Therese Marie

No, I didn’t see a bear in the Smokies.

Can you freaking believe it? No bears! Not a single one. I thought I was supposed to be getting consumed by these animals out here. That’s what everyone told me before I left, at least! Seriously disappointed.

On that note, actually, I’ve seen an excruciatingly low amount of wildlife. The sad reality is that this is probably due to the massive amount of wildfires? Or human impact. The sheer destruction has been shocking to see. It looks like a horrifyingly real scene from a Tim Burton film.

This little guy though? He don’t care, he’s out and he’s ready to play.

On that note, I did experience a blubbering owl outburst one night. What do I mean by that? Oh simply that I was actually getting a good night’s sleep in a shelter (very rare) when all of a sudden a sheer EXPLOSION OF SOUND came from outside. It straight up sounded like someone took a shovel and started beating the crap out of an animal. Or like a cat was screaming. Or like an owl just exploded. So strange. I think everyone was ok, there was no carnage. It was just god damn shocking.

So I called it a blubbering owl.

Reading this back, I’m not sure you’ll be able to get the profundity of the moment. That’s happening more and more. I write, but the experience doesn’t quite translate.

VIEWS. THE VIEWS. OH MY GOD.

Let’s start with the most positive aspect of the Smoky Mountains: The VIEWS. Holy goodness, they are beautiful (if it’s not foggy as all hell). You want to see some epic skylines, you need to get out there.

1. The Firetowers are so freakin’ epic. I don’t care if you’re afraid of heights. Climb up it, it’s absolutely worth it. This one had no railing on one of the flights, and when you got to the top the walls were rusted, bustling pieces of rickety metal, and the floor was soggy pieces of plywood. BUT IT WAS STILL SO COOL!
2. Clingman’s Dome – the highest point of the entire A.T! (It’s all down hill from here…right?) was so very excited to see this! There is something to note about this place though: there are a crap ton of Day Hikers. This is a place that will truly make you feel like hiker trash. I was surrounded by comparatively sparkling people who smelled nice and had nice cameras and straight backs. Things I felt include, but are not limited to:
   • disgusting
   • smelly
   • dirty
   • overwhelmed
   • like I need to get the hell out of this crowd
   • like I never want to re-enter real life again. Ever.
3. Camerer Mountain is a MUST see. As Walkamole said, “Everyone was telling me to go up there. I mean, people were literally coming up to me on the trail saying Make sure ya go to Camerer Mountain and then disappearing in the woods…. well maybe just that one guy….” Buzz said so, too. It…god. The walk up is .6 miles, but DO NOT LET THAT DISCOURAGE YOU. YOU NEED TO GO. The vegetation around the winding path starts making you feel like you’re at the beach. It winds up and down, and you start to wonder if it’s going to be worth it. You might even want to turn back. Keep going. Why? Because amidst the encompassing rocks lays a beautiful enclosed gazebo that overlooks 360 degrees of epic skyline.
4. The edge of the campgrounds at night behold an epic – I mean EPIC – view of the cities below. It’s kind of shocking, honestly. You’re encased in dense, damp forest as the night falls. You’re tired. You probably want to go to bed. Just, all I can say is wait a little longer. Wait for the sun to set. Walk to the edge of the campground. The city is spread out over the distance and you feel like you’re looking at a lower version of the starry night sky. Or like you’re in an airplane. Except your feet are rooted in the ground and you’re considerably less worried about dying in a plane crash, because you’re not in a plane.

The Tumultuous Weather Patterns

Oye, lordy, what a trip the weather was! Be ready for everything. That’s all I can say. There will be nice days. You are also guaranteed to experience some bullshit. Yes, Day One was awesome. So was Day Three! Look at how nice this is.

So nice, so pleasant, so sunny. We got sunburned on Clingman’s Dome.

But Day Two? Oh my god. Do not get me started on Day Two.

Ok. It was terrible. At least in the morning. See what I mean!!!! Ugh, it…we…how do I explain this.

I went to bed after looking out at a beautiful evening cityscape. The stars were out, it was perfecto. I woke up in the middle of the night. Why? Because there was rain hitting my tent. Except it wasn’t really rain, it wasn’t consistent enough. That’s because we were in a cloud. Outside, the world was misty and flowing.

The entire morning was foggy and cold and gross. Maybe like, 45 degrees out. I don’t know if you’ve ever broken down a tent in these conditions, but let me tell you firsthand it is horrible. Your hands freeze. Everything is wet. You can’t move fast. You put the wet things into your pack. You eat breakfast on a damp bench. Your friends are still cracking jokes and having fun, though, so you smile as you hunch within your rain jacket. You’re still happy to be out here, and you wait patiently and excitedly for the feeling to re-enter your fingers.

Five hours later and SUNSHINE.

Whatever, Smokies. I don’t understand you.

Things Will Resume Being Amazing The Second You Leave

Our last day in the Smokies was (pardon my French) really fucking difficult. My knees were seriously not having it, which is a story for another blog post. Point is that I was limping for 5 miles. I trudged slowly through harsh winds, rain, and thunder. I was absolutely absolutely soaked to the core. If rain hadn’t actually gotten inside my jacket, I was sweating enough for it to seem like it had. My socks were wet. I couldn’t walk properly. I hadn’t eaten much and couldn’t stop for lunch. My spirits were low.

Then I saw the northern park boundary.

I was hiking with Pineapple at this moment. He said, “For the rest of my life, I am never going to forget this. We were in the middle of a bullshit day in the Smokies. Now? We literally JUST crossed the boarder and look! The SUN is shining, the BIRDS are chirping. Hell, things are even BLOOMING.” Right after he finished saying this, we encountered two Day Hikers who asked us where the boarder to the Smokies was. We said it wasn’t far. They responded that they’d probably just come back with us since they were doing trail magic.

What?! Trail magic?!?

For now, I say PEACE OUT SMOKY MOUNTAINS, THIS SQUAD IS ON IT’S WAY TO VIRGINIA.