Corridor 9

After waiting what seemed like an eternity, We finally hit the road around 7:30 am on the trip to Mt. LeConte. As usual when heading anywhere south, we had to stop at the hiking stores in Nashville. I was looking to get a new shirt and underwear before the hike. The underwear I have is all cotton, and anyone who hikes knows that cotton is a definite no-no in the woods. It soaks up perspiration and doesn’t allow for quick evaporation. This chills the body in colder weather, and causes unnecessary discomfort in warmer weather.

First we went to Cumberland Transit to have a look at their clearance rack. I’ve always had good luck finding things that were well worth the price. However, this time was a bust. I don’t know if we just hit the wrong time due to season change or what but there wasn’t much in the way of clothing that I needed.

We decided to skip going to Blue Ridge Mountain Sports cause it was a bit out of the way and we were running a bit behind schedule. Instead, we headed directly to the REI store in Brentwood where I was able to find a nice set of REI undies that were anything but cotton and definitely comfortable. I also picked up an Under Armour shirt that fit wonderfully and kept me warm throughout the trip.

On our way into the park we stopped at The Sinks. As soon as we pulled up we noticed how low the water was. The middle picture was taken this weekend, while the last picture was taken on 2 November’s ago. You can see the sign on the right hand side of the picture to compare flow.

Anyway…. after stopping to see the water, or lack thereof, we headed into camp at Elkmont. Spaghetti for dinner, and cold temperatures! I’m glad I brought the Big Agnes!