Hike #10 : September 7, 2013
4.8 new miles
125.6 total overall miles
Me and Eddie (the guy trying his best to kill me) start this hike from the Clingmans Dome parking lot. Upon arriving, we are treated to a remarkable sunrise. The fog makes it look like we're above the clouds. This is why I love early starts. We take several pics and make our way to the trailhead.
This trail runs west along the Appalachian Trail. The unusual thing about it is that since we're starting at the highest point of the AT in the GSMNP, its all downhill. That's great. Its an out-and-back hike so that means coming back will be all uphill. That's no so great. Its a tremendous day for hiking. We quickly navigated our way down the trail. At around 3 miles, we come to the Double Spring Gap shelter where we meet several other hikers stirring from spending the night. Beyond that we reach Silers Bald which isn't much of a bald compared to others as its not maintained. There's also another shelter here, I assume its name is Silers Bald Shelter but I'm not sure about that. (Fact check: Yes, Silers Bald Shelter is the correct name.) Here we rest, snack and bullshit until its time to head back.
Heading back is much more strenuous and yet Eddie still convinces me its a good idea to bypass Clingmans Dome and hike down to Andrews Bald. Ok, so maybe it was my idea but let's just keep blaming Eddie. Anyway, I'll leave that to the next post... happy trails!
TRAIL REVIEW
Appalachian Trail - 4.2 miles out 4.2 miles back
Clingmans Dome Bypass - .5 mile
2 shelters (Double Spring Gap, Silers Bald)
For more information on this hike and many more, visit Hiking in the Smokys
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