Date: 2012-06-22
From: Deep Gap

To: Greasy Creek Friendly. Greasy Creek, NC
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

Actually did about 18 miles - more on that later.Staying at a hostel called the Greasy Creek Friendly, as in friendly, not hostile = hostel. Haha very punny.Hike started up Unaka Mountain, which went through pine forest so the trail was a thick carpet of pine needles - very nice. Got to a place I thought might be the turn off for the hostel, but there was no road. Also, I was there too early, although I had been making good time. So I kept going but it didn't seem right. I sat down and looked at the map and nothing matched. I was mad that the turnoff wasn't better marked and also that I wasn't more assertive with that jerk in Erwin about getting stove fuel. I stomped off north and was at the Clyde Smith shelter in no time (2 miles beyond the turnoff). I went to the shelter and thought about staying there. I had no fuel, but I could rehydrate my food with cold water. But that whole experience in Erwin was so demoralizing, I decided I needed the morale boost of having hot food and a charged iPod and maybe some company. Since it was only 4 pm, I figured I had plenty of time. Bad decision.I went back to that previous place that may have been a turn off, and started down this dirt path. There were arrows made of stone, but then there was a whole tree blown down across the path. So I went back to the AT and went further south. Didn't find anything but by now a thunderstorm had started although there wasn't much rain yet. I realized I was so fixated on getting to the hostel I was getting myself exhausted and dehydrated trying to find it. So by now I had spent almost 3 hours in this wild goose chase. Technically, I wasn't lost coz I knew where the AT was. (by the way, there is someone who always signs the shelter registers with the quote from the Hobbit "Not all those who wander are lost". Kind of irks me every time I see it coz I would say people who are hiking the AT aren't actually wandering - they're following a strictly defined path.)Anyway, I decided the important issues were water and shelter and the best thing was to to go back to where I knew there was a spring and a campsite. Just when I was almost there, I saw a flyer on a tree that said "Greasy Creek Gap". I eventually ended up on the same path with the blown down tree. Kept going even though I wasn't sure this wasn't a wild goose chase either. Finally saw the abandoned barn I was expecting and got to the hostel. Yay! And right after I got there, there was torrential rain. Glad I missed that.Connie, the owner, was there with Jeremy and Kevin. It was so welcoming. Connie made me a Boca burger with all the fixings including fresh tomato, onion, and lettuce and Duke's mayo which is made in her hometown of Greeneville, SC. Had to wait to shower since there was a load of wash running and we couldn't do both at once. I wondered if I really needed to shower since Connie's dog Iobe and Kevin's dog Rafael had thoroughly licked the sweat off my feet and legs. There were also 2 cats, Thomas and Annie. But I did shower and Connie had sweatpants and a T-shirt for me to wear while my clothes were in the laundry. It was so pleasant.I watched some of The Hangover II with the guys and went to bed.