not entirely truck related but....
I went backpacking, leaving Dig-Dug at Newfound Gap for approximately 30 hrs. We had every intention of camping for 2 nights, but the weather took its toll on us. My friend Brian and I left Newfound Gap around 1pm on Friday and headed up the AT. Being on the ridgeline between TN and NC and at almost 6000 ft. it was blustery and frozen.
The Appalachian Trail was covered in large patches of ice that looked like a frozen creek down the middle of the trail. Our first turn was onto the Sweat Heifer Creek Trail southward. It was a really well maintained and easy downhill hike to our first night's camp at Kephart Prong shelter (3500ft). The shelter has seen some improvements since my last time up here about 8 years ago. First they enlarged the canopy over the front and widened the fireplace. The old shelter was not as deep and had a chainlink fence (which was now gone) on the front to keep bears out. The old fireplace was about the size of a glove box and you could only stick a couple of piece of kindling in it. So very happy that it turned around for the best.
The next morning we got up around 9, by 9:30 it was sleeting heavily (which we weren't expecting until well into the afternoon based on the weather reports we checked before the trip) and were on the trail around 10. It sleeted all morning but was not melting, so we continued our trek up the Grassy Branch Trail, climbing 2500 ft in 2.5 miles. The challenge was staying warm without over dressing and sweating. The sleet was off and on throughout the morning but still sticking dry. We were both wearing a couple layers and taking breaks about every 250-300 foot gain. Stopped at the top of this hellish climb and ate a couple of power bars.
We started down the Dry Sluice Gap trail and the sleet had become rain and ground temps were right 34* so everything was just slush. Saw a bunch of gear on the side of the trail that someone ditched recently on their way through. We picked through it briefly to discover: a couple of cotton sweatshirts and t-shirts, a cotton hoody, a ziploc bag of toiletries, and bedroom f-ing slippers! No wonder they ditched this worthless crap. Within an hour my goretex jacket was clinging to me and my buddy's boots were soaked through. The plan was to hike to Cabin Flats campsite (about 6mi hike) that afternoon and then hoof it out the next morning. Already we were discussing what Plan B was going to be.
We decided we would take a look at the camp site first, which was up a little half mile spur trail and then decide whether we were going to hunker down for the night. We dropped our packs at the intersection and quickly strolled down to the site. The campsite was a complete 180 from the shelter. The site was overused and completely picked over for fire wood. We could even see where people had cut down trees. It was after 3pm and the rain was not stopping. With no wood on the ground for a fire, we decided that we still had enough daylight to trek all the way to our final destination without camping.
So back to our packs and fighting daylight, we hauled azz. My ankle was barking at me (stress fracture in Sept) and we were going to end up covering over a 13 miles in one day with 30lbs on our backs. We got back at 6pm which is o'dark-thirty up there and threw our gear into my buddy's SUV. We pulled out onto 441 and immediately a ranger pulls over right in front of us with blue lights flashing. He gets out and waves us down. I roll down the window and he says we're closing the road, are y'all going over to Gatlinburg? I say, no we're going up to the gap to get my truck. And he says well you just made it, because I'm locking the gate behind me and following y'all up to chase down any stragglers.
Man, we almost wound up spending the night anyway! We got to the top and now I know why they close it. The ride up was dark but nothing dangerous until we got within 400 yards of the peak. We couldn't see 6 ft in front of us. The fog was so thick near the parking lot, I look out my passenger window and tell Brian which way to follow the curb into the lot. We couldn't even see my truck when we first pulled in. We kept following the curbs until we got to where my truck was parked. The ranger whipped around like he had it memorized and followed us back down to the gate. They let us out and we looked for the first open restaurant which turned out to be a Waffle House. I had 3 cups of coffee, a bacon-egg sandwich and SSC hashbrowns. Made it home by 10:30 Saturday night and slept in my soft warm bed with very sore legs.
Cat, on the other hand, spent all day Saturday at ACC where she and Dugan got the sbc 350 to turn over and screeeeaaaammmmm! YES!!! (some say they even saw shooting flames)
