Top: On the morning after a big blizzard ripped through the Pecks Corner region of the Smokies, Noland trudges through deep drifts along the top of Hughes Ridge. We had hiked into Pecks Corner on the previous day from Newfound Gap, enduring screaming wind and soaking freezing rain and sleet along the way. That was the trip when I decided to switch from goose down to synthetics for insulation. Somewhere along the Sawteeth portion of the AT, my goosedown parka got soaked and I quickly became hypothermic. I remember nothing of the final few miles of the sodden slog to the shelter at Pecks Corner, other than being very, very tired and cold. My goosedown jacket was a soggy lump, worthless as a source of warmth. Luckily, Noland had carried extra clothing, some sensible synthetics and wool, so after putting away some warm food and drink, I was able to make it through the night with a certain degree of comfort. I do remember being constantly awakened by a parade of mice that would sprint along the rafters above the wire bunks, then leap with what seemed like glee onto the top of my sleeping bag. That went on from dusk til dawn.

When I woke up the next morning, the first thing that I noticed was the incredible silence. A deep blanket of snow covered the mountains, but the air was still and quiet. The walk down Hughes Ridge to the junction with the Bradley Fork trail was one of the prettiest winter hikes that I've ever done, with deep drifts of snow and heavy-laden spruce trees.

Bottom: The old rangers shack that sits atop Hughes Ridge in a stand of red spruce about 1/2 mile from the Pecks Corner shelter. It's seldom used nowadays, at least not by horse-mounted rangers. The sides bear witness to the efforts of many a generation of curious bears, with long, deep clawmarks at all corners of the little building. There is a good spring on the hillside below, but it's difficult to find, especially in the summertime, when the weeds are waist high on the mountainside.