| April 20, 2005 |
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Double Spring Gap to Mount Collins |
| Headed out of Double Spring Gap
at 8:05 am, after saying good-bye to my new friend James. He
may try to catch up with me near where the Long Trail and the AT run
together and hike with me again. I gave him my AT website so
he can keep track of my northern progress. It's been another
beautiful day. |
| The trail to Clingmans Dome was
straight up with large stones, roots, and water bars to step over
making traveling slow. I was hiking through a dense pine
forest with intermitted sunlight. Large fallen logs were
covered with moss and lichens. A few paper birches with
stringy bark were among the pines fighting for a little light to
survive. |
Trout lilies were scattered
along the trail, and on the balds closer to Clingmans Dome.
Blackberry canes in brown and red reached toward the sun. In
the open areas the views were awesome over looking the valleys
below. I sat down on a large stone to rest to absorb the view.
I caught myself humming "How Great Thou Art" and thinking what a
beautiful world God has created for us to enjoy. I could see
life and death, old and young, among the trees. The large
twisted weathered pines stood tall and stately over the young pines
below as if to say "My time on earth is nearly complete. I'm
bare of needles on my branches, only good for woodpeckers, hawks and
owls until I'm blown tot he ground my final resting place and
wrapped in mosses. |
| On top of Clingmans Dome it
looked like a war zone with fallen trees everywhere. I sat at
the tower for about an hour and ate my lunch. There I talked
to (several People (2 from N.Y. and 2 from Arizona) about thru
hiking and why I'm hiking the AT. I gave them the At address
so they could to the site and check out the NewBorns In need
organizations and their services. The decent from Clingmans
Dome was extremely rocky and rough to navigate. |
|
Love Mt. was more of the same cool pine forest,
mosses, boulders, rocks roots and steep. Arrived at Mount
Collins about 5:00pm. Enjoyed Mac and Cheese for supper.
Tomorrow plans are to hike 5 miles to Newfound Gap and from there
hitch a ride to Gatlinburg.
NOTE: New found
Gap is the only road crossing the AT in the smokies.
Staying the night with Andy, Donald Cooly, a section
hiker and Mr. Beer, thru hiker from Japan. |
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Swing'n Jane |
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