Date: 2003-05-05
From: Nolichucky River - Dennis Cove

To: Nolichucky River - Dennis Cove
Miles today: 69.7

Nolichucky River - Dennis Cove69.7 miles (402.3 total miles)It was tough coming out of Erwin. Day 31 (May 1st) marked one month on the trail. By the time Miss Janet took her kids to school, bought groceries, made breakfast for 18 hikers, and shuttled us to the trailhead, it was 11am. That was a late start, considering our shelter options were at 4 or 16 miles. I trudged on and on after a big meal. It started raining hard while I crossed some bald. I don't know why I slowed down, but those 16 miles took me forever. My group had long left me behind. I finally pulled into the shelter just before 8pm. Everyone asked what happened to me. I wasn't sure. The shelter dwellers were nice enough to squeeze together to make room for one more tired hiker.Day 32 was another crazy day. It was mostly overcast, and the morning was full of obnoxious PUDS. It went straight up and down the little mountains, with no switchbacks and no reward. I was exhausted. The anticipation all day was for Roan Mountain. We were planning on staying at High Roan Knob Shelter, which is the highest shelter on the trail at 6285'.I did a long, slow ascent up Beartown Mountain (which is a false peak of Roan). It took a very long time, but I was grateful for the decent weather. I stopped at the top for a water break with Potatohead. We heard some coyotes chasing something in the valley below. The clouds started looking worse, so we packed up to leave. I walked for a few minutes, when the skies suddenly blackened. It was like some turned a dimmer switch. The wind roared like a freight train, and the treetops swayed. I knew it was only a matter of seconds. I stopped to put on my rain gear, when Slaughter caught up to me. We took about 5 steps up the mountain, and turned around. We decided to wait it out. We met the Montana family, who pointed out a tree root we could hide behind. We all sat behind this tree root while it poured. Cuba and Bedouin passed by and joined us. Every time someone got up to leave, thunder cracked overhead. We stayed there for about a half hour, waiting for the storm to pass. Finally the rain turned to drizzle, and the skies lightened. We got up to leave.After all the excitement, the final 2 miles to the shelter seemed easy. I think I needed that break. The shelter was cozy, with 4 walls, a door, and a loft to sleep many hikers. The water source was tiny. I felt bad for the people who don't have water filters, as they were putting iodine in a canteen full of muddy water. For only the second time this trip, I got out my warm pants. And for the first time in weeks, I missed my stove. Everyone was making hot, delicious smelling meals. Cuba hooked me up with some hot chocolate. It was excellent.Day 33 started out cold and rainy. The data book promised a rest area with bathrooms at the gap 1.5 miles below. I hurried down that morning, only to realize I had left my water filter at the shelter. I left my pack and hiked back up the 1.5 miles, to find my friends leaving the shelter with my filter. So that added 3 miles to my day.We hiked up and down and around hills, and had lunch at the next shelter. Then we hit Big Hump Mountain, and the skies cleared up. It was amazing. I happily trudged up the long bald. The view from the top was great! We found a few lost dogs at the top, and fed them some food and water. We laid around for a while, then moved on. Halfway down the bald, we crossed a stile, and ran into a herd of longhorn cattle. This big, beautiful bald was someone's farmland! We took pictures by the longhorns, and moved on.It was a long descent down to the shelter. It had been a hard 15 miles. The databook showed a road a mile before the shelter. I hiked and hiked and hiked, annoyed that I was still over a mile from the shelter. My fet were telling me that my 15 miles were up. I couldn't go another mile! It turned out that the databook was wrong, and the shelter appeared out of nowhere. We got another nice treat when Willow's sister showed up at the shelter with rice krispy treats, fresh fruit, and soda. How awesome! For the first time in days, we could sit outside for dinner. Despite hearing the mice running around the shelter all night, I slept great that night.Day 34 was another nice day. It was a Huck Finn type of lazy day. They had relocated the trail for 6 miles, and it was obvious. The trail gently rolled around the mountains, stopping by 2 beautifl waterfalls. I stopped for a snack at each. Somewhere on the day we crossed the 400 mile mark.At 13 miles on the day, we came to a road crossing, where a guy was passing out free sodas. Of course we indulged. It turns out that the guy was from a local hostel, and was trying to get our business from the rival hostel. He offered us rooms and food and slackpacks all the way to Damascus. It sounded nice. But we never gave in to the temptations, and hiked on. It was obvious that the relocation was over, as we did some tough climbs to get to our evening shelter. We did almost 18 miles on the day. Not bad. Day 35 was a wet but tolerable 5.5 miles into Dennis Cove. There is a cozy hostel here called Kincora. We should get a shuttle into town to resupply, and for meals. From here, it's about 50 miles into Damascux, VA. I am looking forward to Damascus, as it is known as the friendliest town on the AT. We will probably take a zero day there to rest up. The weather calls for rain for the next 3 days. Looks like Damascus will be a nice place to dry out as well.