The woods seemed thicker and the greens more vibrant when we crossed the dam and entered the Smokies. The first thing we noticed was the large animal trap just off the Trail. Bears! We'd heard the stories of the Smoky Mountain bears and the sight of the trap brought up the anxiety level a notch. In fact, the trap was for wild boar, a destructive alien in the park, but we didn't find that out until later. We started to see many deer, also, a sure sign that we were in a protected area.

A fine day of hiking ended in lock-up. The shelters in the Smokies have fences across the face to keep out the bears. It was a precaution that made sense but still added that feeling of being part of the food chain. The fact is, the bears will destroy your equipment looking for food and leave you alone. Just keep that fence shut, thank you. Having to go shelter to shelter was a drag and made for some crowded nights but I was thankful for the protection.

Mark was still having ankle problems and my blisters were still an issue but we seemed to be used to the discomfort. We were both taking aspirin in the evenings to ease the pain. We averaged 10 miles a day and both of us were sore in the evenings. All hikers we met suffered the same aches and pains as ourselves no matter what pre-trip physical training they did. The only way to prepare for the physical rigors of living with a backpack on your back is to live with a backpack on your back.