Miles: 183.3 | I wake up to a full-blown Smokies blizzard — inches of snow already on the ground and still falling. Frozen food bags, whiteout hiking, and exhaustion push me to the next shelter, only to find it dangerously overcrowded and packed with hikers waiting out the storm. With nowhere else to go, I claim a spot on the shelter floor, dry my socks by a roaring fire, and settle into a long, cold night that turns unexpectedly communal — a reminder that sometimes survival, not miles, is the real goal.
I awoke at 7am to the sun rising and a blizzard. There was already about 5" of snow on the ground and it was still falling. Clouds dimmed the sky. This particular shelter didn't have a Privy so I headed out in the snow to the 'toilet area'. Unbeknownst to me, this area was essential just a minefield of human feces that people did not bury properly. Whatever you do DO NOT ENTER THE TOILET AREA!!
(That dog is Odin)
After using the 'restroom' I went and started packing. Huevos was nice enough to get my bear bag down for me since he was sharing a cable with me. My Ursack, which had gotten wet in the rain the night before was now frozen shut. Fanny Panther, who also had an Ursack and the same problem as me, helped me get the knot out of the bag and open it to get my breakfast. It was a frustrating half hour.
By the time I left I was walking through 6" of snow. Everyone was hesitant to leave the shelter and a severe storm warning had been issued. There was little cell service and we couldn't really get more information. We could either go back to Fontana and wait it out, or push on and hope for the best. I pushed on. I walked with Big Boy and Silence for a while.
I was wet and cold and tired. I walked through the snow, barely able to see, for 4 hours to the next shelter. I got there, thinking that I wanted to put more miles in that day but realizing I was too fatigued. Walking through snow is EXHAUSTING, especially in sneakers...
I peeked inside the shelter. The 14 person shelter already had 18 people in it. Most hikers who stayed there the night before had decided to zero there to be safe. It was PACKED. At first I was upset. I had walked in the blizzard while these people sat around and no one offered me a bed.
I couldn't set up my tarp tent in the now 8" of snow. And I couldn't stake it out in the frozen ground in the vestibule. I stakes out a spot on the floor inside the shelter with my Tyvek tent footprint and decided I'd sleep on the floor. I didn't want to get any further and I was cold and wet.
A section hiker that left that morning had let some of the hikers use their saw to cut down some fire wood. The Ridge Runners (ATC employees who are essentially like your college RA) told us we could use anything for fire wood to survive. The Ridge Runners were ordered to evacuate the Smokies for safety. A roaring fire was going in the shelter by the time I got there. I used the fire to dry my socks and make my dinner.
Tang, a young, long legged hiker, got up into the rafters of the shelter and hung up my tent and Tater Tot and Trashman's rain fly to block the wind coming into the open front of the shelter. We socialized and ate and shared stories around the fire. Some people stayed in their sleeping bags to stay warm. We all wore every single piece of clothing we had.
I met Cinnabun again, Blade, Peanut, and Cackles were there; I met Tang, Josh, Patches, Zoomer, AM Fog, The German;Tater Tot and Trashman were there along with Huevos, and Noah (remember him?).
As I got used to being around so many people I started to enjoy the company! It ended up being a fun and relatively warm night considering how cold and snowy it was outside. Most of us stayed up late. I finally went to bed around 11:30pm.