day 12 - 3/22

last night was interesting. i didn't quite get my hammock straight, so kept sliding down towards my feet. i actually woke up at one point lying idian style. lol. oh well, it's a learning curve with a hammock. the hike today was great. i started out with sean again, but the pace was just too slow so i took off cuz i had to just my own hike today. just an easy 12.5 to the road to get to fontana village. no one was in a giving mood today so i walked the extra 2mi into the village to resupply for the smokies. my goal is to make it thru the smokies and possibly to hot springs on the food i got today. we shall see. so after resupplying, i decided that i just wasn't done for the day and i went on to birch spring gap. it's the only campsite in the smokies, as you have to stay at a shelter when you go thru the park. it was only another 7.2mi from the road, but it was a grueling 2000ft climb in only 3.2mi of trail. it was actually fun and i felt really strong having completed it with a total mileage of 21.7mi including the 2mi walk into town. great day and saw a lot of other thru hikers who i have come to know while in town. oh, and i am finally getting my hiker hunger! just for lunch i ate two hot dogs loaded with stuff, a beer, a snickers bar, a pint of ice cream and a rootbeer! that's not even including breakfast and dinner. crazy. and it's still not enough calories to cover my expenditure. so for tomorrow, because i have to stay at a shelter, it's either a 10 or a 17 mi day. the weather is supposed to be wet, so i think i'll wait and see. 18.7mi from brown fork gap to birch spring gap. 169.7 total.