Standing Bear Farm Hiker Hostel
I forgot to mention yesterday stopping at Charlie's Bunion. It is a rock that juts from the side of a mountian. When you stand on it it is like hanging mid air above the deep valley below. The view was stuning, one of the best thus far!
Today was a steady hike with a lot of downhill however first had to climb over a peak. The air was filled with humidity and mist hiding most distant objects. Along the way I passed Mt. Cammer which had a old stone fire tower from the 30s. It, as all fire towers do, commands a view of a wide area though it was mostly clouded in. However the clouds did break every so often giving us a view of Davenport 5 miles away and 2,000' below. It was a magical location which just set my spirt at ease. In the register inside the 8 sided wooden observtion tower I found many others had felt the same thing and wrote poems to describe thier experiance.
After that bit of beauty the decent was punishing leaving no ones knees safe. Snackbreak and I talked politics/ethics a lot which seem to touch a nerve. I didn't some much anger her as ended up talking about things that came back with way more energy than I expected. It was all OK though and for sure a lively and inspiring converation.
Finally we arrived at about a 1 mile road walk, a small climb and into Standing Bear where we would spend the night. We took glorious showers and enjoyed "instant water". The person who had taken care of Renanasance Man's dog, Gojo, promised that when she brought the dog she would also bring pizza and beer which she did. While we waited for the dog people sat aroung talking, airing out stinky sleeping bags, and playing music. Finally the dog and pizza and beer arrived. For $5 a head we got two large pizzas and 18 beers. In 10 minutes it was all gone. I never enjoy Budwiser so much as I did tonight. Please send good beer, I think I am loseing my sense of taste!
Gojo managed to find a automatic dog feeder for a local dog and we all watched him get fatter and fatter and more hyper. The care taker/owner(?),Curtis, brought out a bottle of moonshine which he said was OK. It certianly packed a punch and was very smooth. All in all I think he has won a fan of moonshine out of me. He told riviting stories of his travels and we all sunk into a blissful relaxation.
In reflection the Smokies were much better than I had antcipated. There were busy shelters, true, but it had some of the best trail construction so far. No where else has the trail held to the Appalachain Trail ideal so much. It followed the ridge strictly and had the best built trails with very manageable grades to allow comfortable hiking. Shatter told us that the Smokies are the most visited National Park with 10-11 million vistors a year. However only 1.1 million make into the back country. Backcountry is defined as 1/4 of a mile from a road. I think this is very sad.
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