Appalachian Trail Day 32 - Whistling Gap Campsite to Uncle Johnny's Hostel, Erwin, TN - Bear encounter in camp! (mile 331 to mile 344)

This morning is a repeat of every morning on the trail: chilly in the late 40's and overcast.  No rain is in the forecast, so maybe this is a representation of the microclimate of temperate ridge in Southern Appalachia. 

Tang is the first one out of camp. She packed up so fast and does an amazing amount of stretching before I even got out of my hammock. I see her depart, and decide to settle back into my pile of down fluffiness for a little while longer.

GG took down the bear bags while I pack.  Since I don't eat breakfast in camp, I am actually the second one on the trail at 7 am!  I keep hoping that if I get out in front, I will see a bear!  They tend to be nocturnal when it gets warmer, and bed down during the heat of the day.  So far no luck.  I need to clarify that while I want to see bears in their natural habitat, I would like to do so very safely! No angry mommas protecting their cubs, and at an appropriate distance, please. 

GG taking down her tent at Whistling Gap

Appalachian Trail Day 31 - Sams Gap to Whistling Gap - A Perfect Day to Hike (Mile 320 - Mile 331.1)

 We had a lovely night's sleep and wake refreshed. We have an hour to brush our teeth, pack our bags, eat breakfast, and be ready for Steve to pick us up. One of my favorite things about staying in a hostel is fresh hot coffee. I sip on the coffee in between stuffing my gear into my pack.  We have a few minutes to spare, so we weigh our packs on a pack scale on the porch of the bathhouse. GG's is 35 pounds! She doesn't look so happy.

Appalachian Trail Day 30 - Flint Mountain Shelter to Sam's Gap - Nature's Inn Hostel (Mile 308.8- Mile 320)

The rain stopped last night, but the waterlogged trees overhead drip water constantly onto the understory below.  I wake and take out my earplugs, enjoying the plop-plop of water droplets onto my tarp.  I slept exceptionally well, considering I usually need a couple of days to adjust back to sleeping outside.  

GG and Kodiak look less than well-rested, however.  Apparently, my decision to scoot out of the shelter last night was fortuitous.  While we eat breakfast and filter water, GG tells me about the chaos that erupted last night around 9 pm, when I was already in dreamland.  

Appalachian Trail Day 29 - Jerry's Cabin Shelter to Flint Mountain Shelter (Mile 302 to 308.8)

 We wake up and have breakfast at the shelter.  GG and I are packed, and Kodiak is almost packed.  We chat for a little while and discuss our options for today.  The next shelter is only 6.8 miles, but the one after that is nine miles after.  We definitely aren't ready to hike 16 miles, and we aren't comfortable with camping away from shelters just yet, so we elect to head to the next shelter.  Moreover, heavy rain is in the forecast for tonight, so we can get to the shelter early enough to ensure a spot undercover. 

GG and I head out before Kodiak.  I'm sure she will pass me shortly, especially since I can dawdle to my heart's content in the woods today with such a short hike!  GG, on the other hand, will put her head down and hustle through the woods.  She tends to take frequent food and bathroom breaks however, and that's when I usually catch up to her. 

The woods are hazy with humidity, and little sunlight makes its way through the canopy to the forest floor.  At least we won't have to worry about applying sunscreen today. 

Our hike takes us over Big Butt peak; a rocky promontory purported to have great views, but unfortunately there are no views to be had.  We continue to a blue-blazed trail to a small cemetery called Shelton Graves, where two union soldiers were killed when they tried to visit their confederate family members during the Civil War. 

Chicken of the woods mushrooms

I have been hiking for a couple of hours and stop near a spring to filter water and take a leisurely snack break.  I am sitting on the side of the trail on a rock, looking up plants in an identification guide and munching on a Luna bar when Kodiak rolls in hot up the trail.  She excitedly tells me she just looked at the weather map on her phone and there is a wall of red and yellow on the radar coming right at us.  I jump up and stuff my food bag and sit pad into my pack and take off after her.  

I certainly don't mind hiking in the rain, but it would be a shame to get drenched when we are so close to the shelter. For the next mile we are short of all out running down the trail, which is thankfully relatively level to downhill the entire way to the shelter.  After a mile, I turn my phone off airplane mode and see the rain is almost upon us, but the heavier rain is holding off. I slow down a little and arrive at the shelter to see Kodiak and GG spreading out their gear.  

I spend the next hour filtering water and eating dinner, then set up my sleeping area in the shelter.  I thought I was done with sleeping in shelters once we left the Smokies, but if there is plenty of room, I am amenable, especially if the weather turns bad, which it certainly will do at any moment.  

We look over the map and see the next big road is Sam's Gap, only 13 miles away.  We sent resupply boxes to ourselves care of Nature's Inn, a popular hostel only a couple miles from the gap.  Kodiak needs to go south to North Asheville to do a grocery resupply and plans on spending the night there.  We call Steve and arrange a pick up from the gap tomorrow afternoon.  

Some more hikers start coming into the shelter area to hunker down for the night.  One hiker, then two, then three more.  They are all section hiking together and meeting some more friends at the shelter tonight.  While they are not all sleeping in the shelter, there isn't any dispersed camping sites, so soon the area immediately surrounding the shelter fills with several tents.  It's only 5 pm and I can see the shelter is going to fill up tonight, so I make a decision to abandon my spot in the sardine can and set up my tarp and hammock beside the shelter.  I think I will sleep better.

The view from under my tarp, in my hammock

The rain starts coming down in buckets right after I get set up, and I say good night early and tuck in to my hammock so I can read.  I go to bed to the pitter-pat of raindrops on my tarp.

Todays Miles: A whopping 6.8!  only 1100' Ascent

Trip Stats: 34 miles, 8800' elevation gain

Trail Stats: 309 miles, 75k (yes, seventy-five THOUSAND feet) of climb!

Appalachian Trail Day 28 - Allen Gap to Jerry's Cabin Shelter - Bear Hang gone wrong (Mile 290 - 302)

We are up at daybreak, packing quickly and sitting outside eating our breakfast when Kodiak joins us.  She has received a text from our shuttle driver that they won't be able to shuttle the three of us together, so she will have to pay full fare with another driver.  I'm not going to name names, but this is the same shuttle driver who originally agreed to pick us up in Damascus on Sunday but ghosted me up until he texted me to say he couldn't do it.  I was in a panic last week and scrambling to find us another ride to Hot Springs.  Thank goodness Steve was available.  I tell Kodiak this story and we all decide that after today we are done with this particular shuttle service.  Steve was going to be our go to shuttle if we need anyone for the next hundred or so miles.  

Appalachian Trail Day 27 - Hot Springs to Allen Gap - A Bear Closure and Laughing Heart Hostel ( Mile 275 to Mile 290)

 We are back on the trail!! It's actually been too long! Almost 11 months since we were last here.  We are thrilled and excited with getting back on the AT.  Since we last left the trail, I have been working non-stop.  I am a nurse and do travel contracts so I can spend more time with my husband, who works away from home. I try to keep in shape, but the best way to train for the trail is just to get on the trail and take it easy.  

We decided to go to Trail Days in Damascus, VA and then head down here.  We arrived at Trail Days on Friday afternoon.  Trail Days is always so much fun.  We camped next to a really fun group of people who brought drums and bongos and a big horn that I tried to blow.  It was too funny!  We danced barefoot in the mud around the bonfire after Miss Janet opened the festivities, and we browsed the vendor and food area.  The crowds were lighter than years past, but there was still thousands of people present. After a weekend of revelry, we were ready to head into some quiet wilderness, where the only wild things are those on four legs. 

I started calling around for parking last month, but I was struggling to find parking for the three weeks we will be gone for this section.  I called several hostels,  but even though I offered to pay, they didn't want to commit parking spaces for someone who wasn't staying with them, since parking is hard to come by during Trail Days.  Leaving my vehicle in a public spot isn't an option for me, since I've witnessed too many vehicle break-ins at trail heads.  Thankfully, in a moment of serendipity two weeks ago, GG was in Damascus for a trail race (she runs ultra-marathons) and was inquiring in a store about suggestions for parking, when a shopper offered for us to park at her house right in town!! The kindness of strangers never ceases to amaze me. 

We drove to the woman's house, only a couple blocks from the vendor area, and parked in front of her house. My truck is only a couple weeks old, so I'm hoping it will be in the same shape when we return.  There was a wicked storm with some tornado activity last week, and downed trees and branches are evident all around the town.  The house next to hers had a huge sycamore fall onto the deck. Hopefully all the branches have fallen...

I originally arranged a shuttle three weeks ago with a shuttle driver out of Hot Springs.  We agreed on the terms ($200 to be paid on pick-up) and the time.  I tried to follow up with him several times last week and he ghosted me.  I finally received a text YESTERDAY that he couldn't drive us.  AYFKM?! Thanks for waiting until the last minuted and then leave me hanging!  Where the hell am I going to find a shuttle to take us over one hundred miles in the next few hours.  Freaking out, I called around and was able to arrange a shuttle with Steve of Unicoi Shuttles.  This is no small feat on any weekend, but especially the weekend of Trail Days.  The majority of people on the trail try to get there for the party and then get transported back.  

Thankfully, Steve was much more dependable than the other guy, that I won't name because I'm feeling magnanimous.  Steve was very prompt, arriving just as we were finishing putting things away in the truck.  I changed into my hiking shoes and we loaded into his Subaru for the two hour drive to Hot Springs.  The ride passed quickly.  Steve was very knowledgable about the area and reassured us that he could pick us up along the trail if we had any difficulty.  He dropped us off and we checked into the hostel yesterday afternoon.  We spent a few hours outside watching younger hikers play frisbee and cooking dinner on the hostel-provided grill while we enjoyed a little cocktail in a coffee mug. 

We have a conundrum, as a rather large section of the trail is closed to camping due to recent aggressive bear activity.  Hiking through this area is allowed, but overnight camping is prohibited.  Not that we want to camp in an area with aggressive bears, anyway.  We can hike 6 miles to Tanyard Gap and stealth camp, then 14 miles the next day from Tanyard Gap to the next open camping site at Little Laurel shelter.  We would have to camp near a road, which we are not fond of. Plus, the bears could still range in that area.

 

We choose Plan B, which is to slack pack 15 miles to Allen Gap, then get picked up by a shuttle in the evening and come back here.  This means we only have to carry minimal supplies for a day hike, leaving our sleeping gear and shelters here.  I absolutely know I am not in shape for a 15 mile hike with over FOUR THOUSAND FEET of elevation gain. Remember, I live at 7 feet above mean tide.  I am a flatlander who can't get any flatter.  I am going to suffer for sure.  GG has 15 years on me, but she has been marathon training.  

I call Kate, the shuttle driver that originally drove us from Hot Springs to Dick Creek's Gap last year. She is booked and unable to drive us back to town at the end of our hike but gives me another number.  I call and line up a shuttle to pick us up at Allen Gap at 5 p.m. 

We went to bed early so we could be refreshed for our big day tomorrow. GG slept on the futon in our room while I take the bed.  I can't sleep in a bed smaller than a king with anyone else.  Weird, I know, but I won't sleep if anything touches me. 

We get up early and pull on our hiking gear.  It's chilly outside and we have on our down coats over our hiking clothes, but it's supposed to be in the 60's today with some clouds later today.  We are only carrying some water and snacks and rain gear.   I decide to leave my heavier layers at the room to shed pack weight, since the weather outlook is decent.  

We take a quick picture and head down the hill from the hostel, into the town of Hot Springs.  The sun is just starting to peek over the ridge in front of us, which we will be climbing shortly.  The day is cool but not uncomfortable.  We walk through town and then start the climb up the ridge, shedding layers frequently.  We know today is going to be a rough reintroduction to the trail, and I am ready!

Walking into Hot Springs from Laughing Heart

While hiking up the ridge on the other side of Hot Springs, we stop frequently to take in the pretty view of the river below and the town beyond.  We hike by a gentleman who is packing up his tent.  He has an adorable brown Aussie Shepard named Jasper.  We exchange pleasantries and keep trucking upward. 

The enthusiasm for being back on the trail carried me for the first five or six miles, but as we hiked to the top of the ridge, the sun went behind the clouds, the wind really picked up and the temps plummeted.  I went from feeling elated to feeling absolutely beat.  

The climb never seems to stop from Hot Springs to Allen Gap

An idyllic spring forest

After 11 miles, we stop for a break from the wind inside the Spring Mountain Shelter.  We collected water from the spring down the hill from the shelter, leaving our packs inside as usual.  I was laying inside on the dirty floor with my legs elevated on the side of the shelter wall in order to get some of the swelling out of my lower legs, and my skirt hiked up to my butt, when a through hiking couple showed up. Thankfully I wear men's wool boxers underneath for modesty.  I didn't have the energy to get up, but eventually I did just to jump around and get some warmth to my bare legs. I am really regretting not bringing some extra layers right now!  

The couple introduces themselves as Ragnar and Mochila.  They tell us that word on the trail was that a hiker recently dropped his backpack at the shelter while he went to filter water (just like we did), and when he came back up the hill from the spring, he witnessed a bear making off with his entire backpack!  Thus, the bear closure.  This information prompts us to hurriedly continue on the trail. We have done most of the elevation gain for the day, so the next four miles is thankfully downhill. 

A really cool slime fungus

We arrive at Allen Gap 15 minutes after we were supposed to meet the shuttle.  Another hiker is heading back to town with us. Within an hour I am in a hot shower and popping 800mg of ibuprofen.  We are so tired we decide to eat one of our trail dinners instead of going into town.  

I sit down at the picnic table across from a woman who is going through her food bag.  She obviously just resupplied in town, as she has a lot of food spread on the picnic table between us.  We make simple conversation, and I discover she is a through hiker named Kodiak.  Her name the result of the cute little stuffed bear she carries, which was a gift from her niece.  She takes pictures with it and sends the pics to her family.  

GG joins us and Kodiak tells us a harrowing story of the night before, when she was camped in a clearing next to the road with two other people at Allen Gap.  A vehicle drove up and at least two people got out and flashed their lights into and around the three tents, at one point even scratched on her tent!! EEK!!  She tried sending an SOS via her Spot device but was unsuccessful.  She said it went on for almost five hours! Thankfully, the jerks ended up leaving without incident, but she was very terrified, nonetheless.  THIS is why we never camp anywhere near a road.  Too easy for bad apples to spoil the hike for decent people. 

Kodiak is also getting a ride to Allen Gap tomorrow, so we decide to try to ride together to split the cost. 

The day was grueling! But we made it!  And tomorrow will be easier.  I know each day will get better, but it stinks to need to build up my trail legs every time we come back to the trail. We head to bed early.  

Today's stats: 15 miles, 4400' of some crazy climbing my legs aren't in shape for!!

Trail Stats:  290 miles, 70k feet total gain

Appalachian Trail Day 26 - Roaring Fork Shelter to Hot Springs - TTFN (Mile 257- Mile 275)

I wake gradually as full dark begins to give way to daybreak. I sleep with a buff over my eyes, and when I take it off I can see the sun is still below the horizon, but I can feel the forest starting to wake.  The hoots of owls give way to slow chirps of songbirds in the trees above.  I stretch languidly in my hammock, slowly increasing the blood flow to my muscles.  Thankfully, the aches are pretty much gone in the mornings and I am feeling stronger by the day.  

I peek out from under my tarp to see GG is up and at 'em in usual fashion.  She is mostly packed up and getting ready to enjoy her coffee and palaver at the shelter. I am so happy to be back in the middle of the woods with my hammock.   I wish I could lay here for hours, but we have to hike the longest day so far on the trail.  Our next stop is Hot Springs, NC, where my car is parked. Today we are heading home. 

I am super excited to get home after almost three full weeks of hiking, but I am also reticent to leave the trail.  I am definitely getting stronger and maybe a little faster.  Hard to tell with all the loitering I like to do.  It's a shame to leave when we are starting to be able to hit bigger mile days. But, I have a husband to get home to and a job to start.  Better get packing!

I pack carelessly, since it doesn't matter what gets dirty or if something damp is packed next to something that needs to remain dry.  I will pull it all out and clean it when I get home anyway.  There is a chance for some rain in the forecast, so I leave my food and rain gear on the top of the main compartment.  

Today we have 3200' of gain over the next 18 miles, divided between three climbs.  We also have almost six thousand feet of knee-pounding descent!  Thankfully, my pack is lighter because I don't have a lot of water or food weight.  Water is abundant along this section, so I am carrying very little in my pack.  I also planned my food for this section fairly well, so I have just enough food for today in my food bag.  Or maybe it feels lighter because I am getting fit.  

We get to Lemon Gap fairly quickly, as the hike here was mostly downhill.  I have no idea why it's called Lemon Gap.  I can't find any info on the internet.   The weather is damp and the Big Green Tunnel is living up to its name. 

The rest of the day passes unremarkably.  We hike over Bluff Mountain, then down, down, down, to Hot Springs.  I take some time to drink a lot of water at the Deer Park Shelter area.  There is a nice little stream with lots of campsites sprinkled throughout the surrounding woods.  GG is a little ways ahead, so I need to turn on some speed so she doesn't have to wait for me at the car.  

I can hear the town before I can see it.  The sound of cars slowly increases as I descend the last half-mile to town.  I can see the forest parking lot where I left my car almost three weeks ago.  I always hold my breath when I return to my car after a hiking trip, even when it's only a couple nights.  Car break-ins are prevalent at overnight hiker parking at any trailhead, but the lot is right behind Laughing Heart Hostel, so I am certain it will be unmolested. 

At the turn off to the lot, I see GG waiting with her backpack off.  She waited for me so we could complete this section together!!  We walk the 100' to the car together.  We are elated from completing this section without any injury or problems.  We just hiked 206 miles of trail over 19 days.  We are feeling badass!  And hungry!  The car is intact as well, so everything is great.

We check in to the Laughing Heart Hostel, where I booked us a room for the night.  We shower and change into fresh clothes we left in the car.  We go to Spring Creek Tavern, a restaurant on the river less than a mile from the hostel.  There are lots of hikers in the restaurant.  We order craft brews and I get fried pickles and loaded nachos, which is my favorite town meal.  GG has never had nachos before!!  We finish up and head back to the hostel for a last bit of fellowship with hikers until the sun sets.  We head back home in the morning. 

This part of our adventure has come to a close, but I will continue our journey as if we never left the trail.  For continuity, the entry for day 27 will follow this one, whenever we return - whether it is next month or next year, so keep reading as we continue on the trail. TTFN.

Todays stats: 17.6 miles, 3200' elevation gain (5800' loss)

Section stats: 205 miles, 58K elevation gain

Trail stats: 275 miles, 66k of elevation gain (more than two Mt. Everests!)