[Much of our success on the Appalachian Trail in 2012 was due to our extensive preparation. Hopefully, we will eventually get to record the story of our many “practice hikes.” But for now, this page will serve as a place holder for things to come…]

We were soaked and filthy, desperately needing a launderette, clean, dry clothes, a square meal, and a Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum. It was time to go to Gatlinburg…

-Bill Bryson

A business trip to Gatlinburg in  August of 2017 gave us all the excuse we needed to plan a final practice hike on the A.T.

We got to town in the late afternoon and as my meeting didn’t begin until the next morning, we decided to head up to Clingmans Dome to see the sunset. We stopped by “Old Dad’s General Store and Deli” (1127 Parkway – apparently newly renovated and renamed) where they prepared us a nice picnic lunch.

However, road construction really slowed our drive up to Newfound Gap, and when we made the turn up to Clingmans Dome, we found ourselves in the clouds with no sunlight to be seen. A couple of “bear watch” traffic jams further delayed us, and it was past sunset when we finally got to the parking lot.

We took a detour to briefly stand on the Trail, and then made our way through the thick fog to the “toothpaste from tube” shaped tower. Totally socked in at the top, we did not dally, and wound up taking our now picnic supper bag back to the hotel.

-N Trovert