Date: 2017-05-02
From: Greasy Creek Gap

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: scattered clouds

We got a late start this morning. We were all up at the usual time but the night had stayed cold so we headed into the main house of the hostel to warm up and I had some of the free tea (blueberry) while Classy and Lookout enjoyed the free coffee. I had some oatmeal from the hiker table for breakfast and we eventually motivated ourselves to pack up, don our clothing (still damp from yesterday's rain), and start the 0.6mi back to the trail at about 1015.We all agreed that the Greasy Creek Friendly was the best hostel we've stayed at thus far.It wasn't the fanciest, most organized, or even cleanest, but it was comfortable, communal, and friendly. The owners of the hostel Cici and Gadget are essentially inviting you into their home and are extremely helpful in any way they can be. It turns out, that for all the time it took to organize, buy, bring back, and distribute the food orders of the 15 hikers here last night from 4 different restaurants, they charged for the food at cost, which was unexpected and very kind. They are strict about some things... You have to take your shoes off in the house and you have to wash your hands when you come in and before you use the kitchen, but they're very relaxed about everything else... good set of priorities. They're not paying me or anything, we just enjoyed our time there.Before leaving Cici gave us all a hug and wished us a super butterfly day (since butterflies only fly in the nicest weather) and we were off. The 0.6mi that we swore was longer at the end of yesterday was easy this morning, despite it being uphill back to the trail. In no time we were back to cruising the AT. The morning air started with the crispness of a fall morning but any chill was easily dispelled by the sun's rays making it PERFECT hiking weather.We moved through the gently rolling hills quickly, slowly gaining altitude as we went and stopped at the first shelter to refill on water and eat first-lunch. We didn't daudle long as we had a long way to go for the day and were soon back on the trail.As I got moving again the trail wound through a number of grassy knolls, twisting back and forth across the ridge to try to maintain a decent grade. Some of these offered views in various directions, towards a bald in the distance, back to the spruce covered peak from yesterday, over to the hill we had summited earlier in the day.I passed through Ash Gap (affectionately know as Beartown) on high alert, determined to not be the second one to know about a bear/human encounter. I didn't end up seeing any wildlife, probably due to the volume of hikers coming through the area, but the glade itself was very pleasant. Sunlight filtered down through the canopy and onto the rich green carpet as I hiked through.I caught up to Classy at the peak and we decided to have lunch at the site of an old hotel, long since demolished, which once treated guests to views of the surrounding terrain. Part of the foundation of the hotel was still visible amongst the rhotodendron bushes which ringed the grassy field which one was the hotel. While we ate we enjoyed the sunny, clear blue sky which faded to light blue at the horizon and the slightly darker blue of the mountains in the distance which darkened as they get closer. Puffy white clouds floated through sky, small and moving fast so that they only dimmed the sun for a couple seconds as they passed in front of it and casting shadows across landscape below. Personally I was glad that the summit wasn't yet open to the public for the year... tons of people milling around would've severely detracted from the experience.We eventually got moving again and I swear that if someone told me that I had amnesia and had forgotten the last 1400 miles and was in Vermont, I would've believed them. Everything from the moss on the forest floor, the coniferous composition of the trees, the rocky outcrops, the rocky and muddy trail, the cool air felt like it could've been part of the Long trail I hiked last fall.We reached Carter's Gap and found TRAIL MAGIC in the form of Gatorade and beer in a cooler on the back of a pickup. As we were finishing our treats the angel showed up, 2sole who had hiked in 2015. We eventually got moving again at about 430, most of the afternoon having been consumed by the late lunch and treat. We still had 6 miles up cover to the shelter, so it was time to get moving.We hiked across another series of balds while chatting with Liz and admiring the great views. 2sole said that this was one of his favorite sections of the AT and I can see why, the balds give unparalleled panoramic views on beautiful days such as this and are unique compared to all other parts of the trail.We passed a deserted shelter at 530 and kept moving towards our destination for the night, Overmountain shelter. We finally arrived at 6pm to find a tent city which had sprung up around the shelter. The shelter itself was an old 2 story red barn that had been donated/turned into a shelter for hikers. Besides the space it offered though, the best part (and the reason for it's popularity) was the view. Staying at the shelter affords a view straight down a valley, bordered by two tall mountains/ridges. The bottom of the valley was dotted with green fields and the sky was dotted with puffy white clouds which resembled various animals floating along.It was my turn to hang a bear bag, which I attempted to do but ended up getting the throw sack stuck up in the tree (the first time that's happened to me). The tree was climbable, but upon closer inspection turned out to have thorns. Those just made the climb and re-hang more interesting. We all made dinner, enjoyed it as the sun set over the mountains and turned the sky and clouds pastel colors. We watched Braveheart for an hour, all 3 of us crammed into Classy's 1man tent... well, half of the 3 of us were in the tent... the rest of us was out the door. Classy and I watched the stars come out and several satellites pass overhead before heading to bed. I left my rainfly up (as in, not covering my tent) for the night so that I could see the stars. While drifting off to sleep I noticed a light moving up high on the hill, a night hiker working their way across the bald.I definitely got sun today... My thighs got pretty burnt, probably while Classy and I were having lunch in the field at the summit of Roan. That's going to hurt tomorrow.