Smokies Hiking Trip - Day 4

I woke at around 0500 and finished getting my stuff ready.  Ate breakfast at the hotel and then departed Newport for the AT Trailhead (0715).  Then drove south on I-40 until I reached Standing Bear Hostel (0745).  Paid for two nights of storing my car and then met my shuttle drive (Mike) for my ride to Newfound Gap (0800).  We drove via the Parkway and then back roads (we stopped for gas) to Gatlinburg.  Reached Newfound Gap at 0930 - it was VERY windy.  Within minutes of getting out of the shuttle, I met "Oleg", a Thru Hiker from Siberia.  I wanted to walk with him but had made a decision to walk slowly so as to keep from sweating or running out of water.  Reluctantly, I let him go and followed (far behind) as we walked NOBO.  There were LOTS of tourists in the area, all trying to get to a place with a view.  Several of them asked me where they could find one but I hadn't considered anything but reaching the first shelter.  Stopped for a drink and snack at Icewater Shelter and ended up meeting a young Thru Hiker named "Vibe" (very talkative and extremely friendly) and we walked together to Charlie's Bunion.  I think I made his day when we got to the view at a craggy pile of rocks and I took a photo of him climbing on them.  Meanwhile, I was using an old camera that appeared to be taking photos questionable quality... There were some tourists enjoying the same view, which was surprising because of how far we were from the road (more than four miles).  Vibe and I split up at that point and I continued walking north.  Several more Thru Hikers passed me (everyone was faster than me) - it took a long time for me to get used to the fully loaded pack so I didn't hurry... It got much windier and cold as we reached 6000 feet of elevation but I felt warm with the three layers I was wearing.  Eventually, I found a sheltered place where four young Thru Hikers were taking a break.  I stopped to talk to them ("Space Heater", "Jukebox", "8 Ounce Sirloin" and one I can't remember) and had a nice time chatting about their month long adventure.  One of them was a member of the marketing department at Texas Roadhouse and gave me a free meal.  After this welcome respite, I still had three miles to walk before I reached Peck's Corner Shelter.  Once I found the sign for it, I had to walk about half a mile before I found the bustling location (1615).  I had a reservation for a room in the shelter but decided not to dislodge someone from their comfy bed.  Instead, I set up my tent nearby and then got some water at the spring - spent some time filtering through my Sawyer Squeeze and talked to some of the hikers crowded around the fire on the edge of the building.  They all liked my Nats hat with the beer-top-popper on the lid.  I prepared one of my dehydrated meals (Chili Mac) and enjoyed a filling dinner.  A lady ("Shelly") came to sit near my tent because it was one of the only places with sunlight as the sun was going down in the west.  By 2000, it was dark enough that everyone settled into the shelter and their tents.  I joined them and spent about an hour reading before I tried to go to bed.  It was already getting cold when I zipped up my sleeping bag (2130) - 30s forecasted for this evening...  AT Today = 10.0 miles / Grand Total AT = 1903.6 miles