I'm really pleasantly surprised on how clean this park is compared to all the trash I've seen all along the trail before getting here. It looks so much more well maintained and cared for. Or maybe just the people who come here are just better about picking up after themselves and packing out their trash.
I stopped at Mollies Ridge Shelter on my hike today to eat lunch. This shelter just had a sign that says "toilet area" with no out house. It was a mine field. There was dug up ground and toilet paper everywhere. People were just tossing their used toilet paper and the people who did burry their shit didn't do it very well or deep because it looks as though some animal came by at night and dug them up.
The plants and environment are just so much different than in Georgia. The trail right now is running along the North Carolina- Tennessee boarder for quite a ways. It's just the foliage and trees, it's all changing.
Horses are allowed on the trails in the park. I ran into a group on horseback. For the last 3 miles I've been seeing hoof prints dried in the mud. All of the campsites and shelters have a hitch to tie off horses for the night. I've never been to a place like this before. I can't help from wishing that I could be on horseback right now.
The flies are terrible and bite. They are everywhere and there are tons of them. It's driving me crazy. They don't bug me when I'm walking but every time I stop, they are everywhere. My arms also got more sunburn and they are quite itchy!
The ridge runner who is camped here said that someone got mauled by a bear in his tent at this site last year. Ridge runners work for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. His job is to hike around in a designated area of the trail cleaning up the campgrounds, letting hikers know of the park specific rules here and to help answer any questions that hikers may have.
Tonight I'm camped at Spence Field Shelter which is mile 182.9 with 2006.9 left to go!
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