Day 151. Clingmans Dome

Mile 1984 – Newfound Gap To Mile 2002 – Derrick Knob Shelter

With Christmas behind us and Newfound Gap open, it was finally time to tackle the Smokies. Today had the best weather for the next several days so we decided to start with the section that includes Clingmans Dome, even though it means we will complete the trail through the park a bit out-of-order. This is the highest point on the AT and one of the challenges we’ve been looking forward to since the beginning. I’ve done this hike several times in the past and was excited to share this time with Rocket.

The AT at this elevation is still covered in snow which means there were very few other hikers out today. Plus, the road to the top is closed for the season. This meant we had the peak to ourselves! We spent a long time at the top enjoying the beautiful day and reminiscing about the challenges on our hike that came before this one. This is the last big peak before the end so, inevitably, our thoughts started turning toward Springer.