April 19 Wednesday
Miles today 12.5 + 0.5 from shelter
Total miles
Pecks corner shelter to Cosby shelter
We have had to stay at or near shelters while we have been in the smokies and every time we've gotten to one, the shelter is full and the decent tent sites are all taken. The same was true this day but we made it work. Cosby shelter has been one of my favorites so far mostly due to the fact that the water source was literally right next to the shelter. I haven't seen the privy yet but I heard it also had great adjacentcy. We're either getting used to the terrain, or getting some trail legs because today's elevation change wasn't too awful and some of the overcast clouding cleared up towards the end of the day giving us some spectacular views. I'm disappointed we missed all the views yesterday due to the weather, but we will see others. It was amazing what a white out the clouds made. It misty rained off and on throughout the day today. Seems like there's always some gear that you need at hand for all the quick weather changes that take place; rain gear, a light layer, warm or sun hat or sunglasses; it's a totally different senario from a weekend or short trip feeling, you really have to think how the rest of the week or day is going to play out if it rains and you or your gear get wet-if you're close to camp and can change or if it's the middle of the day and you can dry out, or if you need to stay dry because you have limited options or it's cold out etc.
We left pecks corner this morning a little late and made an average pace on the trail. We ran across a old helicopter pad right on the trail which was neat. It wasn't a full square pad but basically just a couple of concrete V's in the middle of the trail and an open space. It would be a pretty tight landing if someone had to come in. Just shortly after that was remnants from a plane crash from the 1950's. We had to step off trail to see it, but we aren't missing anymore views we will regret so we went down and looked and took some photos. The entire plane wasn't in that one spot but there were pieces scattered all around. I imagine people have picked up some parts and taken them out as "souvenirs" or something. The parts were around the base of the trees, but some of them looked like they may have melted or been wrapped around the trees at one time. It's crazy to think about the speed and force that the impact or after explosion would have had and what had happened to the pilot.
We arrived at our campsite around 6:20 and had to hunt around for an acceptable spot, during which it time it started sprinkling, making things more stressful hah. We then got to make dinner and during dinner we saw the most incredible rainbow! It was a perfect arc and you could see the whole thing. The color was so clear and distinct, it was better than any tv show. Usual menu of ramen and tuna with hot chocolate and a snack snickers, most anything tastes good after a long day, especially if it's warm :-)
We can hear planes overhead from our tent tonight and it's cooling off outside but I think the ground is a little better tonight than it was last night so hopefully sleep will be alright. Until next time, happy trails :-)
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