Erwin, TN to Cherry Gap Shelter

Friday, 4/17

AT Miles = 17.0 / 356.9
Other Miles = 0 / 15.2
Total Miles = 17.0 / 372.1

The weather today is exactly what you woulkd envision if you were to imagine a splendid spring day on the AT. The sky was blue, the sun was warm with just a slight breeze, and the views from the top of Beauty Spot were fantastic.

I started the day a bit melancholy and homesick, and I decided that with the great weather I would not set a goal for the day but rather simply walk at a comfortable pace, stop whenever I felt like it, and get as far as I get.

I spent almost two hours at Beauty Spot, eating lunch, enjoying the views, and even nearly falling asleep. I would have slept except that a little gust if wind came up and blew my hat off my face, and the sun was bothersome enough in my eyes that I had to get up and retrieve my hat.

While I was lying there in a near stupor I decided that I was going to have a super lazy day and hike the half mile down to Beauty Spot Gap, hang my hammock in some nice sunny place, and spend my afternoon lazing in the hammock reading "Cannery Row." Alas, the best laid plans and all that. When I got dowsn to the Gap I saw that the spring and camping area was directly next to a road. Camping next to a road is bad policy in general, and especially on a Friday night, so I switched to Plan B and hiked the six or so miles on to here; Cherry Gap Shelter.

I dealt with the homesickness pretty well and it didn't take over my day, but it does worry me. This is the thing that I think is most likely to cause me to abandon my hike, and the hike really is important to me (though I am not sure exactly why), so I don't want that to happen.

I imagine this separation is even harder on Jodi than it is on me. She is going to work every day and coming home to an empty house every night. I at least am off on some sort of pseudo-adventure, and experiencing a new place every day.

While I was hiking today I was thinking how great it would be if my car was parked at the end of the dasy and I could hop in and drive home and take a shower, then eat dinner with Jodi, sit on the couch with her leaning against me watching an episode of Deadwood, then go to bed and sleep with her in my arms. Instead, I ate some instant potatoe with slices of summer sausage in it, and will sleep in my hammock all alone.

There is a hostel a few miles north of here and some southbound hikers told me they stopped there at lunch time today and the woman that runs the hostel made sandwiches and burgers and such for them. That sounds like a great idea and I think it is highly likely I will stop there tomorrow. A big greasy cheeseburger sure sounds more appetizing than a tortilla with Nutella, doesn't it?

Monkeywrench
Allen Freeman
allen@allenf.com
www.allenf.com
allenf.blogspot.com

No Business Knob Shelter to Erwin, TN

Thursday, 4/16

AT Miles = b6.3 / 339.9
Other Miles = 0 / 15.2
Total Miles = 6.3 / 355.1

Shoot! Technology is not being my friend today. I had typed up an entry for today and when sending it my phone reset and I lost the whole thing. I am not patient enough to do it all over again.

I got into town today, and spent most of the day walking all over town doing my town chores. Because of issues with computers both at the library and here at the motel, I have not been able to upload my photos.

The weather turned nice and sunny today, and promises to hold that pattern for a few days, so I am looking forward to getting back on the trail tomorrow.

Allen Freeman
allen@allenf.com
www.allenf.com

Hogback Ridge Shelter to No Business Knob Shelter

Wednesday, 4/15

AT Miles = 20.7 / 333.6
Other Miles = 0 / 15.2
Total Miles = 20.7 / 348.8

I had a terrible night last night. It was cold and damp and windy, and
I spent most of the night lying in my sleeping bag just on the wrong
side of the cold/warm line. I changed into dry socks before going to
bed, and by morning the dry socks were actually damp from all the
dampness in my sleeping bag.

When I got up this morning I was tired, cold, and wet, and tired of
being tired, cold, and wet. The temperature was hovering just around
freezing, and by the time I had packed all of my gear my hands were
numb with cold. I struggled through heating water and making oatmeal
for breakfast, then took off all of my supposedly warm clothes, put on
my already wet rain/wind jacket, and hit the trail. I hiked furiously
to try to generate some heat, and in about half an hour I could feel
my hands finally starting to warm up. Another half hour and the
thermostat finally opened; I felt the warmth flooding my fingers and
toes. Whew!

It was another day of hiking in the cloud, with visibility just a
couple of dozen feet. The day's goal was No Business Knob Shelter, 20
miles away, but I had this plan hatching in my warmth seeking brain
that if I could pull off a 27 mile day I could gorge myself on bacon
cheeseburgers at the Sonic in Erwin, and sleep in a warm, dry, motel
room. I kind of pushed that idea to the back of my mind and
concentrated on goal number one, the ten miles to Bald Mountain
Shelter. I climbed a lot this morning, eventually making it to the
summit of Bald Mountain. I'll have to take it on faith that Bald
Mountain is bald. I couldn't see anything when I was up there. The
wind blew, the fog engulfed me, and it was cold enough that the fog
actually condensed and froze on my glasses so that my visibility was
even further reduced. All I could see was the rut worn by previous
hikers in the grass of the bald, and every minute or so I would pass a
post with a white blaze on it, confirming that I hadn't wandered off
the trail.

I finally reached Bald Mountain Shelter at 12:30; four hours after I
started hiking. I sat there for about half an hour eating my lunch and
drinking water. My Nutella was frozen so that I couldn't even get it
out of the jar with my spoon, so I ate a couple of English Muffins
with nothing on them and some handfuls of GORP. By the end of the 30
minutes I sat there I was bitterly cold again, so I set off hiking
fast once again to generate some heat.

The terrain after lunch was a bit more downhill than up, but much of
the downhill was slick with mud so I couldn't make very good time on
it. I thought a lot about it and decided that if I could make it to No
Business Knob Shelter by 4:30, then I would have enough time left to
make it the further 7 miles to the road into Erwin. Now I just put my
head down and hiked as hard as I could. Around 3:00pm I was thinking
that I was doing great and should have had about 3 miles left, when I
came out on a road, crossed the road back into the woods, and was
confronted with a sign declaring that No Business Knob Shelter was 4.6
miles away. Sigh.

Still, I pushed as hard as I could in the hope that I could somehow
get there by 4:30. 4:30 came and went and no shelter, and around 4:50
I finally made it up the last little rise and arrived at the shelter.
Not only was I out of time to go any further, but I had to admit that
I was out of gas, and there was no way I could hike another 7 miles
today.

The shelter was already full with hikers that had come from the last
shelter 10 miles back. At 5:00pm they were all already snuggled down
in their sleeping bags. I set up my hammock out in back of the
shelter, and as more hikers came in everyone found the best site they
could and pitched their tents.

A bit of a disappointing day, but all things in balance I think I
should be reasonably comfortable tonight. We are down lower then last
night and while it is still overcast it is not foggy here so I should
stay drier overnight. From here it is only 6.9 miles to Erwin. I could
stay at the hostel right next to the AT, but I think I ma going to try
to get into town and get a room at the Super 8. Then I'll go downtown
and get that bacon cheeseburger at Sonic, go to the library to upload
my photos, walk down to the supermarket, then to the post office to
pick up my bounce box.

This is the third day of wet weather, but the sun is supposed to show
itself tomorrow. Hopefully it will stay sunny for a couple of days and
I can get out of town on Friday with the sun in my face. That would be
nice.

--
~~~~~
Allen F. Freeman
allen@allenf.com
www.allenf.com
allenf.blogspot.com

Jerry Cabin Shelter to Hogback Ridge Shelter

Tuesday, 4/14

AT Miles = 14.7 / 312.9
Other Miles = 0 / 15.2
Total Miles = 14.7 / 328.1

The wind died down last night, but the fog rolled in heavy and the saturated air blowing through my hammock made everything damp. I even forgot to change my socks before going to bed and I told myself the damp socks would dry from my body heat in the sleeping bag but it never happened.

It rained for a while this morning, then while I was stopped for lunch the sun almost showed itself. Later in the afternoon there was some more heavy rain, and by the time I arrived here at the shelter the fog had rolled in. I guess it's another damp night!

A couple of miles into today's hike I reached the 300 mile mark, at the summit of Big Butt Mountain. There is a spring near the summit, but I didn't think drinking the water that came out of Big Butt was very appetizing.

Not a whole lot to write tonight. It seemed like a super long 14 miles and I thought maybe I hadn't eaten right and was overly tired, but other hikers have said the same thing so I guess it was just the tough climbs this afternoon.

I am thinking of knocking off 20 miles tomorrow, which would leave me with about 6 miles into Erwin on Thursday. That should get me into town early enough to do all my town chore without having to stay two nights. We'll have to wait and see how that works out.

Allen Freeman
allen@allenf.com
www.allenf.com

Spring Mountain Shelter to Jerry Cabin Shelter

Monday, 4/13

AT Miles = 15.4 / 298.2
Other Miles = 0.3 / 15.2
Total Miles = 15.7 / 313.4

POWER

Wow! The wind increased all night and about 5:30 this morning I woke up to the hammock bouncing up and down. It had been dead calm when I set up the hammock in the afternoon, but now I was on top of the ridge with the hammock set up broadside to a gale. The windward side of the tarp was actinbg like a sail and catching lots of wind, deflecting it downward toward the ground. Since the tarp is above the hammock, it was actually pushing the hammock down, and when strong gusts hit I could feel my butt hitting the ground. Meanwhile, the leeward side of the tarp was luffing loudly. I was afraid that either the tarp would fail and tear under the strain, or the peg anchoring the tarp would let go and then the tarp woiulkkd get torn to shreds in the wind. When it was just light enopugh to see about 6:30, I got up and packed up my gear, made breakfast, and was walking by 7:30.

When I got to the road crossinbg of NC 208, in Allen Gap, there was a sign for trail magic at a nearby house. I hesitated for a moment, then decided to go for it. When I got to the house the two couples I have been hiking with were there, and I was invited in by Hercules and Fal, who thru-hiked in '99. They served first a huge breakfast plate of Belgian waffles, bacon and eggs and tea, then immediately followed it with a lunch plate of corn chowder and a burrito. I topped it all off with a dessert of cherry pound cake with ice cream. In between courses I snacked on a half dozen slices of coffee cake and drank two pots of tea.

At the end of the meal their ulterior motive was revealed when they discussed the religious faith and offered a selection of books, b ut they weren't pushy about it and I didn't find it offensive.

After that wonderful meal it was back on the trail and the wind was still picking up! I wish I had a tape recorder so I could have taped the roar of the wind coming up and over the ridge the trail is on. At one point I came to a trail sign labelled "Exposed Ridge Trail", and below it, pointing another way, "Bad Weather Trail." I chose the exposed ridge, and it was quite an experience. Occasionally a bit frightening, but mostly wildly exhiliarating. What a day! So much power loose in the atmosphere here today. Some may need a god to find power, but the wind is enough for me.

The wind is still roaring and the fog has rolled in. I found a spot that is more or less sheltered behind some rhododendron to hang my hammock, and I hope tonight is a bit more restful than last night.

Allen Freeman
allen@allenf.com
www.allenf.com

Hot Springs to Spring Mountain Shelter

Sunday, 4/12

AT Miles = 11.0 / 282.8
Other Miles = 0.2 / 14.9
Total Miles = 11.2 / 297.7

EASTER CANDY

Most of the crew of hikers I have been with lately, left Hot Springs this morning. We had a nice breakfast at Elmer's, then headed through town, aqcross the French Broad River on the road bridge, hopped over the guard rail and headsed out along the river. It was a perfect Easter Sunday; warm and sunny and calm. The trail climbed steeply up the hill and gave us some great views back to Hot Springs nestled in its valley. A few miles into the hike the trail crossed a forest service road and there were three women wearing rabbit ears on their heads giving apples and Easter candy to all the hikers.

I had only 11 milkes to cover today so took it easy and enjoyed the fine weather. I took the side trail to the Rich Mountain Fire tower and a few minutes later Sir Richard showed up and we spent at least an hour up on the tower enjoying the views, eating lunch, and chatting about this and that.

We hiked the rest of the afternoon together and arrived at Spring Mountain Shelter in mid-[afternoon. The shelter is an old one and was not at all inviting, but there was a nice spot up on the ridge where Sir Richard set up his tent and I hung my hammock.

After dinner we spent some time chatting with some locals that were there camping for the weekend, and we shared their campfire.

A really nice, relaxing day.

Allen Freeman
allen@allenf.com
www.allenf.com