Coed and Tucson have been seen on the trail but they didn't make it in today. I get the feeling that they stopped at Deer Park Mountain shelter this afternoon when the rain was at its worst. Guess we'll find out later.
I got to FaceTime this weekend with my parents and my brother and his family, as well as a Skype conversation with my friend Diane. It's very nice, keeping connected to the home folks while living this disconnected trail life. Doesn't seem real that I've been on trail for over a month now, nor that in a little more than two weeks I'll be in Virginia.
Wilson has read that How Far got off trail to rest his knees and got back on only to find he is still having problems bad enough to stop his thruhike. How Far is a really good guy and a good hiker, he for sure is gonna be missed.
4/20/15 - Woke up this morning to rain; there was a band moving through. It cleared about eight thirty, so we packed and moved out for Erwin, five days away.
We managed to reach Spring Mountain shelter about three thirty, normally too early to stop, but water is spotty between Hot Springs and Erwin, and town life has robbed me of stamina. Or perhaps it's the extra weight of five days of food. Wilson says he saw a mouse, so we'll have to be careful about food in our packs tonight.
I met a hiker named Happy, from north island New Zealand. A guy named Boston showed up, as well as Animal. The shelter sleeps 5, and I'm in it, but there's about twenty people here around camp tonight.
The rain started from a thunderstorm just before six pm. Hit hard but only lasted a few minutes. No wet tent for me!
4/21/15 - We did a fifteen from Spring Mountain shelter to Jerry's Cabin shelter. Sounds simple enough but two things made it a killer. One, four miles after Spring Mountain, the trail starts to rise. And doesn't stop rising for six miles and 2500ft vertical. Then, the trail runs along the very top of the ridge, and between the rocks, the rhododendron roots and mud from recent rains I could hardly make one mile per hour. I finally made it to camp a little before six pm. Oh my aching feet!
I recognized the shelter from 2007, it's where we bestowed the name Firestarter on a hiker. She was trying to light her alcohol stove and when it lit off, it startled her and she knocked over her fuel bottle, which lit off and flaming alcohol ran die the picnic table and dripped on someone's pack. Didn't hurt the pack before it got put out, but that's how trail names get started.
4/22/15 - Another hard fifteen today from Jerry's Cabin shelter to Hogback Ridge shelter. It didn't help that one hiker got up at 4:30 and took an hour plus to get ready, all the while shining his headlamp in everyone's eyes. I complained later and he protested that it was a red light. Yes, but the intensity is still enough to wake people up. He promised to be more careful in the future. Turns out it's not a headlamp but the taillight from his bicycle.
Lots of rocks and roots today. Then at mile 306, the trail drops 300ft in 3/10 of a mile then pops back up 250ft in the next 4/10ths. Ugh! Shortly after, at Flint Mountain shelter, I heard there was Trail Magic at Devil's Gap road crossing, two and a half miles further. I made it over in time to get two hot dogs, a soda, and a bag of chips before the threat of rain sent me into the woods and the Trail Angels into the wam dry of their van.
As I cleared the ridge after the gap, I realized I remembered the area. There's a very nice stream tumbling down the swale, and the trail crossed it several times. The trail goes up interminably, climbing 1500 feet in three miles. Then it drops about 700 feet over a couple miles before climbing back 300ft over the last mile or so to the shelter.
Hogback Ridge shelter faces away from the trail and I remembered it immediately. The water source is s loooong way from the shelter, several tenths of a mile one way. But it was what happened in 2007 that struck me. It was here that I met a good friend, Tony "the Tiger" Pierce, and where I was able to first make a cellphone call home from a trail shelter. So I texted Tony and again called home. So fun!
The clouds moved back in a little before sundown, we never did get rain during the day. But now the wind is whipping the trees and is very cold. Good night for my thirty degree down mummy bag!
4/23/15 - Sixteen miles today from Hogback ridge to a trail side camp at Spivey Gap. We're yards from the road, but down in a rhododendron thicker so it's ok. No place to hang a bear bag though, hope we don't get visitors. Sublime saw a cub about three miles back at Whistling Gap.
The front came through last night with a vengeance. The wind was really howling last night and it got down to 36 degrees. It was hard to get out of bed this morning.
Today was the long climb up Big Bald Mountain. And the wind stayed up all day, probably 20-30mph. Add temps that never got out of the fifties and it was a tough day. I had left out of the shelter with no water because it's almost a half mile to water at Hogback but found a small stream just past Sam's Gap. I also found a foot problem. I had decided to put on clean sock liners this morning, after three days the other were getting funky. But the left liner was rubbing my heel. So I changed back to the grubby liner and the problem went away. That sock goes in the trash in Erwin.
Wilson and I summitted Big Bald and took pictures. The wind was nearly knocking us off our feet so we didn't stay long. We stopped by Bald Mountain shelter for a late lunch and water then headed for Spivy Gap. We got here about five thirty. Tonight it's me, Wilson, Sublime, Chipmunk and Mix at the camp. Supposedly it's going to freeze tonight so we expect to get a late start in the morning.
4/24/15 - Erwin, TN
It didn't freeze last night. It got close, but the wind died and the skies were clear. Mix said this morning his thermometer read 34 degrees. Inside my tent, mine read a cool 40 degrees. I wanted to sleep in but it just wasn't happening so we were on trail a little after eight.
The day turned out perfect for hiking, clear sky, temps in the sixties and just a hint of a breeze. The trail was good too, the elevation gains were reasonable over the distance and the trail was well groomed. Not quite a sidewalk but much better than the rocks and roots we've been getting.
I made it to Erwin at 1:30, saw Huck and several others at Uncle Johnny's, and then walked a mile to the Mountain Inn. Wilson has an online class and test he has to complete before May 3rd, so he'll be busy with that tomorrow. I'll look into slack packing options, although it's supposed to rain Sunday too. There's a Hiker Fest in Erwin this weekend (how are we hitting these fears I don't know), and the town is jammed. Uncle Johnny's is so full the yard is packed with tents.
We finally heard from Coed and Tucson today. Coed is about two days back and hiking to catch up. Tucson says he is four days back. Bookkeeper is two days ahead, Sam I Am and Dusty Pilgrim are I think three or four ahead. Wilson saw Beerman walking out of Erwin this morning.
Note: Sam I Am has been doing video on YouTube of his hike, he's up to episode #13. Check out his stuff, it's quite different from my blog.
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