Miles: 195.1 | A rare calm settles over the Smokies after the storm, revealing a breathtaking winter landscape. Breaking trail through deep snow alongside new friends turns into one of the hardest — and most joyful — days yet. Twelve miles of soaked socks, aching legs, shared laughter, and snowy views end with a fire, muscle rolling, and the quiet realization that this is what I came out here for: difficult, cold, exhausting… and absolutely beautiful.
We woke up to still air outside. The snow had nearly stopped and it was absolutely beautiful. An absolute winter wonderland. It was about 32* out and the sky began to clear. I walked (and by walked I meant broke trail in 2' of snow...) with Josh, one of the only other northerners I've met so far, and Tang for most of the day. We saw some incredible views and had some humorous conversation.
At the end of the day we stopped at Siler's Bald Shelter where we saw Tater Tot and Trashman, Soulshine and The Kid, and AM Fog. Trashman, Josh, and Tang all gathered firewood and made a nice fire to dry our wet socks on. After 12 miles our socks were soaked and our legs were exhausted. The forecast looked like rain and hail for the next couple of days. We weren't too pleased about that. We ate quickly and stayed up rolling out each other's muscles for a while. It was COLD.
This was the most beautiful day I have seen yet in the trail. It was difficult, cold, and exhausting but also so BEAUTIFUL and happy.