Day 135. Testing the Waters

Mile 1763 – Hampton, TN To Mile 1769 – Laurel Falls Trail

A southbound hiker that we first met up north a couple of months ago arrived at the hostel yesterday after trying to hike through the snow and giving up part way through the day. We talked with him about the trail conditions and learned that it does not look promising. He was walking through six to twelve inches of snow in the mountains with drifts up to waist high. We decided to try just six miles to see for ourselves and give some time for the snow on the trail to melt or start to pack down before attempting a longer day.

It turned out to be a really nice day for hiking and we enjoyed the short day going over the next peak and even spending a little time above the clouds. However, we did find the snow to be about as deep as we expected. It slows us down and requires more energy to walk, but we are hopeful that it won’t significantly impact our schedule for the next few days.