Hello from Duckstown, TN

[Mags]

Howdy all...

Just a quick set of notes on the BMT:

I started "officially" on Feb 13 at 8am-ish. 11 yrs later, it was a little surreal to be on Springer mountain again.

Initial impressions of the BMT:

I saw only two backpackers in not quite 100 miles! Those two were perhaps .5 miles from the AT at Springer.

The tunnels of rhodos are awesome!

I loved the Big Frog Wilderness. Loved that ridge walk today.

This ain't the Rockies. Rather than sweeping vistas, I am again loving the subtle, more intimate beauty found out here. It really is beautiful country..and one I have not seen in quite some time.

Life is good...


Enough for now. It is past my bed time.

[MOWGLI]

Thanks for checking in Mags. Are you staying at a motel tonight? Any wildlife encounters to speak of?

[SGT Rock]

Doing good making it to Ducktown in 5 days. Keep on trucking man!

[Sly]

Doing good making it to Ducktown in 5 days. Keep on trucking man!

Even better since he made it in 4 days.

[Tipi Walter]

Where will you be by this Friday??

[humunuku]

at that speed, the "intimate beauty" has got to be a blur

[Sly]

at that speed, the "intimate beauty" has got to be a blur

Hmmm... 2.5 miles per hour for 10 hours isn't all that fast. Even at 3 MPH it's not like the forest goes whizzing by.

[SGT Rock]

He has strong trail legs - so doing 3mph for 7 hours a day ain't so fast or so bad. He is a little over 91 miles up the trail. I would have expected a little slower because of a few places in that section to get real hot food.

[MOWGLI]

He did the approach trail too.

[SGT Rock]

So he is at about 100 miles then.

[Egads]

Where will you be by this Friday??

Inquiring minds want to know.

I imagine somewhere around here Friday night

175.8Farr Gap 182.7 to US 129 Bridge over Little Tennessee R.

[SGT Rock]

So he should be expected around Deals Gap in about 3.5 to 4 days.

[Mags]

Logged in again to do a quick weather check...

I don't hike fast, I just hike long. Yep. About 2.5 MPH for 10 hrs. I am not a camper, but a hiker. Just read my other journals. It's worked for X amount of miles..I ain't changing it.

I am loving the trail..it is a blast. To sum up this argument? PLTTTHHH!

I did stop at Swallowsford (?? sorry, the guide book is up stairs!) to grab some burger and fries..and COFFEE!

Staying at the B&B here. I got lazy on the hitch (meaning I waited over half an hour and said the heck with it), walked to the whitewater center and called the B&B. Turns out the price is LOWER than quoted price due to being off season. For the price of a local hotel room, I am getting two meals (dinner and breakfast), a beer, shuttle to and from the trail and my laundry. Wow! Super nice owners.

By Friday, I should be just shy or close to Deals Gap.

ps. Saw some wild boars today. First time ever!

Until next time..where I'll be enjoying the hospitality of Sgt. Rock.


Thanks again to all the WB help I've received.

[SGT Rock]

Mags - something you should be able to do. Call when you get to the Topoco Trail head at the US129 bridge (there is also the lodge 1.0 miles from there if you need to use their phone). From there you have about 6 miles of trail to Deals Gap. Except for a couple of climbs, the trail gets really flat for a while and I made 4mph on that section. You could be at Deals Gap about the same time Dixi or I can get there to pick you up.

[garlic08]

In case someone doesn't know, you can see Mags' journal at http://www.pmags.com/joomla/index.ph...Thru-Hike.html

I can attest from personal experience that 25-mile days are fun for Mags. He routinely gets a group of friends together in Colorado for 20-plus mile day hikes or ski trips, usually with elevation gains of more than a mile, and everyone has fun and enjoys the day. It's never a forced march, with lots of time to enjoy the scenery, take photos, socialize, and join in the food and drink before and after. It's a great way to smell the roses.