Rain Bummer

This hike started at the Cosby Campground; that was ~ 70 mile trip for me since I realized too late that there was one other (Amy) from Blount Co. The Knoxville hikers meet up at the Cracker Barrel at Strawberry Plains. I arrived at 8:50; a Park Ranger came ~9:00 and suggested an alternate hike for me to take if I were going solo for the one scheduled was quite arduous (particularly considering that I would be alone). When I was about ready to give up Liz Etyner came with three other women; within two minutes Manfred Grote came with Amy.

Because of the weather, Liz (who recently had written a hiking book on the Smokies) thought that the scheduled hike was too much so we did an alternate. We stopped this prior to getting to a bona fide trail head and then retraced our steps. Although I will mark it on my map, I think that my 9 miles in the rain was for naught.