Date: 2018-04-07
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Nolichucky River - Cantarroso Farm and Apiary
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: light snow

The rain fell through the night and into the morning at the No Business Knob Shelter. Nonetheless, its occupants were all business when dawn came. 13 took little time packing up and was the first out. Sparrow was close behind, followed by Which Way and me around 8:15. But before we departed, we watched Zero dump more than a dozen acorns from one of his boots. His brother, Impact, added another 1/2 dozen to the pile. Evidently, the chipmunks were busy last night. But we were all glad that the boots and acorns had kept them occupied all night. A light mist and heavy fog hung in the air as we started our descent to the Nolichucky River. Only stopping for our morning stretch and for a cloud obscured view of Erwin, we completed our 10Kish hike by 11. Uncle Johnny¢s Hostel sat just off the trail on the Nolichucky River, a popular kayaking and rafting spot. The iconic hostel, whose owner (Johnny) passed away in February, was nearly full and was having major water issues. Therefore, I called The Cantarroso Farm and Apiary (bee farm) and was able to finagle a room in the proprietor¢s house. We caught up briefly with Spirit Man, who had just shuttled in from Spivey¢s Gap, then worked our way across the Nolichucky to wait for our ride. Peggy showed up a few minutes later and drove us to their beautiful farm, where everything was artsy, including the painted bee hives. The two really cute cabins sitting on the property were already rented by other hikers, so they let us stay in a spare room in their basement. The modest house was uniquely designed and well decorated, in a bee theme of course.  After a quick shower, Peggy shuttled us into the town of Erwin. She pointed out the old Sears and Roebuck Catalogue Homes that lined the streets. The Craftsman-style homes were built back when Erwin was a booming railroad town. Erwin is infamously known as the town that hung an elephant. It happened in 1916 when the Charlie Sparks Traveling Circus was visiting nearby Kingsport, TN. As the story goes, Mary, the performing elephant, was put under the control of an inexperienced keeper, who jabbed Mary with a spear during a parade. The spear hit an abscess and Mary, reeling in pain, retaliated by pushing the keeper to the ground and stepping on his head. Not quite the end of the story. The residents were calling for blood, so the circus owner agreed to have ¢murderous Mary¢ killed. She was then brought to Erwin and hung from a railroad crane (see pic if you need evidence). It appears that Erwin is still trying to make amends for the sins of its fathers, as it held an ¢Elephant Revival¢ in 2016, donating the proceeds to an elephant refuge. Now there are painted elephant sculptures scattered throughout the town. Peggy delivered us to the heart of the surprisingly quaint downtown Erwin. Our first stop was the Hawg-N-Dawg, a BBQ joint recommended by Peggy¢s husband, Mike. He did not fail us. The owner gave us personal service and the food was delicious! We both had a BBQ sandwich with sides and dessert. At first we ordered one of the KitKat Brownie A la modes. After a few bites, I called the server back over and said, ¢What were we thinking? We¢ll take two!¢ After lunch we made our way to the old railway station that had been converted to a library. From there we were hoping to hang out at the downtown coffee shop, but it became apparent that they roll up the sidewalks by 3PM on Saturdays in Erwin. So, we settled for the McCafe located next to the Interstate. Heartburn and some other hikers were staying at the nearby Super 8 Hotel, so we texted to find out what they were doing for dinner. ¢Los Jalape±os, count us in!¢ A little later the shuttle driver swung by to pick us up. The driver, Doug, was delivering hikers here and there, accepting tips only. More trail magic! Among the group at Los Jalape±os was Sky Water, who we had met a few days before while having lunch out on White Cliff Rocks. The food and service were great!After dinner, Doug kindly dropped us off at the Food Lion, where we grabbed some breakfast items. From there Peggy picked us up and returned us to the Apiary. She invited us up for popcorn at 8PM, adding that the hikers staying in the cabins were also invited. When we came upstairs we were delighted to see Spamtown Rick and his girlfriend, Tamara, who was visiting from Minnesota for a few days. It was evident that Tamara was providing excellent home-base support, sending Rick resupply packages and setting him up in town accommodations. She was planning to visit him at several places along the trail, where she would stay a few days and even shuttle him to/from trailheads for day hikes. D2 and Crazy Brit also stopped by. They were the two hikers we met at Nature¢s Inn a couple of nights ago. They are doing some day hikes (aka Slack Packing) while Crazy Brit¢s shin splints heal. WW and I had a great conversation with D2, an avid hiker, biker, skier, and kayaker. He has hiked internationally on some really cool trails. D2 is also in the same league as Evil Kenevil when it comes to broken bones incurred from his escapades.  It was another great day on the AT...making memories, building relationships and counting blessings. Tomorrow we ZERO! -- Next Step Elevation Data:                    Weather:Ascent ~ 810                        Day ¢ 40 degrees / Rain & FogDescent ~ 2,300                  Night ¢ 29 degrees / Snow ShowersGrade ~ 9.2 Over the Horizon: Roan Mountain