Back To The Smokies - Day 1
Hi guys...I know it's been a while but now I'm back with a new adventure.

Not too long ago I went back to the Smokey Mountains for a new hike. I got up at 3:30 in the morning so I would miss most of the rush hour traffic but did hit a mess by the time I got to Knoxville, TN. But by 9:30 I was at the Sugarland Vistor's Center to get my permits and everything else I would need for what was supposed to be a six-day walk.
Monday was a grand day with temps in the low 60's. Though I wasn't acclimated I was feeling pretty good as I starter up the Chimney Tops Trailhead. If you've been on that you know it's steep but it's a great trail with a stream following you up and all the little waterfalls along the way. A side trail later on takes you up to the Appalachian Trail and the stream goes with it. One thing I noticed was a lot of trees blown down along the way. There had definitely been some big winds since trip here last year.

That second trail was really nice as well with the stream moving its way up the mountain. I met a couple who were on their way down as I was about halfway up. I really hadn't expected to see anybody on that part but it was nice to see that I wasn't completely alone up there. A lot of people do the Chimney Tops trail but I hadn't thought about many doing the next section. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least. After talking for several minutes they went down while I continued my climb up. The area down there is under an extreme drought situation and no camp fires of any kind can be lit. That had me wondering how the next couple of days were going to be because I knew there was going to be a change in the weather. You'll see that a little later in the next section. The higher I got the more blown down trees I found. One area looked like somebody had stomped all the trees to the ground and I figured some type of storm-related microburst must have slammed into the ground.

I got to this one spot where I found this most unusual bridge. Needless to say this was a one lane bridge made up of what looked to be like a long pine log. It could have been some other hardwood tree but I was just glad it was able to hold my weight. It wasn't that high off the rocks but a person would surely be bruised up if they had a fall from it. It was a nice little spot to take a break and also to fill your water bottle if you needed to. From where I started it was a 3.3 mile trek to the AT so any place to get water was welcome, especially with the dry conditions. Fortunately for me with the cooler air I didn't drink that much on the way up (although you really need to when you're exerting yourself that much) so I had plenty of water for the next 3.3 section on my way to the Mt. Collins shelter.
There were a lot more blowdowns higher up the mountain as well. Many of the spruce and pine trees had been uprooted with some root systems bigger than the room I'm typing this from. I don't have any pictures of those because I didn't have anything to scale it by but you can trust me that the root systems were huge. I stopped at one spot for a snack and water break then went on my way. By 2:30 I was at Mt. Collins and at 4:00 eating on a package of freeze-dried lasagna. I have to say that is one of my most favorite hiking meals to carry along. A one-serving pack fills you up and gives you what you need for the next day...and it tastes good too.
A little later a couple from south Alabama, Chris and Carrie Woodham, came into the shelter for the night. It was not quite the night we expected. But that is to come in day two.