Date: 2007-03-18
From: Holiday Inn, Erwin, TN

To: Indian Grave Gap, Tn
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: clear sky

Woke up in time to enjoy the Breakfeast buffet. I ate alot of food and drank alot of coffee. I asked the front desk clerk if they had anyone available to drive me back to the trail. The clerk said on the weekends; he was the only one around and he could not give me a ride. They also were out of the Ben & Jerry's ice cream that they promise to each hiker staying the night. That's 2 strikes. Dont print it in the guidebooks, if your not going to follow thru. Anyway, I did not really care as Vanderbilt won in the basketball tournament; I had an awesome stay in town; and my stomach was full! I walked out the doors of the hotel and began sticking my thumb out. Now, I really do not enjoy hitching. You just never know what is going to happen. Several cars passed w/o even looking at me and I thought this was going to be a long 1.5 mile walk to the trailhead. Then someone yelled at me from the gas station next to the Holiday Inn. It was a guy named Tim that was running a shuttle for Miss Janet. He said that he would give me a ride to the trail. I thought, "I am having good luck with hitches on this hike!" I meet the section hiker "Gatorade" who was being dropped off at Indian Grave Gap and was then walking back to Erwin to stay at Miss Janet's. Tim dropped me off across the bridge over the Nolichucky River; so, I would not get "Uncle Johnnie" all wound up. As anyone knows who has hiked through this area "Uncle Johnnie" & "Miss Janet" have some history & I did not want to say hello to Johnnie after not staying at his place. As I began hiking, I noticed that it was considerably colder than when I came into town. The wind was blowing; it was sunny; and around 35 degrees at noon. It stayed chilly for the rest of the day. I began the walk that goes across the railroad tracks and saw a drifter who had his campsite all set up. He said, "have a nice hike" in a rough voice. He looked like a hobo. I have run into several in this area before. They like it here because it is close to the tracks, the road, and the town. I used to stop and talk to these guys; but, I was wanting to hike and I had probably heard his story. This hike parallels the road to the NOC campground. I have cussed the hike to the Curley Maple Gap Shelter before because I have usually done it in warm weather and it is a good climb. Today it was cool; so, I was at the shelter in no time. I could not take much time at the shelter because I got cold quickly. I ate a snack and got moving. The trail to Indian Grave Gap is fairly level with some minor ups and downs. On the way, I saw "Gatorade". He was impressed with how quickly I was moving. I did not think too much about it; until then. I guess I was doing pretty well since my pack was incredibly heavy with town resupply and miscellaneous hiker box stuff. I just cant resist adding stuff from these boxes. I also did not sleep well last night. It is hard for me to turn off the TV when I am in town. I also drank some alcohol in town, not much; but, I noticed the after effect. I got about 32 ounces of water at a stream because I knew that there was not any water until the other side of Beauty Spot. There were ice formations in the stream and hoarfrost on the ground. I have not seen the ice since Max Patch. I kind of missed it. As I got about .3 miles to Indian Grave Gap; I suddenly felt very tired, sleepy. This was unusual because I have not sleep for more than 5 hours in weeks. My mind has been running like a dynamo since the Smokies. I laid down on my new inflatable thermarest, ahhhhh. I was out, until deep in the night. I woke up to a star filled night and a hoot owl right above me. I have had these owls close to me before; but, never right above me. They sound much more guttoral(dont have spellchecker). I listened to him for about 30 minutes; until, he flew away. I could still here him in the distance for about another 30 minutes. I did not want to see the owl because there is an indian legend that if you see an owl; it is an omen of death. Maybe that is just if you see it in the daylight? Anyway, I thought about getting up and hiking right then. I did not know what time it was; it was around 25 degrees; with the wind blowing; and all in all, it did not matter: I fell back asleep.