Friday, June 3rd

Newfound Gap (207.7 mi) to Tri-Corner Knob Shelter (223.4 mi)

Hiking Miles: 15.7

Total Ascent: 4,461.6 ft

Total Descent: 3,533.1 ft

Total Grade: 506.6 ft/mi

Steps: 39,358

We slept in this morning – getting as much comfortable bed time as possible. For breakfast in the hotel, we each had an egg & cheese on a bagel with cream cheese and coffee. We also had some fruit, and I ate two pancakes made from a machine. Our new friend Smokey Bear picked us up on time at 9 am and drove us back to the Newfound Gap trailhead. Stevie took a picture with me and Smokey Bear, then we were on our way. 

The day was overcast pretty much the entire time, and the views were non-existent due to the fog (or smokiness). We reached a scenic spot at an elevation of 5464 feet called Charlie’s Bunion at around 11:30 am. It was a little tricky to maneuver around but not bad at all. The only disappointing thing was again, no views! It was a little misty as well so we wore our rain gear as we worked our way down the rocky path.

For the most part we enjoyed a nice leisure hike all the way to the Tri-Corner Knob campsite & shelter while spotting a few beautiful sights at various elevations.

We reached the Tri-Corner Shelter site around 5:30 pm. The shelter was completely full with a group of young hikers, probably there for a weekend camping trip, being it was a Friday evening. We found an available camping spot up on a hill that overlooked the back of the shelter. 

The young folks staying in the shelter were rather talkative and laughing a lot. One guy was describing how his fiancee was a veterinarian and that he was going to be a trophy husband. When I told Stevie, he laughed and said the guy had a big surprise coming because animal vets don’t make that much money, particularly with heavy loan repayments.

We cooked ramen for dinner, and I also ate a tuna salad wrap and a sticky bun. I hung my food bag and Stevie wedged his bear can against a log, then we chilled in our tents before eventually going to bed.

I called Teresa and she had a wonderful day back home working with flowers and chilling on the porch. She sent me a pic of her porch view. 

Tomorrow we would be leaving the Great Smokies and we had discussed strategy for exiting the National Park and what lied ahead for stops. A major stop would be Hot Springs, NC. It was going to be tricky figuring that out with the distance and the various options available to stop.