Race Team Member, Chad Wamack, and his AT Birthday Run in the Smoky Mountains

Several years ago Jamie Dial told me about his first solo attempt at running the Appalachian Trail throughout the Great Smoky Mountain NP, 72 miles. My first thought was--ridiculous! The concept was so intimidating but at the same time it fired me up. Over half of the run is above 5,000 feet and reaches more than 6,000 feet 6 times, pretty good for east coast standards. To cover that much ground over that kind of terrain, 18,000 feet of climbing over the 72 miles, had to be an epic adventure. We decided to give it a try to celebrate my birthday. Take a look at the map at: http://www.cs.utk.edu/~dunigan/at/gsmnpat.html

8 PM Chattanooga, TN

Pete Persolja, Randy Whorton, and I are finally on the road. We stopped to pick up our shuttle driver, Chris Pesce, and are headed to the trailhead at the North end of the park. Once we got to the trailhead and tossed a sleeping bag on the ground it was 1 AM.

After reading about Will Harlan's record setting run of AT through the Smokies I decide to follow his course and go from the North to the South. we will start at Davenport Gap along the North end of the park and finish at Fontana Dam to the South.

7 AM

Day 1 - 32 miles

AT - Davenport Gap to Newfound Gap

Up before dawn we made a quick breakfast and were moving up the long 8 mile climb to Mount Cammerer. The weather was perfect, sunny and warm with no chance of rain. The trail is so beautiful that it was easy not to think about the all the miles in front us. The incredible views and scenery helped keep us in the moment. Randy, Pete, and I were running on sensory overload.

In an effort to avoid having to fill up with water at every opportunity, we all ran with Hydration Packs with 75 oz. bladders. We all carried a mix of nutrition but the goal was to eat early and often. Nutrition was mainly Bars, Cliff Bloks, and Nuun. Randy was downing a Hammer Heed/Perpetium. Randy brought his MSR Sweetwater purifier system. The filter allowed us to drink the water instantly and we were happy to avoid iodine tabs. With the recent rains water availability was not a problem. The large hydration bladders let us get to Tri Corner Knob Shelter, mile 15, before needing to refill. Josh Wheeler ran in from Newfound Gap and met us at the Tri Corner Knob Shelter. Josh's plan to run out and back from Newfound worked out perfect. We made steady time all the way to Charlie's Bunion. After taking in the view we made our way to Newfound Gap at 4 PM. Lisa was there to meet us and take us down to Cherokee, NC to rest and refuel.

Day 2 - 40 miles

AT - Newfound Gap to Fontana Damn

I felt like the crux of the run was run was going to be starting out Day 2 on tired legs with a 10 mile climb to Clingmans Dome. When we left Cherokee, NC at 6:15 AM the weather was cloudy but warm. Trying to stay as light as possible I left my shell behind, Stupid. Once we got to Newfound Gap it was raining and the wind was blowing hard and cold. Josh dropped us off and saved me with a piece of capilene.

On Day 2 Britt Reynolds took Pete's place in the lineup with Randy and I. The climb to Clingmans Dome felt like a long staircase with all the water bars and erosion barriers on the trail. Climbing up through the rain, wind, and fog into that high lonesome mountain was an incredible. We knew we were in for a long day but maintained a sense of excitement as the miles passed. It would have been nice to have someone meet us at Clingman's Dome but the road was closed for repairs. Once up and over Clingman's we descend down 3 + miles to Double Spring Shelter to fill up on water. The weather was still cold and gray but getting better. The goal from here was to get to the Spence Field shelter and meet Dawson & Stephanie Wheeler for some Aid. The next 13 - 14 miles was tough but the weather moved out and sun and blue skies really gave us some incredible scenery. We showed up at the Spence Field Bald, Day 2 mile 24, at 1:45. Not exactly fast running but the terrain throughout the Smokies is consistently steep and technical. Meeting up with Dawson and Stephanie was huge. The view from Spence Field Bald stretched out over a sea of green mountains. We could see our final destination, Fontana Dam, 16 miles away. Sitting there on Spence Field Bald with good friends on a “bluebird day” was a birthday present that I won’t forget. The next 7 miles were the most runable miles of the entire two days. It was really nice to have a belly full of fuel and to stretch out the legs to cover some trail. At Mollies Ridge Shelter we were within ten miles of Fontana Dam. Britt went to fill up some water and Randy and I had an interesting conversation with a Ridgerunner, Appalachian Trail Conservancy volunteer, who manages AT thru hikers as they enter the park. The first couple of weeks in May a lot of AT Thru hikers arrive at the southern end of the Smokies on their journey to Maine. It was interesting talking to a several thru hikers about their plans. It gave me a healthy respect for those who have completed the trip from Springer Mountain, GA to Katahden, ME. The last ten miles of our adventure were basically all downhill. That sounds great but actually after 60+ miles the downhill hurts. At Shuckstack we had to descend 4 very steep miles. Randy wanted to go look at the old fire tower. I could smell the barn but went along. It proved to be probably the best view of the entire trip and the certainly the most dangerous. The 360 degree panoramic view was breathtaking. The last 3 miles of pounding took its toll and it felt like it took 2 hours. We finally came around the last sharp bend in the trail and saw Lisa and Flow Dog at the trailhead.

If my 40th birthday is anything like my 39th then I’m looking forward to being “over the hill”.

Vasque Mindbenders. My feet felt great the entire run--no blisters.

Patagonia hydration Packs, Randy GoLite pack, and Britt used the new Osprey pack.

Moben arm warmers

Swiftwick socks

First aid kit – duct tape, super glue, cell phone, mole skin, advil, and space blanket.

Small trail map

Small headlamp