Date: 2006-04-17
From: Kincora Hostel - US F5 Road 50

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Was out of food so I finished the butter noodles that Bicycle and Bonesaw gave me last night. Not the most normal breakfast, but it hit the spot. Out by 8:45, not bad, not good. I found myself on blue blaze trails, twice in less than a mile. Got back on track, arrived at Laurel Falls at around 10:00. Then I could not figure out where the trail went. Even took off my shoes, forged the stream and still no blazes. Pulled out my map, and the path seemed to stay on this side of the stream. No to worry, Luke and Goliath were coming down the rock steps. I will just wait and follow them. After they took some pictures, they asked me where the trail went. S**t. Not good. There was a blaze leading up the hill but nothing back the other way. No one could figure it out. To make a long story short, around 11:00 the wife of the hostel we just left was coming down the hill to the falls with her family. She and her husband not only run the hostel, but they help maintain the trail in the area. As it ends up, the trail was where we were at one time but was recently re-routed further up the hill, and around, due to frequent high water levels of the stream. The blaze that was throwing us off was not supposed to be there. Great. It is now 11:15 and I have gone exactly 1.2 miles in 2 1/2 hours. Back on track, finally, then the snake. In another 1/2 mile there is a thin rock trail hugging the cliffs of the river valley and a very large snake decided to park itself smack in the middle. Luke got it to move but it hung right under the path. Got by that, Luke and Goliath took off, I messed with my MP3 player to get ready for the day's big climb, up Pond Mountain. One more blue blaze screw up. I can't figure out how I keep missing the trails. I am clearly on the path. 1200 feet into the climbs, the sky begins to rumble. 1500 feet, it begins to rain and the storm is now over me. At the end of the 1800 foot climb, I am now on the top of a ridgeline @ 3700 feet in a lightning storm. Not where you want to be. 10 minutes later, I was starting my decent to US 321 at an elevation of 1980 feet. On the way down I passed Goliath who was stopped, putting his rain gear on. I got my pack cover on going up the hill, was already soaked head to foot, so I was going to fight the wind until I got to the bottom. At US 321 I was cold, very cold, and wet, very wet. I still needed food so I started toward Hampton, TN, 3 miles away. Big mistake. US 321 was the main road for trucks and logging tracker-trailer. No shoulders, heavy down pour, trucks blasting me with the spray, I'm a dead man. About 1 1/2 miles I came across a small store/deli. Good enough for what I needed, 2 sandwiches, snack bars and back the other way 1 1/2 miles. By the time I got back to the trail, the rain stopped. Took off my jacket, started the drying process. Came across Sandman at the trailhead. I kept going. Caught up to Bicycle and Bonesaw who stopped at the shelter to wait out the storm. Climbed back up 1640 feet to the shelter. It was full from a church group outing. Energizer Bunny was there. There was room for one more and I took it. Bicycle and Bonesaw took one look at all the people there and tented up trail 1/2 mile. I had just enough time to hang my pack and food before it became dark. Tired, frustrated, but dry, I ended my day. Not the 24 miles planned, but a very respectable 17.5 under the circumstances. When talking to everyone throughout the day, it seems everyone had trouble with the blue blazes. Apparently, the area had several new trail relocations, with the worn path going and turning to a blue blaze, and the new path always took a sharp turn, and was not worn yet. At least I fell a bit better.