Date: 2017-05-24
From: Indian Grave Gap, TN 395

To: Hughes Gap, TN 1330 
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: light rain

Bill, Arlene, and I slept in the van last night.  We had a long day scheduled, and it was supposed to rain again.  We got up at 5:30 and got ready to go.  Randy stopped by shortly after 6:30 to say goodbye and brought me some real coffee. Bill, Arlene, and I left about 6:40.  Rennie, as usual, left at first light.  Lizzie was staying with her friend again and was to be dropped off.  The beginning of the hike was quite pretty.  For the first several hours it didn't rain.  We ascended the mountain through thickets of blooming mountain laurel. Because of all the rain, streams were flowing rapidly.  We passed over several footbridges.  The temperature was in the 60s, but it was quite foggy.  I walked with Arlene for a while and then went ahead.  We passed through a large grassy bald called Beauty Spot, but the fog obscured any view.  About 4 miles into the hike Lizzie caught up with me.  We hadn't gone far when we came upon a strange sight: a tree hung with eggs, balloons, laminated notes, solar-powered lights, and other decorations (see photo).  At first I took it as a surprise for the hikers passing by, but when I got close I saw the sign on the tree.  The decorations were a memorial for someone named Max.  There was a plastic box with a book and a pen inside.  The sign on the tree asked folks to take a picture and post it on Facebook so the family will know that their memorial is being seen.  I would like to have looked at the book, but we had to hurry on.  Not long after, Lizzie took off at a high speed.  She's meeting her friend again this evening and needed to finish the hike in time to be picked up.  For the rest of the day I hiked alone.  When I reached a high spot I checked for cell service and was able to get a weather report.  Rain was not expected until 2 PM.  So I tried to make good time before the rain.  It was very windy and cold up on the ridges.  About 1:40 I reached a road crossing at Iron Mountain Gap -- 9.5 miles from our end point.  A shuttle driver was there picking up two sets of hikers.  The hikers warned us that rain was coming.  The shuttle driver added that there were tornado warnings.  Almost exactly at 2 PM it started to rain.  Although it didn't rain hard, the strong winds propelled the water off trees and drove it into me.  This lasted several hours and made the trail treacherous.  The trail became even more muddy than it had been before.  Although I started the day in wet socks and wet shoes, it still felt bad to slog through continuous mud.  My feet stayed very cold all day and are still cold now.After about an hour the storm abated, and the sun came out briefly.  I took off my hat and poncho and started to feel like maybe the storm had passed. Moments later there was a downpour which lasted for the remaining 6 miles of the hike.  On my last uphill I heard thunder.  This really frightened me, and I took off as fast as I could go to get to the downhill part of the mountain.  I arrived at the van shortly after 6 PM, which makes my speed for the day 1.75 miles per hour.  Arlene and Bill arrived about an hour later.  We're now settling down in the van for the night although the rain has stopped.  It was a long and hard day.Tomorrow is a shorter day: 12.7 miles.  The weather is supposed to be similar to today's, followed by a cold front.  I'm starting to worry that I shouldn't have sent my warm clothes home.I apologize for writing so much about the weather, but when you live outdoors it is a factor that overwhelms all else in life.  I'm starting to get a feel for what it must be like to be homeless:  always cold, wet, hungry, and dirty.