AT Hiking Trip! After waking up at 0530 and finishing my packing, I left my hotel (0645) and got to the Walmart in Marion just when they opened (0700). Lucky for me: they had some trekking poles (even better than my old ones). I was quickly on my way again - like the previous day, the traffic was light and I made good time on I-81 as I drove into Tennessee. Got off (following Google Maps) the Interstate at TN-93 and followed it all the way to US-11E. Tried to get gas soon afterwards but there were "good-old-boys" parked at the pumps but sitting inside the diner. Continued to the southwest, watching my gas gauge and worrying about running out of fuel... I made it to the outskirts of Greenville (barely) and got gas at the BP (0845). Later determined that I paid at least $0.20 more there than I would have anywhere else nearby (beats running out of gas, though). All the driving to get near the trail this morning gave the temps time to rise into the high 30s. Continued west on US-321 until I reached TN-70 and then drove south towards Asheville. My target zone was located in the middle of the Shelton Laurel Backcountry, south of Greeneville, TN. I’d driven on the south side of this ridge (close to Hot Springs, NC), which defines the NC/TN border, many times but had never seen the stark terrain rise from the valley on the north side - what a view during the drive! I’d researched road access before the trip and was very pleased to find that the gravel route (Viking Mountain Road) was very passable. I arrived at the parking area in Jones Meadow at 1000 without seeing any other cars. The view into the valley below was tremendous! Armed with new trekking poles, I walked east along a blue-blazed road until I was able to get on the AT. From there, I turned right (west, AT SOBO) and started my hike (1015). Somewhere along the way, I crossed the border into North Carolina - I saw boundary markers throughout the day as the trail crossed back and forth. It was a little chilly (lower temps and some wind), so I stayed layered up most of the morning. The sun was shining and the visibility was really great - within the first mile, I was able to enjoy an amazing overlook at Whiterock Cliff (wow!). I continued over the rocky and muddy section for another mile or so, enjoying the great day. The trail was pretty smooth and actually skirted the ridge on the south side - on the higher terrain above me, I saw a series of fire towers, antennae and a huge observation tower. However, the AT never took me near them. There was some snow and ice in places but it was clear that Spring had arrived in the Smokies... Along the way, I encountered my first Thru hiker of 2021. He was retired Air Force with two rebuilt knees who had been forced off the trail almost exactly one year earlier. With his wife as pit crew support, he’d recently started hiking again (from Standing Bear Hostel at I-40) and hoped to get to Katahdin by the end of the year. Interesting guy! After talking to him for a while, I continued hiking. Soon, the trail started an extreme descent from the highest point of the day (4.7K feet). Despite this, I decided that it would be a good idea to make my turnaround at the Little Laurel Shelter since it would shorten the hike from Allen Gap (NC-208/TN-70). I didn’t take lightly the psychological impact (usually negative) of voluntarily choosing a huge descent (with tough climb on the backtrack) - this early in the season, something like that could kick my @$$... When I reached the shelter, though, I decided to take a break because there were two LASHers already there. We had a great chat while eating and recharging. One of the guys, Oliver, was a NYC Director who’d just gotten one of his plays on Broadway when COVID-19 hit - he told me this helped him survive because of the up-front payoff before all shows were canceled. Oliver was a true NYC ambassador, telling me how much he and his family loved the Big Apple. I spent a loooong time at the turnaround point, I was enjoying the conversation so much... Would have liked to hike with them on the way back but we all have our own paces - soon, I was alone again. The temps had risen into the low 50s by the time I was in the middle of the climb but I didn’t let that distract me - I quickly got to the top and was able to walk the rest of the way at a leisurely pace. Thought about climbing up to the observation tower but started thinking about checking out some other trailheads instead. Along the way, I noticed that someone who appeared to be memorializing a loved one or trying to bring people to Jesus had added crosses of various design to nearly every white blaze in the NOBO direction. When I reached the western access trail to Jones Meadow again, I got off the AT - made it to my car by 1345 after almost 7 miles. Felt good - the section wasn’t too long and I’d gotten some of the cobwebs out of my system after almost four months away from the AT. There was a Mennonite family enjoying a picnic nearby - they made a good choice on location, I think. It was early, so I explored a few potential access points for the future - unfortunately, there was no parking at those locations (there were, however, signs that said “Trespassers will be shot and Survivors will be shot again”)... Headed back to Greeneville on TN-70 (Google Maps took me through lots of school zones) and checked into the Days Inn on US-11E at 1515 (hoping the forecasted temperature increases will make camping more palatable during the coming days). Ate dinner in my room and spent the rest of the evening planning for the next day and reading. Went to sleep at around 2200. Glad to be down here for such nice weather - looking forward to a great week! AT Today = 3.0 miles / Grand Total AT = 1771.2 miles / AT Left = 414.1 miles
