Fall AT section hike, day #10

Monday, October 3, 2016
Start: TN 91
End: Damascus, VA
Miles: 21.2

This morning over breakfast, I met two fellows (Mark and Stephen who are father and son) who were going to TN 91 at 7am as well though they'd arranged it through a local outfitter rather than the hostel. I asked if I could accompany them. They said yes and in the end, since they weren't charged extra, let me go along for free. So I ended up not needing to pay for either of my rides between TN 91 and Damascus. I also just got offered a free ride to Whitetop Mountain Rd tomorrow. It'll be a bit later start than I normally would (8am departure, ~9am arrival) but I still anticipate I'll get to town by 5pm. And it's free, so I'll take it!

Today, I started out from TN 91 with Mark and Stephen. We kept pace with each other and hiked together for quite a bit of the day. I passed by Double Springs and Abingdon Gap shelters. I climbed past Locust Knob, Low Gap, Double Spring Gap, McQueens Knob, McQueens Gap, and the TN-VA border. I/we made spectacular time; after being dropped off at 7:30am, I was into town by 2:45pm.

During today's hike, one of my poles broke. While I like the light weight of the Black Diamond Z trekking poles, this is the third set to break on me. I'm not a big person; I don't use my poles in a particularly rough way. I called Black Diamond and they said they could replace them but only through their warranty department, which takes a few days just to process before they ship. So I went to the local outfitters, Mt Rogers Outfitters, where I'd made an acquaintance of a fellow who works there named Lumpy. He and I had chatted yesterday and he was nice; he was also this morning's shuttle driver. He showed me the poles they sold ($60 was the cheapest set); he then went in the back to see if they had any used single poles lying around. And he brought out a banged up REI adjustable pole and gave it to me for free, just like that. Trail magic is lovely. :)

At the first shelter, I chatted with some SOBO thru-hikers. Turns out, they'd stayed at the Broken Fiddle, a new hostel in Damascus that has connections with Boots Off Hostel. And they traveled with Kevin, the hostels' garden nome that travels between them.

Fall AT section hike, day #9

Sunday, October 2, 2016
Start: Wilbur Dam Rd
End: TN 91
Miles: 16.1 miles

After breakfast this morning, David (section hiking ER doc) and I were dropped off at Wilbur Dam Rd by 8:25am. We each hiked our own pace but David offered to drop me off in Damascus when he arrived at TN 91 if I were to wait for him. I decided to take him up on that offer.

Today started off with a climb of ~1,200'. I'd been warned by a NOBO hiker that there was no water directly on trail until right before TN 91; however, I brought my normal 1.5L of water. I was lucky - it was cool so I wasn't sweating much and didn't need much water. I passed by Vandeventer shelter and Iron Mountain shelter during my day.

The terrain was a lot of up and down. Additionally, there were dozens of large blowdowns - trees that came down in a fierce storm a few months ago. Apparently, AT maintenance crews are not allowed to use gas powered saws (have to use hand saws) within national land areas, and it's within a national forest. They require permission from the federal government, which hasn't happened. So they haven't been able to clear the trail for months since the trees are large and numerous. A shelter yesterday, Laurel Fork, has been closed since the storm due to a precariously fallen tree near the shelter that is dangerous to people.

Tonight, I'm staying at Woodchuck hostel in their bunk room and they'll give me a shuttle to TN 91 so I can slackpack back to them. After that, I'm hoping to slackpack another ~20 miles north, since there very few hostels between here and Pearisburg. And I'm trying to focus on this being a vacation and not a thru-hike.

Fall AT section hike, day #8

Saturday, October 1, 2016
Start: Moreland Gap shelter
End: Wilbur Dam Rd
Miles: 19.7

This morning, I started out from the shelter by 7:30am. I climbed over White Rocks Mountain (3977'), passed by Laurel Falls, and climbed up and over Pond Flats (3693'). I made really good time, arriving at Shook Branch Rd and Boots Off Hostel by 2:30pm.

Once I arranged for a bed in the bunk room, me and another NOBO hiker, David, got a ride to Wilbur Dam Rd and then hiked back to the hostel. We did the ~5 miles in 1.5 hours, chatting the whole way. He works as an ER doctor when he's not hiking; he's hiked most of the AT, all the way up to Rangeley, ME.

Tomorrow, it's only ~16 miles to TN 91, where I'm thinking I might get a ride into Damascus and then slack back the day after.

Fall AT section hike, day #7

Friday, September 30, 2016
Start: US 19E/Mountain Harbour hiker hostel
End: Moreland Gap shelter
Miles: 18.4

This morning, I was up around 7am. I pulled all my things together and was up at the house with Towanda by 7:45am for breakfast. We had a lovely breakfast - there was egg soufflé, fried potatoes and onions, fresh cinnamon rolls, muffins, blueberry pancakes, and biscuits and gravy. We rolled out of the hostel and got on trail by 9am. Towanda hiked with me until 10:30am when she headed back to US 19E to meet her ride at noon.

Overall, today was fairly easy. The trail was smooth and while there were frequent changes in elevation, they were fairly small. There was also many sources of water; most noted springs were running. The weather has been fairly cool as well, getting into the low 70s, so I've needed less water to keep up with my sweat. On today's travels, I passed by Mountaineer Shelter.

As we were hiking this morning, we saw signs indicating that Watauga Lake shelter is closed again due to bear activity. I looked over my miles for tomorrow and found a new hostel 0.2 miles off trail 2 miles shy of my intended goal. I called to double check they were open; so my day tomorrow will be even shorter than today. I'll have one big ~1,600' climb in the afternoon but other than that, it looks like a relatively easy day.

Fall AT section hike, day #6

Thursday, September 29, 2016
Start: Hughes Gap/TN 1330
End: US 19E/Mountain Harbour hiker hostel
Miles: 21.4

This morning, Mike dropped me off to Hughes Gap (4040') around 7:30am. I started up the trail and climbed up to Toll House Gap (6212') and walked past the side trail for Roan High Knob Shelter (6193'). From there, I went down to Carvers Gap/TN 143/NC 261 (5512'). I made amazing time and arrived around 10:15am. I tried to call Towanda to let her know I was there early but I couldn't get enough service to call so I waited until she arrived at 10:45am.

We started up the trail by ~11:15am. We climbed Round Bald (5813') and Jane Bald (5790') and then descended past Stan Murray and Overmountain Shelters (5045' & 4657'). From there, we climbed up Little Hump Mountain (5459'), down to Bradley Gap (4950'), and then up to Hump Mountain (5587'). On our way up Hump Mountain, we had a little bit of rain and a lot of fog and wind. After we summitted and started to go down, the wind blew the storm away and gave us some nice views. We then proceeded to race the storm to the hostel. We descended past Doll Flats and the NC/TN border (4600'), and down to US 19E (2895'). From there, we walked the 0.3 miles to the hostel, arriving at 6pm.

We snagged 2 of the remaining 3 hostel spaces. Towanda managed to convince someone at the hostel to drive us into town to get pizza, and let everyone order something if they wanted to. I took care of the money details and figuring out who owed how much. I was able to shower and do a load of laundry. I checked on my food supply and I have enough to get me to Damascus, provided I either get some snacks for the last day at a campground on my last night before town or pay a hostel in town to bring me to town a day early and then slackpack me. We shall see how I feel! Currently have lovely weather outlooks and I'm feeling pretty solid. Towanda will hike with me for a few miles in the morning tomorrow before heading back to US 19E to get a ride back to her car at Carver Gap.

Fall AT section hike, day #5

Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Start: Hughes Gap/TN 1330 (Cantarroso Farm)
End: Indian Grave Gap / TN 395
Miles: 21.2 (+0.3 for water, +0.8 for going the wrong way at Hughes Gap)

This morning, Mike gave me a 6:30am shuttle up to Hughes Gap, a solid hour out of town. On the way, we stopped at Hardee's and I got an egg and cheese biscuit. At the Gap, we were hard pressed to figure out which way was NOBO and which was SOBO. We ended up picking wrong, as I discovered 0.4 miles later when I hit a NOBO landmark and had to turn around. As it happens, the SOBO section there is direct compass north. So I was on trail and headed south by 8am. I made amazing time and arrived at my final destination by 4:30pm.

I climbed from Hughes Gap (4040') up to Little Rock Knob (4918') where the view were still restricted by clouds and mist that hadn't cleared at that point. I passed by Clyde Smith shelter (4496'), a campsite (4134'), and Greasy Creek Gap (4034'), before climbing Rock Pillar (4434'). I descended to Iron Mountain Gap/TN 107/NC 226 (3723') and then climbed to Little Bald Knob (4337'). I passed by Cherry Gap shelter (3988') and Low Gap (3900') before climbing Unaka Mountain (5180'). Unaka's peak was entirely dense evergreen forest; it was beautiful. From there, I descended to a piled spring and USFS 230 (4115') and then hiked through the Beauty Spot Gap (4323'). The Beauty Spot was amazing - the views were spectacular.

From there, the ~3.5 miles to Indian Grave Gap/TN 395 (3350') were all downhill and smooth sailing. My ride into town, Peggy, picked me up at 4:45pm, a good 45 minutes before I anticipated being picked up. She graciously dropped me into town and went back to the mountain to go out for a 45 minute hike like she'd originally planned.

Tomorrow, I'm currently planning a ~20 mile day, meeting up with Towanda by Roan High Knob, at Carver Gap, and then hiking the rest of the day together and staying at a hostel for the night. It'll be a brutal 4 mile climb in the morning but after that, it should be relatively easy!

Fall AT section hike, day #4

Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Start: No Business Knob Shelter
End: Indian Grave Gap, TN 395
Miles: 14.6 (+0.5 around town)

This morning, I woke up around 6:45am and was on trail by 7:30-ish. It poured rain for most of the night and into the early morning, pounding on the roof of the shelter. This shelter, like many others in this area, doesn't have a privy. To me, this is both irritating and time consuming, in addition to making it harder to Leave No Trace.

As I hiked towards Erwin, TN, it began to rain again. I was soaked by the time I hit River Rd in Erwin. I swung by Uncle Johnnys and was NOT impressed. On a nice day, I'd say that a shelter would be an improvement. The dogs had fleas, the bunk room was dirty and smelled, the shower room had little privacy. The entire place seemed held together by spit, dirt, tar, and wire. They were also very expensive, if you wanted to resupply at the hostel. I grabbed a few things, ate a snack, charged my phone a bit, and headed out without laundry or shower. Honestly, I didn't feel safe there.

Hiking in stinky, wet clothes in overcast conditions while climbing uphill does little for moral. The chafing on my feet and groin was also making me an unhappy hiker. I found myself headed towards the train of thought that desires to stop and go home. So when I arrived at Indian Grave Gap/TN 395 and found a trail angel stationed there, I was exhaustedly delighted. Brother Tom gave me some sweet tea and chatted with me for a while. He played the sensible, self-care focused side, while I struggled to make decisions I was happy with while also being dehydrated and anxious about miles. Brother Tom kindly offered to give me a ride to town. After much debate, I finally settled on heading to Cantarroso Farm; I called and they had space and were willing to drive me back to the trail in the morning.

After getting here, meeting Mike, seeing the cabin, showering, getting clean laundry, and having dinner in town, I feel much better and I'm happy with my choice. At Mike's offer/suggestion, I'm going to slackpack tomorrow. It'll give me a day to just make miles without a pack; it'll be easier on my body and spirit. And I'll have a lovely cabin to come back to!