Well this trip ended up being the most challenging endeavor of my life. Three friends and myself set out for a 3 day two night 18 mile loop hike in the Smoky Mountains National Park. The hike took us to the top of Mt. Sterling a 5,800ft peak and back down again. We had planned on weather being in the mid to upper 50's for highs and upper 30's for the lows. With the onset of a fluke Canadian air mass we were surprised with Record lows and large amounts of snowfall. Day 1: Distance: 5 Miles; Time: 3 hours; Elevation 1700ft-3000ft 
Our first day of hiking started off Friday morning but not before a fantastic breakfast at a small family owned Apple Orchard and restaurant. This food was fantastic with homemade apple butter and apple juice. So after dinning with the locals we headed off for the Park.
Getting our packs ready we realize the weight we will be carrying into the woods. Backpacking is all about the weight and our packs
After about 3 hours of hiking we arrived in Walnut Bottoms a decent sized holler at 3,000 feet. We were surprised to find that this campsite was full of other hikers and probably about 7 or so tents were up. We found a nice spot along the river then forged out for firewood. Into the evening's fire and post dinner whisky cigar activities we noticed that the small flurries of snow had picked up to a full fledged snow storm. We receded to the tent and stayed fairly warm in our bags. As we slept the snow continued to fall...
Day 2: Distance 6 Miles; Time: 5 hours; Elevation 3000ft - 5800ft
Waking up at the crack of dawn around 7am when the sunlight brightens your tent and your face is frozen is never a pleasent experience. You realize it is way to early to even think about moving. The cold air is all around you and the only comfort is found by staying in your warm bag, So you hold your piss as long as you can and go back to sleep. Around 10am we finally emerge from our slumber and find about 2 inches of snow had fallen and it continues to come down. We are the only ones left out at campsite #37 and all others have gone.
Frozen boots meet your feet and turn your toes into a solid block of ice. Water bottles are nearly frozen with some water left for consumption but at this temperature everything is a fight. We pack down camp and unfreeze some of our water bottles and prepare for our trek to the summit of Mt. Sterling. Weather radio in hand we listen for forecasts to see if our summit attempt is still possible. Then the sun comes out and we feel some warmth for the first time. The weather radio is not working this far in so we have to hike up to higher ground to get a good forecast.
We start hiking about half a mile uphill in the cold when Scott asks "do we have the axe". We then realize that we left the Axe back at camp and Brad and I drop our packs and hike back to get it. This delay adds about 40 min to our trip and an extra mile of hiking for Brad and I. Once we get the Axe we forge upwards towards the summit. Higher and higher we continue up hill the entire day with no breaks pushing against time knowing the Sun will be set soon and the coldness of night will be next.
The last 1.5 miles of this hike was something out of an Mt. Everest special. We had come upon 6-7 inches of deep soft snow mixed with icy trails underneath. If it wasn't for the trekking poles we would have not made it far on this treacherous path. Every 30 feet is met with 30 second breaks to catch our breath in the ever thinning air at high altitudes. Our legs burn in need of oxygen and the cold has frozen all our water. We are tired, thirsty and pressed for time because sunset hits in less then an hour and we are not there yet. Our feet dragging forward we continue upward. While stumbling and falling we finally reach the the summit of Mt. Sterling and see two
other guys have camp setup. We then found a nice campsite back in the pine trees and hurried to get our tent setup. With frozen feet and hands we dove into the tent and into our bags to get warm. About a hour later we start to warm up and with the dark cold night upon us we realize we have NO WATER. So we take a trash bag and run outside to collect snow into the bag for melting into water. I proceed to melt snow from my position inside the tent for a hour and a half which gets us about 4 liters of water (yes melting snow is a slow process). Are only other option for water up here is a half mile hike in the cold and dark to a spring. We finally eat dinner at midnight after collecting water and then try and get some warmth and sleep. Overnight lows were around 14 degrees with winds of 40mph on the summit.
other guys have camp setup. We then found a nice campsite back in the pine trees and hurried to get our tent setup. With frozen feet and hands we dove into the tent and into our bags to get warm. About a hour later we start to warm up and with the dark cold night upon us we realize we have NO WATER. So we take a trash bag and run outside to collect snow into the bag for melting into water. I proceed to melt snow from my position inside the tent for a hour and a half which gets us about 4 liters of water (yes melting snow is a slow process). Are only other option for water up here is a half mile hike in the cold and dark to a spring. We finally eat dinner at midnight after collecting water and then try and get some warmth and sleep. Overnight lows were around 14 degrees with winds of 40mph on the summit.
Day 3: Distance 6.2 Miles; Time: 5 hours; Elevation 5,800ft - 1700ft
Slow moving I awake to a frozen nose with icicles literally attached. Almost all my water is frozen leaving me about half a nalgene for the hike down the mountain. I cannot express in words how bone chilling cold it was this morning. The fact is we slept outside on a mountain top in 14 degree temperatures and now had to come out of our bags get changed and get our frozen
boots on. It suxs more then you can know (unless of course you have been there before). After eating a frozen Cliff bar we take apart camp and stomp around in our frozen boots trying to warm our feet. Brad, Scott and I decide to climb the old Fire tower at the summit for some photo opps. Well this tower looked like it had it's day and the wood stairs did not look very sturdy and the floor boards of the actual top of the tower were rotted out. So we walked the whole way up and took pictures from on the stairs. The views were simply unbelievable! 360 degree view of mountains for 100's of miles and we were one of the highest peaks among them all. We literally had clouds floating at eye level and the vertigo from the height was overwhelming.
After sightseeing some we started the TREK FROM HELL down the mountain. This 6 mile
4,100 foot decent was more then I was ready for. My leg muscles locked up about half way down and the pain started to set in. I literally had to drag myself with my poles for about 3 miles to continue downward. I write this blog 3 days after the end of the trek and my legs are still cramped and unusable. When I walk, I hobble around in a hybrid zombie / pimp walk.
Slow moving I awake to a frozen nose with icicles literally attached. Almost all my water is frozen leaving me about half a nalgene for the hike down the mountain. I cannot express in words how bone chilling cold it was this morning. The fact is we slept outside on a mountain top in 14 degree temperatures and now had to come out of our bags get changed and get our frozen
boots on. It suxs more then you can know (unless of course you have been there before). After eating a frozen Cliff bar we take apart camp and stomp around in our frozen boots trying to warm our feet. Brad, Scott and I decide to climb the old Fire tower at the summit for some photo opps. Well this tower looked like it had it's day and the wood stairs did not look very sturdy and the floor boards of the actual top of the tower were rotted out. So we walked the whole way up and took pictures from on the stairs. The views were simply unbelievable! 360 degree view of mountains for 100's of miles and we were one of the highest peaks among them all. We literally had clouds floating at eye level and the vertigo from the height was overwhelming.After sightseeing some we started the TREK FROM HELL down the mountain. This 6 mile
4,100 foot decent was more then I was ready for. My leg muscles locked up about half way down and the pain started to set in. I literally had to drag myself with my poles for about 3 miles to continue downward. I write this blog 3 days after the end of the trek and my legs are still cramped and unusable. When I walk, I hobble around in a hybrid zombie / pimp walk.In summary: we learned to never underestimate the weather even though we happened to have the unfortunate luck of not only record lows for the days we were there but the lowest recorded temperature ever in the history of April for that location. We are truly lucky that nothing else went wrong on Saturday evening because pressed for time as we were with sunset upon us any mistake could have been fatal. I have learned the lessons which will provide for more careful planning and better backup plans for when things start to go wrong.
I am proud of all three of us for sticking together and getting each other through this ordeal. I am proud of the determination and strong minds it took to forge forward without water and with waining strength. I am proud to have experienced such an awesome adventure filled with excitement, pain, determination and joy. I am proud to have stepped up to the challenge and walked away victorious.
No Snow down here The final photo after 3 days
