Date: 2006-04-23
From: Nolichucky River, Erwin, TN-Super 8 Motel

To: Super 8 Motel, Erwin, TN
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: broken clouds

I did a 19.1 mile SOBO slack pack today and boy am I tired! I started at 09:00 a.m., got dropped off at Iron Mtn. Gap and the trail started out pretty typical at about 4000 feet of elevation. The trees are pretty much bare winter. I soon climbed Unaka Mtn. which goes up to 5180 ft. It was a 2 mile climb-straight up! They don't believe in switch backs in Tennessee. But it wasn't so bad since all I was carrying was 2 liters of water, 2 slices of leftover pizza, 3 Hershey bars, a power bar and some crackers (great diet huh?). I had 2 other slices of pizza for breakfast! So the top of Unaka Mtn. was well worth the climb-it was awesome. When I got to the top it was like being transported into a whole different eco system. The mountain top flattened out and was covered with fir trees-very densely. It was this amazing forest-dark, quiet, soft-the ground was covered with fir needles. You couldn't really see the trail. You had to spy out the blazes painted on the trees. The area was about 1/2 mile long-I don't think the pictures can convey the essence of the forest. The rest of the trail varied from no views, to great views to ugliness. One area near Indian Grave Gap where the forest had burned some years ago there were plenty of burned stumps around and the area looked ugly. The rhododendrons and mountain laurel were about 3 feet tall instead of forming the huge tunnels. There are lots of trees blooming-small white flowers in clusters, I have no idea what they are but petals are all over the ground. Some areas have just a light dusting and some areas are covered in white petals. I passed another area like yesterday where you could hear the thundering under your feet as you walk over big boulders. All the streams were still swollen from the rain this weekend. I started to follow the stream down the mountainside and it kept getting bigger and louder as all the side streams fed into it. Near the bottom of the mountain I had to cross the stream (creek? what is the difference?) several times. Some places had proper foot bridges, while others had just a log going across it. One of the logs at least had the top flattened out to make it easier to walk on. The next one was just a rough log-bark and all and you had to shimmy across the stream which at this point was deep, wide and thundering 3 feet under the log! The rest of the hike was just long and tedious getting back to town. There were alot of fist size rocks that I hate more than anything. What am I going to do when I get to Pennsylvania? It is so hard to walk on those f-ing rocks. You can't take one single step without nearly twisting your ankle or knee. When September and I got back to the Super 8 Motel, the clerk working the front desk-Betty Johnson- was asking us all sorts of questions about hiking. She fills in part-time at the motel and hadn't met any hikers before. Well, to make a long story short-she offered us the keys to her car so we could go get Chinese food for dinner, as long as we put air in her tires! I am continuously amazed at the generosity and trust of the local people. So, off we went to the Chinese restaurant and stopped at the grocery to pick up some Ben and Jerry's ice cream! Well, tomorrow morning the pack goes back on-I will check it for rocks! It feels like someone puts rocks in it every time I pick it up!