DATE: December 22 to 23 
START: Newfound Gap, TN/NC
FINISH: Locust Cove Gap, NC
DISTANCE: 58.1 miles (93.5 km)
DAILY AVERAGE: 29 miles (46.7 km)
TOTAL DISTANCE: 2035.4 miles (3275 km)
December 22: Town stop…….standard late start at 10 am; standard late finish at 10.30 pm…….Great views from Klingman’s Dome; at 6643 ft the highest point on the AT……… Trail was very icy at times; microspikes would have been handy, but not worth carrying just for a day……..by the look of the shelter registers it seems that a few of the hikers who were on the trail ahead of me have gotten off either because of the weather or maybe to spend the Xmas/New Year period with friends and family………hope they don’t wait too long to return; chances are the Smokies won’t be any easier in early January.
December 23: As per usual Terry the Turtlehead was up a few minutes before me this morning…….seriously, I am like the proverbial Swiss watch when it comes to my morning # 2……..weather good early, before black clouds start rolling in………perhaps they know (of course they do) that tomorrow is Monday?………forewent a hot shower at the Fontana Hilton shelter; had one the day before yesterday……..don’t want to spoil myself……….hope I can make it to Springer before year’s end; weather has definitely taken a turn for the worse in recent days……..to be expected this time of year………glad to have umbrella; I’m becoming quite proficient at wielding it when the wind starts picking up………instead of ‘Swami’, maybe I should be called Mary P?………ramble, ramble, ramble…….what a great song Rambling Man by the Allman brothers is………..funny how they use the term rambling instead of ‘hiking’ in the UK………speaking of which, wouldn’t it be great if the AT had more pubs to take refuge in at the end of a long day’s hike in the rain?……..probably my favourite thing about walking in the UK and Ireland; sitting down at day’s end with a pint of Guinness and a steaming hot bowl of hearty stew whilst I warm my weary feet by the light of a fireplace……..aaaahhh, I feel a rendition of Danny Boy coming on………
Love the tangents. And yes, it would be fantastic to sit down after a solid day of miles and enjoy a pint of some exceptionally brewed beer. One day I will bike tour Ireland (I’m second generation Irish if my blushing cheeks and demeanor towards alcohol wasn’t obvious enough).