Tuesday, May 14th, 2024, 0730-1230
Laurel Gap Shelter to Baxter Creek Trailhead, Northern BMT Terminus, mm 289.7
12 miles (plus another 4 mile road walk to get back to my car at Standing Bear Hostel), Gain: 1100′, Loss: 4840′, elevation 1710′
BMT Done! (save for the 16 mile section I have to go back to finish someday). Unfortunately it was a not-so-rewarding final 12 miles view-wise, but I did have a fabulous morning waking to the bird song surrounding the shelter. I slept so good that the songs were the one and only thing that woke me. Well, I did have a little mouse visitor sometime in the night, but my food was hung on the bear cable and there was nothing for it to really go after. I set off into the mist and enjoyed an extraordinary ridge walk that was nearly flat for 5 miles…just how much more amazing would it have been if there were views! But at least it wasn’t raining. Then there was one final steep climb of about 600′, which left me standing in a cloud on the highpoint of the BMT, Mt. Sterling at 5830′.
And of course I got skunked! But I wasn’t surprised by this. It took me 3 tries to finally get a clear day on Clingmans Dome, why shouldn’t it take as many tries for this peak? The Smoky Mountains were named such for a reason. Certainly the weather gods had been moody on this hike but whatever, I had an umbrella. Of course I went up the tower anyways, because why not? I wouldn’t go down without a fight.
I didn’t have any reason to linger, so in a few short hours, I dropped nearly 5k’, eager to get to the finish line. The upper parts of the trail were really cool, covered in so much moss, lichens, and conifers. The trail was delightfully soft and the air filled with that deeply earthy smell that’s hard to describe. I dropped below the clouds pretty quickly, catching glimpses of the ridgeline that the AT followed, just across a valley. Both trails were heading with a trajectory towards Davenport Gap, my final destination on the BMT. The trail was pretty easy and well maintained, except for some recent blowdowns. I passed a few backpackers and lots of day hikers in the last 3 miles. A pair of backpackers were heading down, after a wet night on the mountain. Even more were heading up, in store for another wet night. Was there any other kind in the Smokies?
The terminus of the BMT was rather underwhelming. I was alone as usual, so I marked the moment with a quick selfie, and carried on. I couldn’t even get a hitch from the trailhead to I-40, so I walked some bonus road miles. Of course the rain started up again, but I didn’t care, I was nearly done. I got to check out the hydroelectric dam and watch some rafters going down the Pigeon River. I was a little disappointed that not one of the plethora of rafting buses going by would stop to give me a ride, but by this point, I had only a mile to go. It turned out to be a good thing I didn’t get a ride, because right at the intersection with the AT, I stumbled upon trail magic provided by Harry, Jamie, and Nary.
This was in fact a perfect way to celebrate my (14th or 15th, I don’t even know) thru-hike finish, with some lovely first-time trail angels. They had amazing hot lentil soup and omelettes to share, along with a ton of snacks. My hiker hunger just started to hit and this spread really hit back. I quickly made friends with some AT hikers and had a fun time around the campfire at Standing Bear Hostel, bringing back all the memories from previous 2016 and 2021 visits. This was the beginning of a very social week attending AT Trail Days, to complete my Triple Crown of Trail Days. I’d of course planned my BMT hike to start and end in accordance with the event, combining several bucket-list items into one big trip. More on that to follow, plus another bonus thru-hike of the Foothills Trail!