Date: 2022-11-09
From: Spivey Gap

To: Sams Gap, I-26
Miles today: 13.4

After the sun set last night the wind picked up. We were in a fairly sheltered gap but the noise in the trees overhead all night is unnerving. Thankfully, the forest seemed stronger here than it did in Shenandoah, where we spent a very windy, sleepless night in late September.When we awoke this morning the wind had not abated. It was chilly and the wind was a biting, heat-stealing wind. We packed up our things inside the tents and started getting them to the van. Properly stowing the tents was near impossible in the gusts so I gently rolled them and got them into the box-top on the van. I'd later get them correctly rolled and stuffed in Spivey Gap. We loaded the van in short order and drove the 10 minutes back down to Spivey Gap where the wind was non-existent and we could eat breakfast in peace. The trail crew headed out after the normal grits/oatmeal/coffee regimen.Baxter and I left Spivey Gap and drove to the bottom of the hill where we were able to get cell service. Interstate 26 was in the valley and the cell providers blanket the interstate corridors with strong signal. We sat at an abandoned roadside market and, using trail book and road atlas, laid out a plan for the next 10 days or so. If all goes according to our plan (HA!) we can be in Davenport Gap, northern doorstep of the Smokey Mountains, by Wednesday the 19th. The Smokies are a pretty dicey section of trail that requires careful planning and smart decisions. Not only are we required to carry permits through this section (necessitating a plan), the natural features of the park create an obstacle unique to the trail in the south and, in my opinion, unmatched anywhere on the trail outside of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Both the White Mountains and the Smoky Mountains are high peaks, rising several thousand feet above their neighboring ranges. This makes them both prone to quick and unpredictable changes in weather. The Smokies have the added hazard to hikers of being an especially remote section of trail, and of wilderness more generally. Tricorner Knob Shelter, where we plan on spending the night in the Smokies, is in the middle of a 75-square mile swath of true wilderness, accessible only by foot and horseback. It's not the kind of trail that a hiker can just "wing it" through.We left our roadside planning session and drove to Sam's Gap where I-26 crosses the trail. Miss Janet had dropped off a hiker this morning at Spivey Gap while we ate breakfast and recommended the cemetery here as a good camping spot for the evening. Sure enough, high on the hill next to the interstate is a family cemetery. Hidden from the view of the road and the interstate is a small-but-flat spot where we could park the van and pitch two tents. The AT is just a stone's throw down the hill. Baxter and I hung out in the gap for awhile at the trailhead parking studying ham radio test questions and trying to crack our new bullwhip. We decided, about 11:00, that we needed to go to Hot Springs. We have two packages at the Hot Springs post office waiting for us. Today is Thursday. Tomorrow is Veterans Day. Then the weekend. Our next chance to get the packages will be Monday. So we decided, since we weren't doing anything important here, we'd head towards Hot Springs to see what we could see there. The packages were at the post office, both from Granddaddy and Gigi: a resupply box of food and an "entertainment box" for Baxter and me. More books and magazines to pass the time. Gold.We spent some time at the Hot Springs Library surfing the internet.We drove back to Sam's Gap just about the time the trail crew was arriving. They knocked out the 13 miles in short time and we were all at the cemetery before 3:00, enjoying a hot midafternoon snack. We set up tents and relaxed for the rest of the day. I had my reservations about camping next to the interstate but, since Interstate 26 is not really used by anyone (seriously), the road was pretty quite through the night.