Newfound Gap to Hot Springs

Day 25 – Newfound Gap to Pecks Corner Shelter: mile 207.7 to mile 218.2

We got back to Newfound Gap about 8:00 AM where the ground was covered by a dusting of snow and temps were well below freezing.  The hiking was a bit tricky in places as the water on the trail had frozen creating icy conditions. It also made the scenery interesting and pretty at times. Then we got higher up on the ridge line. 

We spent the majority of the day walking a ridge line between 5400 and 6000 feet of elevation. The views to either side were stunning whenever the tree cover broke and afforded a clear view of the mountains all around.  Even with the extreme cold weather this has been the most beautiful and stunning day of hiking. 

During our hike we met our first ridge runner since our time in Georgia, where we met one on each of our first three days. Amelia, aka Treeline, was very cheerful and extremely helpful despite the cold weather. When I asked her if I could take her picture, she said “Sure, as long as you’re in it too.”

We arrived at the shelter fairly early around 2:30 pm. We were one of the first ones here and snagged a spot against the wall.  More people arrived and started a small fire in the fireplace.  We decided to have our cooked meal for lunch and while boiling our water, our fuel canister ran out.  That is on me as Amy suggested we get a new one yesterday and I said we had plenty. Live and learn and once again she was right. 

Day 26 – Pecks Corner Shelter to Cosby Knob Shelter: mile 218.2 to mile 231.1

Our second day back in the Smokies began extremely cold. Estimates by fellow hikers based on local reports is that we were in the low teens!  We add electrolyte powders to our water and this morning we had electrolyte slushies!

The day never got much warmer and did not get above freezing. It was still clear with blue skies and the wind was not as bad as the previous day so the hiking wasn’t too bad. Our fingers and toes were pretty cold but otherwise we were fine. Views were still excellent and we enjoyed the hiking. 

Day 27 – Cosby Knob Shelter to I-40 (Discerning Hiker Hostel): mile 231.1 to mile 240.5

We woke up to another cold morning in the Smokies. This was our last day in the Smokies as we had just over 10 miles to go before exiting.  We’d made arrangements to stay at the Discerning Hiker hostel for the night. We needed a good nights sleep after three freezing nights!  Most hikers stay at Standing Bear hostel after exiting the Smokies.  We’d been hearing bad reviews on the place of late so chose to stay elsewhere. We were happy with our choice. 

On our resupply run to the local Walmart, we bought ingredients for a spaghetti & meatball dinner that we made ourselves in the hostel. It was the first time we’ve felt stuffed in a long time!

This is the first season for this hostel. The owner, Ken, built a log home on his property for the purpose of hosting hikers. The private room was taken so we stayed in the loft with two twin beds. We were warm and comfy so all was good. 

Day 28 – I-40 to Roaring Fork Shelter: mile 240.5 to mile 257.0

Ken, the owner of the Discerning Hiker hostel, got us to the trail early to start our long day of hiking. The first 5 miles or so was all uphill! We then got a bit of a reprieve before more steep climbs. We needed to get over 16 miles done so we could get to Hot Springs the next day in order to avoid the overnight rain on Wednesday. 

The highlight of the day was Max Patch, a mountaintop meadow with 360 degree views. This historically has been a popular place for camping, but misuse during Covid did some damage (you can drive to a parking lot then hike 0.5 miles to the summit). We did get some trail magic just before heading up to Max Patch. The view at the top was nice, even with the overcast sky.

We got to the shelter that we planned to tent near around 4:30 pm. It was nice to approach the shelter and have people yell out “Mooseboy and Craftygirl, you made it!”  We’ve been hiking and staying in shelters with some of the same people for several nights, so we’re making more friends. We found a nice place to setup our tent, mostly flat and secluded.

Day 29 – Roaring Fork Shelter to Hot Springs, NC: mile 257.0 to mile 275.0

We got up early and hiked for an hour plus in the dark with headlamps.  Our longest mileage day yet: 18 miles. The first several miles were along a stream that we had to cross multiple times. Several of the crossings had a log bridge to aid in the crossing.  Later on we came across a small 2 grave cemetery in the woods.  One had an interesting epitaph (see photo).  

By about 3:00 pm, we could finally see Hot Springs below and figured we made great time because we didn’t expect to arrive until around 4:00 pm.  We didn’t realize we had almost another hour of hiking before actually getting into town, so our original estimate was correct.

Hot Springs is the first town that NOBO hikers come across where the trail passes right through town. The town is considered a big milestone for NOBO hikers because that means you made it through the Smokies and have hiked 275 miles. It is also a place where some give up and call it quits. Not us!

Next up

We’ve mapped out our next week plus of hiking. We want to be someplace on Masters Sunday because we’ve always enjoyed watching that each year. We have targeted The Station at 19E as the place to be. It is a popular hostel with a bar and restaurant. They also have a unique feature where friends and family can give trail magic by buying a hiker a beer. My trail name is Mooseboy and Amy’s is Craftygirl. A cold beer or two while watching the Masters would be welcome. If interested, the link is https://www.trailmagicdesk.com

day	miles	total asc	total desc	steps
25	10.5	3034	2782	30481
26	12.9	2919	3474	36138
27	9.4	1054	4399	29252
28	16.5	5833	3254	43711
29	18	3172	5751	48672