Mile 187
Hey, it’s Daniel. I’m deep in the Great Smoky Mountains. I stayed at Derrick Knob shelter last night. Did 17 miles yesterday, which is, I think, a new record for me. It was a tough 17 miles, too. Lots of steep ups and downs and stepping around fly-covered horse manure, and just these biting flies or fleas or gnats or whatever they are. Anytime you stop for five minutes to get water or whatever, they just swarm you.
But other than that, the weather’s been great. You get some pretty nice views on some of the bald grassy areas. And later today I should hit the tallest point on the Appalachian Trail at Clingmans Dome. That should be good. So happy Cinco de Mayo and hope they deliver Mexican, but I doubt it. So I’ll be pushing on. Peace.