I planned for over 8 months to hike starting at Winding Stair gap North to the road to Gatlinburg.
Worked everything I could think of out.
10 to 20 weekend days with pack and weight about 30 pounds.
Trail hiked fast - trail hiked slow.
Worked of getting shoes and socks set up correctly to protect my feet.
Worked out a set of places I would stop at - mostly shelters.
Got my Smokey Mountain permit.
Got my 'The Hike Inn" place to stay and start from with trail shuttle all set.
Two sets of food ready.
Two sets of clothes ready. The second set to pick up at Fontana Dam where car would be parked.
My work schedule set for taking 7 plus days to complete this section hike.
Drove out to North Carolina - over the "Dragon".
Got a good nights sleep. Dropped the car. Got dropped off at Winding Stair gap and started hiking about 9am.
I had hoped for cooler weather than the 60 plus degrees. Sweated a lot the first day.
No problem there it was only 11 miles or so to the first shelter.
I was tired when I got there.
Met 4 others who came into shelter later.
Got good sleep. Was on the trail by about 7:20AM next morning.
No problems for the first 3/4th of the day hiking.
Still warmer than I would have liked.
Sweated through my shirt, pants, into my socks.
I had planned to stop short of the NOC at the shelter there and go into the NOC to eat early next AM.
Well the restaurant there did not open till 11AM as someone told me on the trail.
Hiking late that afternoon about a mile off the shelter I slightly twisted my ankle.
So I bypassed the shelter and got to the NOC.
Got a room in the bunk house. One other hiker was in there.
Showered, rinsed out clothes, and found I left out my other underwear from packing - it was in the car.
Got to the laundry dried everything.
Got dinner and back to the bunk house - slept real well. Ankle did not bother me that night.
Up about 6am - my room mate was getting ready and went to trail about 7am.
I started off about 7:40am. Up and up and up and up and up the trail I went.
I was about a mile from the top of the first climb and a mile and a half from the first shelter.
Then slipped on the wet leaves and rocks really twisted my ankle but good.
Hobbling up the trail and slipped again, trying to protect my bad ankle. Put my other leg underneath me on the side of the mountain - not good.
I went up more and knew I was in trouble at this point.
Stopped made a call to get picked up.
Only problem being I was 7 miles from the closest pick up other than turning back and going back to the NOC.
So over the hill to the shelter and the next one. I must have taken about 5000 hurt steps on the bad ankle.
And then there was the down hill to 143 to get to. Just great.
Got to 143 about 4pm and got picked up.
I am really disappointed I did not get further.
I made 40 miles of the planned 100 mile hike.
You can train for wet and leaves on the trail. Even though I was going slow at the up-hill section from the NOC.
Plan on picking up from where I left off.