At last, halfway through our cross-country skiing expedition, Freefall was able to get through to her mom by cell phone, and her mom reached a Gatlinburg outfitter and paid for them to meet us at Newfound Gap. So on we went, as fast as we could, through 
the accumulating snow. We actually skipped the summit of Clingmans Dome and took a bypass trail around to the parking lot, where we then had to trek down the paved road to Newfound Gap.....which turned out to be another seven miles. I am not ashamed to say that this was the low point of my entire trip, and I thought I might break down and totally lose it. But at long last, when all seemed lost, I came around that last curve and saw that big red van sitting there waiting, and it was the happiest moment of my entire life. The shuttle driver, Mike, informed us that he had been told to wait for us until 6pm, and the first of our group arrived at 5:48.
Mike asked us where we were headed, and we told him anywhere cheap and easy, so he dropped us off at a place right off the main drag called Bales Motel. Our cold and pathetic group piled out of the van and hoped we could haggle for a couple of reasonably priced rooms we could all share. After some discussion and deliberation we ended up with three rooms....for $25 a night (each), for two nights. The young lovebirds among us, Pick and Rabid, took one room for themselves (which ended up having a full kitchen in it) and the other nine of us divided ourselves between two rooms - making the total cost for our 2-night stay a whopping $12.50 per person. We all dumped our things, soaked up some hot showers, and dressed in our best hiker trash fashion for a night on the town in beautiful Gatlinburg. There is so much insanity crammed into the main drag of Gatlinburg that it can hardly be described without having seen it yourself. To take an excerpt from my journal: "MIRROR MAZE! OLD TIMEY PHOTOS! RIPLEY'S! WAX MUSEUM! KING KONG! SKY LIFT!" It's a bombardment from all sides, and it really seems like everything is screaming at you at once. It was magnificent. We consumed large quantities of greasy food, and some people large quantities of alcohol, and staggered back late for a warm and cozy night's sleep after a very long day.
The next morning, we awoke with a whole day to take in all the Gatlinburg goodness. A fine breakfast at a pancake hut, then laundry, outfitters, library, and all the regular hiker chores. Th
at night, everyone pitched in some cash, and we prepared a feast of biblical proportions at our own humble accommodations, including bruschetta, stuffed pasta shells, and bacon wrapped steaks. It was more than any hiker could ask for. In the morning, we finally had to bid farewell to this Shangri-La of the Smokies as Mike shuttled us back up to Clingmans Dome. Alas, we never did actually get our old timey photos or airbrushed t-shirts, but we all got to know an amazing group of hikers - Pick, Rabid, Cookie Monster, Freefall, Spidey, NoAmp, Long Shot, Vachon, Thinker, MOTO, Buckey, Circus, and Twinkletoes - and gain some of the best memories from our hike in place we never would have expected.
the accumulating snow. We actually skipped the summit of Clingmans Dome and took a bypass trail around to the parking lot, where we then had to trek down the paved road to Newfound Gap.....which turned out to be another seven miles. I am not ashamed to say that this was the low point of my entire trip, and I thought I might break down and totally lose it. But at long last, when all seemed lost, I came around that last curve and saw that big red van sitting there waiting, and it was the happiest moment of my entire life. The shuttle driver, Mike, informed us that he had been told to wait for us until 6pm, and the first of our group arrived at 5:48.Mike asked us where we were headed, and we told him anywhere cheap and easy, so he dropped us off at a place right off the main drag called Bales Motel. Our cold and pathetic group piled out of the van and hoped we could haggle for a couple of reasonably priced rooms we could all share. After some discussion and deliberation we ended up with three rooms....for $25 a night (each), for two nights. The young lovebirds among us, Pick and Rabid, took one room for themselves (which ended up having a full kitchen in it) and the other nine of us divided ourselves between two rooms - making the total cost for our 2-night stay a whopping $12.50 per person. We all dumped our things, soaked up some hot showers, and dressed in our best hiker trash fashion for a night on the town in beautiful Gatlinburg. There is so much insanity crammed into the main drag of Gatlinburg that it can hardly be described without having seen it yourself. To take an excerpt from my journal: "MIRROR MAZE! OLD TIMEY PHOTOS! RIPLEY'S! WAX MUSEUM! KING KONG! SKY LIFT!" It's a bombardment from all sides, and it really seems like everything is screaming at you at once. It was magnificent. We consumed large quantities of greasy food, and some people large quantities of alcohol, and staggered back late for a warm and cozy night's sleep after a very long day.
The next morning, we awoke with a whole day to take in all the Gatlinburg goodness. A fine breakfast at a pancake hut, then laundry, outfitters, library, and all the regular hiker chores. Th
at night, everyone pitched in some cash, and we prepared a feast of biblical proportions at our own humble accommodations, including bruschetta, stuffed pasta shells, and bacon wrapped steaks. It was more than any hiker could ask for. In the morning, we finally had to bid farewell to this Shangri-La of the Smokies as Mike shuttled us back up to Clingmans Dome. Alas, we never did actually get our old timey photos or airbrushed t-shirts, but we all got to know an amazing group of hikers - Pick, Rabid, Cookie Monster, Freefall, Spidey, NoAmp, Long Shot, Vachon, Thinker, MOTO, Buckey, Circus, and Twinkletoes - and gain some of the best memories from our hike in place we never would have expected.
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