Date: 2009-05-11
From: Campsite close to Spivey Gap

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

Wow, last night, Scavenger and I really thought that a bear had come into our camping area and was trying to get our food. It might have been the pack of coyotes, but something kept coming close to us and then running off. It started raining very hard early this morning, which kind of phased out the noise of the animal. The funny thing that happened when we woke up was when Scavenger tried to pull down my nylon bear rope and managed to get the knot stuck on a tree. I went on over and tried to rectify the situation by throwing a rock to the other side. Instead, the rock went around another tree, so I was forced to backtrack my mistake. Instead, I threw the rock over a different tree branch by accident (mind you, this is 15 feet in the air) and I was forced to backtrack again. Finally, I threw the rock up again, which somehow managed to get caught on something and my rope was stuck up there for good. I guess that I need to practice my throw. It was still raining quite a bit, so Scavenger and I huddled underneath his Tyvek and, subsequently, ate a total of 14 packets of oatmeal between the two of us (we were really hungry). We desended up and down the heavy hills of Tennessee, singing songs and talking as we went. "And I would walk 500 miles...and I would walk 500 more!!!" We stopped at the 'No Business Knob Shelter' for some lunch, where we met up with '501', the guy who has been editing Winged Foot's book, and Walking Home, who had been slackpacking for 18 miles that day - still needings to go another 6 miles to reach Uncle Johnny's Hostel in Erwin. The rain kept coming down, but we braved it and just kept plowing through. The views of the mountains over Erwin were just phenomenal, as was the Nolichucky River that was swollen from the heavy rains. We descended into the outskirts of town and stopped in at Uncle Johnny's hostel to pick up my mail drop and to greet others who had just arrived earlier that day. Scavenger and I had decided on staying here, but it was a bit dirty and we really wanted a good night's sleep. So, I opted to use some hotel points saved up through all of my travels through OTS/Duke and I booked a stay at the Super 8 Motel in town. Erwin was really spread out, so we had to call Miss Janet, a full-time trail angel, who picks thru-hikers up and takes them where they need to go. She was such a friendly lady and it worked out very well. While in town, Scavenger and I stopped at a local market to pick up some fresh vegetables and fruits. We purchased one full gallon of strawberries and began devouring them as soon as we left the store. We then stopped in at a Mexican convenient store for a paleta de crema and to indulge in eating some more strawberries. Then, it was off to Dollar General to pick up some cheap snack food and, finally, to Food Lion to pick up some other fresh fruit and to prepare for our curry meal tonight. When we arrived back at the hotel, we kicked our shoes off, cracked open a beer and just relaxed. It was nice to be able to kick back and to enjoy the good living of a hotel. We stank pretty bad, but I didn't mind it all too much Scavenger made this wicked curry broth, where we cooked asparagus, tomato, green pepper, and spinach with a microwave. It was a pretty tough cook, but as we are thru-hikers, we managed to find our way. It turned out to be delicious! Then, we watched some television while eating our mango, strawberry, and ice cream snack. Scav is now crashed out and I'm here in the hotel lobby trying to get this journal finished so that I do not have to do too much tomorrow. I actually have to order a new camera since my old one was flooded with water and I'll also have to begin the purchasing process tonight as well. Good night to all!