Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP) NC
Daily Miles: 6.3
Total Miles: 192.8
Short day today. Given the spacing of the shelters in the GSMNP, and hikers must stay at shelters, my alternative was to go 14 miles. I felt pretty worn out from the previous two days of 12 miles each and I just did not think I had a 14 miler in me yet, especially considering that it would have included summitting Clingman’s Dome at 6,620 feet, the tallest peak on the entire Appalachian Trail. I opted to take a short day today and rest up a bit before taking on Clingman’s tomorrow morning.
I also wanted to rest my right knee a bit. It has been bothering me a little ever since the NOC descent. I asked some other hikers about this and they suggested I start using two poles instead of just one. I’ll give that a try as soon as I can, though won’t be till Hot Springs in about a week or so.
Anyway, got into camp at about 1:30 p.m. today – super early for me. It was more like 6:30 p.m. the previous two days. Felt great to just relax, catch up on my journal, etc.
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