Day 16 spence field shelter 17 miles

Today saw the separation of the gang known as dirty mike and the boys. Paunch and trail finger stayed behind and took a zero while Matt mike and I pressed on. They plan to do a 20 mile day tomorrow to the top of klingmans dome. I don't think I'm up for it. This morning I got my first trail magic from a group of ladies. They were all 800 milers and knew the smokies well. Entering the smoky mountains was momentous but so far appears to be like rest of the trail. Tomorrow will be a high climb. I taught Tbo, Matt and mike how to stretch out their calves with a hiking pole today.