September 19, 2015
13.7 Miles Total
11.9 New Miles
516.29 Total Smoky Miles to Date (Since November 2013)
205.50 Total Miles in 2015
When hiking in a large group with a set time that you have to be at the end in order to get a ride back to your car, you miss out on being able to enjoy the little things and taking photos. Luckily there wasn't really a whole lot of unique scenery along these trails once you pass Andrew's Bald. The trails were all mostly downhill with the exception of a few short climbs which you were actually pretty thankful for because all that downhill will make your knees very angry. A few challenges along the way included rocky terrain, the trail being washed away in a few places and the angry mob of yellow jackets that we had to go off trail to avoid.
The best moment for me was realizing that last year at this time I wouldn't have even considered taking on a 14 mile hike. Not only did I take it on, I kicked its butt!
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| The tunnel to nowhere was much longer than I expected. And much darker. |
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| About halfway through the tunnel. |
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| The tunnel from the outside. |
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| Got a little dirty, as usual. |
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| Smoky enjoyed the hike, he doesn't look nearly as tired as me for some reason. |
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| The view from Clingman's Dome at the end of the day. |
"The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it."- Moliere
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