Date: 2020-06-11
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Rock Gap / Franklin
Miles today: 19.7

Storm showers again battered the shelter overnight with a chill wind often whipping through at our almost 5000 foot elevation. Glad there was a huge overhang. But nothing would be drying overnight. By first light, however, the sky was clear and promised a bluebird day.My sheltermate Sunrise, a red-bearded prospective thruhiker from Portland, Oregon, started June 5th. He hadn't stopped in town or resupplied yet so both of us had our sights set on the town of Franklin, twenty miles away. The third shelter-dweller, David, had over fifteen days of food and no interest in going to town or hiking twenty miles.  So Sunrise and I set off in lockstep, chatting away the morning, putting down miles on easy grades over Standing Indian mountain. We crossed paths with a number of backpacking groups doing a 24-mile loop trail. Some were smiling, others grimacing beneath 40-50 pound packs. Spots of sun mingled with cool breezes and only occasional patches of humidity. Gradually the trail and our clothes began to dry. A perfect day for hiking.A tough, steep, rocky, but mercifully short climb brought us to the peak of Albert Mountain. There a firetower gave us sweeping views of mountains extending to the horizon in every direction. I still swear I can see the Smokies from there. We crossed 5000 feet for the first time on both Albert and Standing Indian.With cell service at last on Albert we arranged a pickup from Gooder Grove Hostel in Franklin. We figured we'd make Rock Gap, the pickup point, by 4. Zen the owner figured we'd beat that by at least an hour and promised to be there at 2:45. With six miles to go we weren't so sure. But we booked downhill for the gap anyway. Made very good time. Sunshine is a little faster on both uphill and down. Might be related to his 6' 4" stature, or maybe those 2600 miles he hiked last year! We ended up at Rock Gap minutes before our original ETA of 4 o' clock. Fortunately Zen arrived minutes later by pure coincidence. He had rescued an injured thruhiker from Deep Gap, just before Standing Indian. It turned out to be the girl Backtrack. She woke up with a swollen knee and had hobbled eleven miles to the next forest service road. Once situated at the hostel, showered, laundry in, and having met the trio of dogs that run the place - Josie, Willow, and a 14-year-old white dog - we headed to Main St. The outfitter Outdoor 76 had just closed a minute ago at 6, but opened up for us anyway for Sunshine to check out sleeping bag liners and buy an inflatable pillow. With few extra clothes in summer he didn't have enough to stuff a sack for a decent pillow anymore. I have a similar issue but all it needs to do is support my neck which it does pretty well. My inflatable pad does the rest.Milkshakes followed at Motor Company grill, home of the 4-pound Eldorado hiker burger. It seemed forbidding, but the server said 20 of the 40 who requested it last year finished it. Neither of us was hungry enough, having hit Wendy's on the way into town. Sunshine turned out to be the faster and more voracious eater. He's twenty-five with a strong build. Probably needs about a third more calories than me. A beer on the patio of the Lazy Hiker Brewing Company in the comfortable evening air gave us time to catch up with pictures and journaling. Walked over to resupply at Ingles. Probably a mistake but I got Slimfast powder to make breakfast shakes with lots of protein. It can only exceed my expectations. The owner of the food truck next to the brewpub gave us a ride back to the hostel in the back of his pickup truck. There we found Crazy Eyes and girlfriend Cinco, who I stayed at a shelter with a couple nights ago, watching The Last Airbender anime and finishing off Italian takeout. They're planning a few days off. The dogs came around for lots of affection. With laundry and everything else now dry, tomorrow is looking good to get back in the mountains and pound out some footsteps to Maine.