a little ways to go until Maine.

If you are ever in the smokies looking for a day hike, make sure to do Charlie’s bunion, one of the best in the smokies.

The sunset was amazing with the silhouetted mountains on the horizon. Unfortunately rather than taking time to admire it I had to keep trucking. Someday I will take the time to just sit and admire these beautiful places for hours at a time but right now I have to fly by to be able to quickly appreciate more beautiful spots.

My goal is to make it to Hot Springs North Carolina by Sunday so I can watch the NFL games. To do this I need to push some big miles. I wanted to do 34 today to put myself in good position but was too tired and in too much pain to push the last 8. I was walking on snow and ice all day so that wore me out a little more than usual.

Song of the day: 7 years- Lucas Graham