Date: 2006-04-21
From: Mountain Harbour B&B, Roan, Tn

To: Kincora Hostel, Hampton, TN
Miles today: 23.8

??,??? foot steps today (It rained all day and the pedometer is not registering anymore) :-((( I was easy on the guys at Mountain Harbour and stayed in bed until 6am.When I couldn't lay still any longer, I got up and made a pot of coffee, 1/2 pound of bacon, 3 eggs and some biscuits. Sure is nice to have a big stove. :-))) Free At Last was the first one up, then the other two got up about half an hour later. I was packed up and stepped out the door of the hostel at 7:30. It started raining as soon as I walked outside. I thought for a second about waiting the rain out, but put my pack cover on and walked on anyway. (LWOP, take note...REAL hikers do walk in the rain and don't stay at home each night with momma and the kitty cats. Ha!!!) It wasn't long before I passed Free At Last on the trail as we were climbing the first hill. I walked by Jones Falls and stopped when I could see the top of the falls from the trail. I walk on until I got to Mountaineer Falls where I stopped and filled up my water bottle. I ran into a group of about 5 day hikers that were walking south. The two ladies in front said they were doing the AT in sections and their names were the Singing Sisters.We talked a while and they said they would sing me a song before they let me go.They sung the old Roy Rogers theme song of Happy Trails and they did a great job with it. They had very nice voices. :-)))I kind of liked it, but I felt like you do when they sing the happy birthday song to you in a restaurant...a little uneasy. :-))) The Singing Sisters said they had left a cooler full of sodas a few miles north of there. I thanked them in advance and walked on. When I got to the road crossing, I drank two kiwi-strawberry sodas. The sodas were pretty good too. :-))) I was walking along and it was still raining. When it was near noon, some thunder and lightening came close a few times, but then it turned back to just a steady rain. I passed Gumby and Coyote Bec about a mile before I got to Moreland Gap Shelter. They were both carrying umbrellas...a sight you don't see too often on the trail. When I got to the shelter at 1:55pm. I signed the register and talked to two hikers that were there.They were Cupcake and Stateline Jed and they said they were trying to wait out the rain. I walked on and in about another hour, the rain finally stopped!! It had rained from about 7:30am to 3pm and was a steady rain. The trail was very slick, so I was being extra careful walking. I kept walking and scared up a deer that was about 25 yards away. That was about a mile before I got to Dennis Cove Road. I walked up to Kincora Hostel and Bob Peoples was gone to town with all but one of the hikers that were staying here. I talked to Bluebelt a minute before she went back to the phone call she was on. I stuck my clothes in the washing machine and took a shower while I waited on Bob to get back. When he did return, we spent half an hour talking before he took Cupcake, Crake and myself to town to resupply. There's about 10 hikers here tonight. I'm planning on slacking just 9 miles tomorrow and take an easy day since I walked farther than I had planned today. I just started walking this morning and kept moving because of the rain.My legs were feeling like they were getting some power back again and I had a good walk. The hills were easy today. :-)))