Date: 2017-11-04
To: Beauty Spot Gap
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: light rain

11/4Beauty Spot Gap12.5 milesClouds rolled through during the night, soaking everything. It also actually rained, for variety. I was surprised to find that the root under my sleeping pad didn't significantly hinder my sleep. I scooched around to accommodate it whenever I changed position. In the dark I fetched my food bag and ate breakfast by headlamp. It was warm enough that I decided to forgo hot coffee and had it cold. I was grumpy about the weather. My forecast had included neither yesterday's wet weather nor today's, but it looked like the weather didn't care about that. I spent nearly all of the day walking in gloom. I could see valleys lit up down below, but the mountains stayed enshrouded. I wished those rays would burn up the clouds and reach me. Oddly, the light patches didn't appear to move or change. It looked like the weather system was completely stationary. At Cherry Gap Shelter I stopped for water and a snack. The piped spring was gushing, which is always nice. I almost got a good picture of the lizard hanging out on top of the pipe, but he was camera shy. Oh, and I saw a red eft today! I haven't seen one in a thousand miles. He was shy too, but moved slowly enough that he had his picture taken anyway. The top of Unaka Mountain was spooky in the fog. It always has a reverent hush thanks to the carpet of pine needles, but the mist added an eerie awesomeness. On my way down the south  side I came across a fellow semi-collapsed beside the trail with his pack still on. His pack looked enormous. He had pushed himself to hike up the mountain fast, and was feeling it. I told him about a great campsite I saw at the top of the mountain. At the Beauty Spot Gap I considered getting water and moving on, but it started raining again. I wanted the chance to see the view so I decided to wait until the morning to climb up to the Beauty Spot. There is camping at the road, but it's feet from the road and trucks pass regularly. I went down to get water and found people tenting on the hill. I decided to do likewise rather than risk an encounter with someone in a vehicle. Unfortunately this means that my tent is set up on a slope. And it's raining. The chances that my sleeping pad and bag will not slide and press up against the edge of the tent are about zero. I've done what I can to wedge things under my pad to make it more level, but gravity is a patient monster and usually wins. I'll get to Erwin tomorrow and hope to be able to dry out some there. I guess I'll stay at Uncle Johnnie's. I never have before, but without wheels it's the best option since they'll shuttle you into town. I'll need to buy groceries at a minimum. A couple of hot meals wouldn't go amiss either. My morale is suffering a little bit. A sunny day would go a long way toward helping, but there isn't one in the forecast. At least it's been comfortably warm so I haven't been dealing with hypothermia. I think I'm just worn down. My legs feel a bit leaden on hills. I eat constantly but I think I'm still losing weight - not that I object to that! But it's hard to feel energetic when you're in a calorie deficit. I knew this would be a lonely part of the hike, with fewer people around. But knowing it and experiencing it are two different things. Spending my days and nights alone makes me miss home even more. I'm finally ready for this adventure to be over, but I have a few hundred more miles to go. I know that I would have deep regret if I quit for anything less than catastrophic reasons. But I am definitely reaching the point of gritting my teeth to get the last part done.