Date: 2015-04-06
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: overcast clouds

The Easter weekend offered a time to reunite with family and to experience Easter worship. Our pastor, Mark Gooden, had a tremendous message on the greatest news arising from the grief of a graveyard with Christ's resurrection.One of my all-time favorite hymns, "Fairest Lord Jesus," was sung. I often hum or sing this hymn on the trail for an uplifting moment, especially with its powerful words and imagery related to the "starry host," "meadows," "moonlight," and "sunshine." If you have heard the St. Olaf's College choir perform this hymn, I think we have some inkling of how the angels sing their praises.My mother and father took me back to Stecoah Gap, but first we dropped a supply box at "Paradise on the AT." This is a newer hostel and B&B owned and operated by Cynthia and her spouse, Jeff. Cynthia will pick me up at Fontana.The original plan called for Beth to meet me at Fontana for a resupply, but the only certainty regarding most thru-hikers' original plans is change and therefore, you must be flexible.After Mom and Dad dropped me at Stecoah with some rainy drizzle falling, I climbed up Jacob's Ladder. Weren't there angels on the Biblical Jacob's Ladder? Perhaps there were angels unforeseen urging me upward on the climb. The lunch stop was at the trail to Brown Fork Gap and then I needed to hustle on as the afternoon seemed to threaten rain given the dark skies and breezes howling in the woods. There was a spring running at a rapid flow down the rocks just before Yellow Mountain Road, so I fiiled a water bottle. Also just before the road was a cooler of trail magic---thank you!After crossing Yellow Mountain Road, a sign indicated that I was in the homestretch toward Cable Gap Shelter as the shelter was only 0.9 miles down the path. Could I beat the rain? No, not this time as about 0.5 miles from the shelter the rain really started to pour. I covered my pack quickly and quickly hastened my pace. The sore feet and knees are ignored as the goal is to get out of the rain as the shelter beckons you onward. When the weather becomes bad, one of the most beautiful sites is coming down a hill or around a bend to see the shelter.Not surprisingly, this rather small shelter was full with five hikers. I sat under the front overhang of the shelter with other hikers as we waited for any break in the steady rain in order to seize the opportunity to pitch our respective tents during a period to attempt to keep our tents dry. During that time I visited with Mo, a young hiker from Pennsylvania. Mo assured me that Pennsylvania's reputation as "Rocksylvania" on the AT was overblown. I hope you are right, Mo. Also here are a couple from Germany (Hansel and Gretel), Low Profile (Maryland), All's Well (Texas), and many others who are tenting, too. The rain abated for awhile, allowing us to pitch tents and stay fairly dry for which we are thankful. I cooked in my tent's vestibule and dinner was quite good as on the menu were dehydrated Beef Stoganoff and a very tasty mixture of dehydrated berries (blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries).It is great to be safe, warm, and dry in the tent as the soaking storm has returned. It is "hiker midnight" at 9:00 p.m. tonight, so "good night" to all. Tomorrow Fontana Lake looms and the Smokies are on the horizon, quite literally.