Hiking the Appalachian Trail: Week 4 Thru-Hike Journal

Thinking about taking on a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail? Or maybe you’re just looking to get an idea of what it’s like? Then you’ve come to the right place!

Hi! I’m Cindy. In 2022, my husband, Barrett, and I completed our Appalachian Trail thru-hike! 🥳

I kept a daily journal while on trail and plan to have our entire AT thru-hike story up on this website for anyone who may be interested in reading it!

🔗 If you arrived here from another site but would like to start at the beginning, with week one, 👉 click here.

🔗 And to see all the weekly journals in one spot, 👉 click here.

Just know that if you choose to do an AT thru-hike, you’ll be in for an incredible adventure!

Also, if you know us as flip-flop thru-hikers, it should be noted that we didn’t know at this point that we would become flip-floppers. When we started, we had conducted months of research and chose to begin our hike northbound (NOBO).

(In hindsight, starting either in March or as Flip Floppers would have fit us better. But more on that later.)

Just know that when choosing a route to hike the Appalachian Trail, you can adjust and reconfigure it along the way!

👉 Click here for tips on figuring out where and when would be the best start for you. 👈
👉 And click here for advice on male and female thru-hiking gear. 👈

Alrighty! Week four!

Week 4 of our 2022 Appalachian Trail thru-hike was full of surprises—some wonderful, some humbling. From soaking storms and stunning ridge views to a tense B&B zero day and hitting the 200-mile milestone in the Smokies, this week was definitely eventful.

We navigated setbacks, embraced serendipity, and soaked up wildflower-filled meadows and Disney-worthy forests. This stretch tested our patience and perseverance, but also reminded us of why we’re out here in the first place.

Curious what it’s really like to spend months hiking the Appalachian Trail? Well, here’s week four:

Day 22

April 26, 2022

On this day, we initially woke up slowly to a beautiful sunny morning. We started packing up and were about 75% packed when it started sprinkling.

The feel of the sprinkles kicked us into hyperdrive. We got the tent packed away just as the rain started picking up. And then we scrambled, getting everything else in its place as the sprinkle turned into a downpour.

We threw on our rain gear and ran to the shelter with our packs. I pulled up the radar, and it was pretty clear we were in a heavy storm for an hour or two, but then it looked clear.

So we decided we had enough time to sit and wait it out.

Barrett was thrilled about it. 😆

While waiting in the shelter, we saw “Women’s Wear!” Which was pretty wild. He started the trail within minutes of us, and then we saw each other a few times in the beginning. But then we never saw him again until today.

We stayed at the shelter, listened to some jams, and chatted with everyone else who had the same idea for the next two hours.

It was delightful for me because morning coffee time is when I shine socially. 😹 So I felt like I had some great conversations, compared to trying to converse at night at camp when I’m generally very worn out.

Another reason we stayed was that the night was predicted to have a low of 36 degrees. I truly hate trying to sleep in the 30s and below when your body is chilled from the rain, as l’m sure most do. And we knew we could still make it with waiting.

So, around 11 am, it started slowing down, and we saw our window.

It was a slow hike due to the wet conditions, our late start, and the fact that we hadn’t taken a zero in a longer stretch. The first five miles felt like they went on forever, but eventually, we managed to make it another 9.2 miles down the trail!

The hike began with a moss-covered, rocky ridgeline lined with shrubs and rhododendrons. The mountains were viewable through the trees on both sides of us for almost the entire trail today.

Near the end, we arrived at a parking lot with trash cans and bags of apples, both of which were a delight to see!

We got some trash weight off our backs, and Barrett had an apple while looking at the mountains and counting the minis that drove by. (It was a lot; there must have been an event nearby.)

The last 2 or so miles were lined with tons of bright, light-green trees that were just beginning to sprout their leaves. They towered over us, and the afternoon sun shone through their leaves in a really beautiful way. The whole forest floor lit up from their glow.

Then we got to camp and did the same thing we do every night: I set up the tent, Barrett got us water, we made dinner, hung out around the fire ring for a bit, stretched, put on our jammies, inflated all our sleeping devices, and then fell asleep.

If all goes as planned tomorrow, we will reach the Great Smoky Mountains National Park entrance gate by the end of our miles and then get a lift to a B&B (with puppies and a hot tub 🥹) for a true zero, complete with resupply and rest.

✔️ Length: 9.2 miles
✔️ Total Ascent: 2478′
✔️ Total Descent: 3030′
✔️ Total Grade: 598’/mi

Day 23

April 27, 2022

We slowly woke up in our tent at Brown Fork because it was another night in the 30-degree range.

We felt confident that if we picked up the pace at specific points throughout the day’s hike, we’d still be fine and make it to our meeting point by 4 pm to get picked up for our zero.

But, about halfway through, we started to feel we weren’t going to make it in time, so I called the B&B host to warn her.

We talked, and she assured me we were probably good. We felt skeptical and spent the rest of the hike frantically hiking and running as fast as possible.

The hike was beautiful-one of the most impressive days so far. We started on a ridge again, then dipped down into a valley, and then we went back up to a ridge and then back down into a valley again.

The last few miles were some of the most fantastic scenery we’ve seen so far.

As we got closer to Fontana Dam and the Smokies, we entered a part of the trail that reminded me of forests leading up to other lakes I’d been to before.

For what felt like the first time, we were immersed in the forest floor, surrounded by an abundance of greenery and flowers.

I know I keep saying this, but the scenery really does continue to come alive more and more.

It almost felt like summer in this area; the landscape was so lush.

Now for the sad-ish part. We very much messed up our timing for this day. We were about 20 minutes late to the meeting spot and spent hours rushing through the trail, which we both hated.

There seem to be many people out here who want to fly through the trail and accomplish the task. That has never been us.

Having to rush to a point and not being able to look around and fully enjoy the hike made us both very grumpy.

Luckily, Barrett brought me back to reality and reminded me that we’d have months to take in the beautiful scenery on this hike and that it was just one bad day. That I can accept.

Eventually, we reached the road, and I saw the marina. Then, I noticed a sign that stated the Visitor Center was still over a mile away. My gut sank. For the first time, I timed us out to the wrong spot.

It’s honestly horrible to realize (all at the same time) that not only were we running to a pickup spot late, but it was also the wrong pickup spot. And there was no cell service to let our host know.

We were irritable and flustered for a while.

The employees at the marina tried their hardest to help us find our driver and zero-day B&B host, but she also didn’t have cell service.

Lesson learned: Always extra, EXTRA pad arrival times.

The truth is, I really just wanted to hike at an average pace and then sit at the marina and wait for her. Sitting by the water would have been wonderful.

I started to feel like l was missing out on water once again.

At the end of the day, part of why I’m doing this is to conquer my burnout and to get out of the rat race, but on this particular day, I felt straight dab back in the middle of it.

Neither of us enjoyed this day as a whole. We were extra worn out, both physically from hiking so fast and mentally from the whole ordeal of being at the wrong spot.

The lady picking us up finally found us.

We got some pretty heavy scolding, and I was very nervous that our zero day was going to suck.

I cried and ate a pizza in bed, sulking for the rest of the evening, and was pretty hard on myself and bummed about the screwup.

✔️ Length: 11.4 miles (although we had some extra mileage at the end trying to find the host).
✔️ Total Ascent: 1893′
✔️ Total Descent: 3888′
✔️ Total Grade: 505’/mi

Day 24

April 28, 2022

I was determined to wake up and have a new, better day on our zero. And, for the most part, everything did get better.

However, this B&B was overall a bit off.

The hosts were very invasive of personal space. Additionally, we received the strong impression that they weren’t particularly interested in hosting thru-hikers; even though we were paying customers like everyone else, it was made clear that we were a different kind of (read: dirty) paying customer. 😆

Barrett and I have a solid relationship, but this particular situation was the perfect storm to get us bickering with each other while we were there. We aren’t used to being constantly hovered over, and both felt anxious from the moment we arrived until the moment we left.

When we become anxious and don’t know where to direct our feelings, we can end up directing them toward each other. 😬

Eventually, we were able to recognize that we were doing this, make some mental notes, discuss the situation, and ultimately realize that we just needed to get out of these people’s house, and things would be better.

Overall, there were dogs:

A not-so-hot tub that I still used at both 83 degrees in the sun and 95 degrees in the evening (and in my undies despite the B&B owner hanging around and telling me it was clothing optional… 👀):

A nest with baby birds and a gorgeous home tucked away with a lovely little creek in the yard:

We spent most of our day off outside, listening to the water and taking in the sunshine.

We also washed everything and took our included resupply ride to an Ingles grocery store, which was great. We even saw eagles on the ride!

Another hiker showed up for the evening, and we were able to grill dinner together and share stories outside on the patio.

All things considered, the situation improved, but I also feel extremely ready to head back into the woods. 😆

✔️ Length: Zero

Day 25

April 29, 2022

Well, after a somewhat relaxing zero, we were dropped back at the marina we stopped at on the 27th.

Honestly, the arrival day at that B&B made me feel incredibly discouraged. However, I now feel rested and much better.

We got back at it and reconnected with some trail friends along the way. We had lots of laughs about our absurd B&B stay while hiking, which was a healing experience.

A few days ago, the day before our zero, as we approached Fontana, the last few miles, we were high up, overlooking the lake and dam.

Today, we hiked along the lake and the dam.

By the end of the day, we were looking over it once again from the other side, within the Great Smoky Mountains.

Entering the Smokys felt like an exciting accomplishment! Pretty soon, we’ll be at 200 miles!

The scenery was a little less lush on this side of the lake.

Once we were in the park, the trail involved a lot of climbing back up into the mountains, surrounded by skinny trees with leaves just starting to appear at the top. By the end of the day, spots of trillium began to appear as well.

Near the end of the day, we reached an old, rickety fire tower. Walking up the open stairs was something else.

Some of the metal railings were gone, and what remained seemed like it had been there a long time. The stairs were completely open, so as you went up, you could see 360-degree views.

Then, the top was a tiny room you popped into from a hole in the floor.

A lot of the wood floor was disconnected and disheveled. It had glass windows that you could look out of; many were missing, while others were propped open by thin pieces of wood.

But the view of all the mountains, the lake, the dam, the marina, and everything else was incredible!

A section hiker we crossed paths with earlier in the day told me the jump record was two times. 😆 So I let Barrett leave and get back on solid ground and then had him witness my three jumps. (Can you see him down there? 👇)

The views and adrenaline from the tower gave me an exhilarating spurt of energy.

Camp is peaceful. We’re tucked down into a little valley with a communal fire pit and a stream.

For dinner, I tried to accomplish a lifelong dream of eating an entire family-size bag of dehydrated potatoes. I made it close, but I do have some leftovers for today. 😹

Then exhaustion took over; I took ibuprofen for my legs for the first time ever on the trail and fell asleep almost immediately.

✔️ Length: 8.1 miles, plus a little extra to get to the fire tower.
✔️ Total Ascent: 2966′
✔️ Total Descent: 1004′
✔️ Total Grade: 492’/mi

Day 26

April 30, 2022

I feel pretty confident that this was my favorite day on the trail so far.

There was a lot of up and down on today’s hike, but at a gradual grade, which was lovely. I’ve noticed that in the Smokies, we often spiral slowly around the mountains to conquer them instead of cutting straight up and down them. Which has been quite a lovely change. 😻

Throughout the day, we encountered a quiet section of the park that we’d never experienced before on our previous trips to GSMNP, and the weather was also excellent.

Many of the mountaintops we walked across had meadow-like ground with abundant grass, fallen trees that had turned into moss-covered logs, and abundant wildflowers.

However, when you look up, the trees have not yet come back to life.

So, if you only looked up at the trees, it reminded us of Georgia and its early spring deadness. This must be due to the increased elevation. Pretty wild how drastically the terrain can change in such a short distance.

They are trying, though! You can see tiny buds on them that promise to turn into leaves soon, so who knows, maybe it’ll be greener within a few days, perhaps even before we exit the Smokies.

Flowers were also everywhere on today’s hike, but especially on the last three miles, where we hit sections of flowers of all types and colors, spread as far as the eye could see!

Wildflowers galore!

Also, we entered a new state today: Tennessee! Today was the start of what will be many days of crisscrossing across the Tennessee and North Carolina borders.

There are not privies as often in the Smokies, so to get close to one this evening, we made the lofty 11.7-mile trek out to Spence Field Shelter for our evening camping spot.

And holy cow, was it worth it! It was the most rewarding privy experience I’ve ever had. 😆

(Scroll on if you don’t want to read more privy details.)

–

First of all, the thing looked brand new.

Almost no graffiti, and it even had an adorable crescent moon carving on the DOOR! Yes, there was also a door, complete with a lock. I was already impressed.

I then went to lift the toilet lid, and it was COMPLETELY empty. Entirely. I’ve never seen such a magical sight.

I told the ridgerunner checking permits at the camping spot that it was the most immaculate privy I had ever seen and that I would journal about it this evening, maybe even dream about it.

Another guy laughed and said they should give out awards. She said what I said was reward enough. 😆

(Also, I apologize that I don’t have any pictures of the privy. I must have decided at the time that no one would want to see that… 😆)

–

Additionally, one more fantastic thing that happened upon arrival at camp was that I had social energy! This was quite exciting, considering the number of miles we put in.

On big days or even just a lot of the days out here, I feel so worn out by the time we’ve gotten to camp. It often bothers me because I don’t feel I’m meeting people at my complete, 100% best Cindy strength.

Last night, though, I had it!

Dinner was lovely, and I had a great time connecting with the people we’ve been meeting along the trail over the past couple of days on a deeper level. Just some quality, healing conversations, which I was hoping to find out here, and glad to have done so!

Also, these people are awe-inspiring! Two are professional ballroom dancers, and another hiker is a professional opera singer.

All of that being said, as I lay down in my tent for the evening, absolutely thrilled to have had such a good day and ready to peacefully drift off to sleep, we learned that Marty (our corgi back home) had some digestion problems and had to be taken to emergency care.

Barrett reassured me that what was happening with him was relatively normal for dogs and that he would be okay. I’m very grateful for our excellent pet sitters and their quick action.

✔️ Length: 11.7 AT miles
✔️ Total Ascent: 3097′
✔️ Total Descent: 1850′
✔️ Total Grade: 423’/mi

Day 27

May 1, 2022

Today, we woke up and packed up in howling winds. The tall grass swayed so heavily that it looked like waves in water.

I slept like absolute dogshit due to being worried about Marty all night. I hope to receive some improved news on that front today.🤞

I also hope this giant red blob on the radar either breaks up over the mountains or crushes Atlanta instead of us today. 🤞

Onward! (Even though my heart wants to run home and be with my sick lil buddy.)

The grade was intense throughout the entire hike today. I think it’s been the most extreme we’ve encountered so far.

And the trail reverted to the straight-up-and-down-the-mountain type. Much of the terrain consisted of a skinny path covered in rocks, roots, or both.

It was foggy and drizzled for much of the morning. For the most part, we avoided actual rain except for one five-minute period around noon when it poured.

There was one particular moment when it grew incredibly dark and began to thunder while tall, brier-patch-like shrubs surrounded us. A bird was whistling a very creepy little whistle, and I instantly felt like I was in the real-life version of the dark, creepy portion of the Splash Mountain ride.

There was also a part of the morning when a deer walked along the trail in front of us at an elevation of 5040 feet.

We were both just “off” all day. Barrett’s knee was bothering him, and as I mentioned, I slept terribly.

But, we did eventually hear good news about Marty! It sounds like he’s on the mend and will be back home soon. 🤗

We had initially planned to hike 12 miles, but we reached the first shelter area about halfway through and knew it was best to call it a day.

Stopping early came with emotions, for sure. It’s easy to get discouraged when stopping early. It’s hard to lose pace with others and not be sure if you’ll ever see them again, especially after such a great evening the night before.

But we ultimately knew it was the right call for us and that if we rested, we could pick up the pace tomorrow and still meet my Mom at Kuwohi (known then as Clingmans Dome)!

We found an incredibly peaceful spot in a field-like area, surrounded by lots of small trees, complete with joyful robins darting sideways between them.

We set up our tent, had dinner at 3 pm, and then enjoyed the sun (that finally came out) from the tent window.

I slept from 5 pm to 8 pm and then from 9 pm to 5:30 am.

Also, I must have looked tired today because someone asked me if I was a southbounder for the first time ever. Apparently, I looked like I hiked from Maine. 😹

✔️ Length: 6.3 AT miles
✔️ Total Ascent: 2058′
✔️ Total Descent: 2100′
✔️ Total Grade: 663’/mi

Day 28

May 2, 2022

We woke up in our tent near Derrick Knob Shelter.

Last night, we slept for 11-12 hours and woke up from a fantastic meadow sleep to find a tent circus had surrounded us.

Also, in the early morning, I peed in the woods, and then about 30 minutes later, a deer came right by the tent and licked it all up. 😹

He then walked down the path where, I’m guessing, many hikers peed throughout the night and proceeded to have a taste of all the pee flavors.

We got up and started packing up for our hike to meet Mom at Kuwohi.

We’re very excited to reach both the tallest part of the entire AT (Kuwohi) and the 200-mile mark and then have a day off in Gatlinburg!

Onward! See you soon, Mom!

We loved this day’s hike! It was beautiful, and the weather was equally so.

We saw another deer while hiking. The trail started very lush, but also still had bare trees.

It was a 10.2-mile day on the trail, and when there were about 4.3 miles left, we finally spotted Kuwohi far out in the distance!

After that sighting, the trail became coated in pine trees.

Suddenly, there were also beds of white and yellow flowers as far as the eye could see. Pine, ferns, and moss encircled us.

It felt like we had popped into a Disney forest. There was even a zone full of adorable jumping mini crickets.

The scenery also reminded us of many real-life places, too. When it seemed very mossy and rich green, we were reminded of the Pacific Northwest, and some of the field-like spots reminded me of some scenes from Twilight.

Then, as we ascended, it became drier, and we were suddenly hiking along a narrow ridge that reminded us of the Mount Lemmon area in Arizona.

As we continued upward toward Kuwohi to meet Mom, we arrived at a spot with amazing views, where we could see Gatlinburg and Douglas Lake to the left and Fontana Lake to the right.

We were so grateful for the clear, beautiful day.

We got off the trail near Kuwohi (mile 200! 🎉🎉🤗🎉🎉) to meet my mom. Many other hikers were there, and we chatted with them all until Mom arrived.

My mom brought fruit and snacks, which everyone enjoyed. She even took some of the hikers’ trash from them so they wouldn’t have to carry it anymore.

We went up to the top together, saw the incredible 360-degree views all around us, took a bunch of videos and pictures, and then headed to our Airbnb in Gatlinburg (complete with a hot tub and pool table 😻), where we proceeded to spend the next 42-ish hours.

That evening, we went to Margaritaville at The Island in Pigeon Forge so I could have one of my favorite dinners on the entire planet, Volcano Nachos.

✔️ Length: 10.2 AT miles
✔️ Total Ascent: 3451′
✔️ Total Descent: 1672′
✔️ Total Grade: 503’/mi

Conclusion: Week Four of our AT Thru Hike

Week 4 tested our endurance, both physically and emotionally. Still, it also reminded us why we’re out here—to grow, connect, and soak in the magic of the trail. From dousing storms to stunning views and reaching the 200-mile mark, this week was a wild, beautiful ride.