Date: 2019-04-08
From: Sam's Gap NC

To: Devil's fork Gap
Miles today: 8.7

I was super restless last night and after taking melatonin I didn't get to fall asleep until almost midnight. I woke up at 3 and went back to sleep until 5:30. At 6:30 I got up and showered and packed up my bag and by 7:30 I was down at the main building called the barn. Taft and his wife Sarah were there. I was the only one hiking out today and they were very concerned about the weather and couldn't in good conscience drop me off at Sam's Gap without talking about it. Ultimately I decided to change my plan and hike 8.7 miles from Sam's Gap to Devil's fork Gap today slackpacking. When I get back we'll work on the plan to slackpack 21+ miles tomorrow. I went back to the house and emptied my backpack of the things I don't need for a day hike, grabbed a muffin and left in the shuttle, the only lonely hiker. At Sam's Gap a sign on the trail pointed up the hill to a pickup truck and a man named Quiet Paul. He was set up to cook scrambled eggs and hash browns. It was a great way to start my hike and I welcomed the protein. After my meal I walked down the hill and onto the trail. Within a minute I was standing at a granite monument placed by the Moye family when they transferred this particular property to become part of the Appalachian Trail. It was moving. I read it and cried actually because it was based on their faith in God and I needed to be reminded that God is with me and still guiding my journey, keeping me safe. So as dissapointing as it was to decide to hike a short day today and a really long one tomorrow, I felt at the moment assured this was God's plan for me. I took a photo so I could look up the scriptures later at the hostel. The hike was lovely actually with happy birds and a carpet of fragrant white flowers on the forest floor. I made a video and shared it with Brian on Marco Polo because it just needed to be shared. Several nobo hikers passed by me and honestly if I hear one more of them say I'm hiking in the wrong direction I'm going to get snippy. I'm tired of hearing that. I did tell some of them that there was breakfast at the Gap, but I neglected to share it with the sarcastic ones. I took my time to enjoy the birds, observing a little Finch on a branch above my head and some juncos on the ground. I noticed the wind picking up and the clouds filling in and at 10:45 it started sprinkling. I didn't bother to put on rain gear. At noon I called Taft and told him I'd be at Devil's fork at 12:30 and he asked me to call back when I got there. So at 12:25 I arrived at the Gap and called. My phone pinged and I looked to see a message from my niece in TN. She and my nephew are going to have dinner with me on the 17th in Gatlinburg. I haven't seen them but 2 or 3 times in their lives and not since they were in grade school. In the rain under a pine tree and next to the TN state line sign I let my emotions go. No one would know that my wet cheeks weren't the results of the rain. I can't wait to see them and I feel like I just received all the push I need to get to Fontana Dam on the 16th. The rain stopped suddenly and the sun shown through the clouds. I crossed the street from under my protective tree and waited in the sunshine. I had waited 45 minutes in the intensified rain with thunder in the distance before calling Taft again. His wife was on her way but she'd almost wrecked her car and was shaken. My focus shifted from myself to my shuttle driver. In 20 minutes she arrived and we took a moment for her to relax before heading to the hostel. When I got there I realized she'd been busy all afternoon getting hikers off trail because of the weather. I helped her out by doing some of the laundry at the house. I had a can of soup for lunch and relaxed before making arrangements for tomorrow. The Hemlock Hollow Inn hostel at Allen Gap is where I'll be tomorrow night. Diane's son James is going to drop packs off at Nature's Inn tonight that belong to Alice and Mike who are my new housemates and he'll pick up my gear. Tomorrow I'll get dropped at Devil's fork and James will pick me up at Allen Gap when I'm done. I called the shuttle driver John and laughing heart hostel and let them know my change of plans. John will get me Wed morning and bring me to Garenflo Gap. Just 8 more hiking days! After dinner I tried out the massage chair at the house but I'm not sure I'm a fan. It's a bit intense! I'll stick with my massage therapist Laura at home.