Date: 2013-04-28
From: Sams Gap

To: Uncle Johnny's Hostel
Miles today: 24.1

Today was a day of many firsts: slackpacking, hiking all day in the rain, and night hiking!My alarm went off at 6 AM. I needed to be at the hostel office by 6:45 AM to catch the shuttle to Sams Gap for my first day of slackpacking with a lofty goal of, count 'em, 24 big ones. Steph, Wales, and the Patriot had planned to join me. For some reason I was fully awake at 6AM. I basically threw everything out of my pack and loaded it up with only the essentials for a day hike; mainly snacks, water, headlamp, toiletries, and rain gear. I ran to the bathroom to freshen up and brush my teeth. When I returned it was 6:35am and no one was stirring. I woke them up and they all seemed groggy. Steph had gotten sick in the middle of the night and said she couldn't go. The Patriot and Wales decided to follow her suit, but I said I was going to hike. I pulled my hiking pole from my tent, its sole support, which caused it to deflate in to a pile of cubin fiber covering the interior's contents. Wales poked his head from his tent and asked why I was packing up. I said that I wasn't, just that I was taking both hiking poles on the trail.I ran to the office and was there right at 6:45. To my surprise there were 5 other hikers readying for the same shuttle. I told Grim, the hostel manager, that I needed to pay for the shuttle. He invited me in to the office and quoted a fee of $7.50. I was expecting a rate twice that so I politely told him my comrades wouldn't be joining me and asked whether that would affect the rate. He stared at me and again said $7.50. OK, sir, I cannot argue with that!We left promptly at 7 and stopped at the convenience store for some coffee. I threw a few cubes of ice in my cup so it would be drinkable. Back in the shuttle Grim threw out a few early morning jokes, mainly how there were more teeth in the van than in the rest of the county. He also welcomed us to Erwin, TN, the only town in the world to have hung an elephant, which sadly is not a joke; google it.By 7:30 we were at Sams Gap and our hike promptly began. It was windy and cold so I started hiking in my rain jacket for added warmth. I'm glad I did because just 30 minutes later it started to rain. The forecast called for showers with the possibility of afternoon thunderstorms. In reality, it rained steadily for most of the day. Although I heard occasional thunder, the storms steered clear of me. But, within the first 2 hours I was soaked to the bone, including my boots. My feet felt like they were sloshing around in a half inch of water, good times. I was worried that hiking the 24 miles in wet boots would cause blisters.By Noon I was at Big Bald. Needless to say there wasn't a view, unless you count the wind swept mist and rain. It was miserably cold so I moved as quickly as possible. Yet, as its name implies, the bald was big, so it took at least 20 minutes to traverse. By 12:30 I made it to Bald Mountain Shelter. There were 3 hikers there taking an all day refuge from the rain. I sat down and pulled out my lunch of fresh bananas, fresh strawberries, and chips. I had planned to share my bounty with my hiking partners, but since they had bailed I offered up some of the treats to those present. They eagerly and happily snapped it up! I stayed for just 15 minutes and in that time 2 other hikers showed up. They decided to stop for the day because of the fierce rain. I had no choice but to push on. The trail by this point was practically a stream. I continued on to High Rocks, but skipped the side trail to the summit because I knew there wouldn't be a view. From that point forward the trail smoothed out and gently descended in to Spivey Gap. There I discovered I was practically out of food with 11 miles remaining in my journey; I should have saved a few bananas! It was also 3:45 pm, which almost guaranteed I'd be hiking the last few miles in the dark since the sun sets around 8:30. Given that I was also hiking in wet boots, I decided to bail and call a shuttle back to town. I unpacked my phone to zero service, which meant I had zero options but to push forward. Onward I went, but thankfully the trail was easy going. The trail zigged and zagged hugging the descending slope of a many fingered mountain. What may have been a 1 mile line of sight seemed to take 5 miles to hike. Finally I reached No Business Knob Shelter only to discover it was deserted. On such a rainy day I guess ALL hikers opted for the 6 additional miles to town. By Temple Hill Gap and mile 20.5, the sun started to set. I followed the ridge for another 3 miles and watched the warm, orange sunset blanket Erwin. As the sun faded the city lights brightened. Soon it was dark enough to obscure the rocky trail and I powered up my headlamp. Even though Erwin was within site, the 900 foot switchbacked descent took, what seemed like, forever. By 9:20 it was pitch black when a light shown down from above. I was slightly startled and yelled out "Hey!", both as a greeting and a warning. Another hiker said "hey" back. He had started at Hogback Ridge Shelter and was doing a 30 mile day with a FULL pack. Good grief!By 10pm I made it to the foot of the mountain and to Uncle Johnny's doorstep. Just then Steph texted me. I made my way to tent city to check in and Wales crawled out with a pint of ice cream in hand. Though, it wasn't for me. He and the Patriot had hitched to Johnson City for a meal at The Olive Garden, a movie, and resupply. Steph, meanwhile, laid low and rested at camp. I crawled in to my tent and quickly devoured a block of cheese and some Goldfish crackers. Rather than go to bed stinky and wet, I followed it up with a quick shower and slept like a baby.