The Smokey Mountains are 76 miles from Fontana Dam to Davenport and I had hardly no service. Today I completed my 3rd 20+ mile day on my trip and exited the Smokeys completing 45 miles in the last 2 days. I was in the Smokeys 4 days and 3 nights, doing 100+ miles in 6 days with my friends Brian and Bean... and I am sore! We woke up one morning at 6am so we could be at clingmans dome for sunrise. I led the 3 of us into the darkness and fog with headlights. When we got to clingmans dome at what would have been sunrise it was so foggy and windy we couldn't see a thing but the observation tower was very cool any way. The Smokeys were absolutely beautiful, the days there wasn't so much fog you could only see 5 feet in front of you. The terrain changed from oak and maple hardwood forests, to luscious green moss covered hills and almost swamp like dense woods, to amazing little waterfalls. It seemed like one huge uphill to start, climaxing at clingmans dome 6600 feet up and the highest point on the A.T. Now I am through the Smokeys sitting at an awesome hostile right outside Knoxville listening to some great classic rock drinking whiskey with the locals. The bunk house sleeps 16 all in home made bunk beds, and there is a field out back with people pitching their tents. There are 4 guys here who are regulars they kinda look after the place when the family that runs it are not here, which is the case now. I took what I would consider to be one of the best showers of my life and then washed my clothes old school style with a wash board and wringer, check out the pictures below. I can not begin to tell you how great this place is though, it is all trust based open door you take what you want and write it down then pay when you leave. So far I have had 1 large 3 meat pizza, 1 can of Pringles, a few beers, a little whiskey, and some good laughs with the people here.
