Date: 2017-04-16
From: Dennis Cove Road - Black Bear Resort

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: broken clouds

I was up and had breakfast of some microwavable stuff I had gotten the night before. Packed and ready I went out into the yard and the owner said to hold up a minute and he would take me the 1/2 mile down to the trailhead. So nice. There is nothing that seems more wasteful than hiking on pavement to the trail - miles that don't count. Today is Easter Sunday. It gave me a good chance to think about Jesus and the events we remember of the last 3 days. Overnight I awoke and could not sleep so I read the story in the gospel of John and it was a special kind of Easter service for me. Hikers were very open to talk about Easter and I found out there is interest in spiritual things - sometimes in people who seemed unlikely to be interested on the surface. Today's hike was so beautiful - and challenging. Funny that I had no phone service at all at the hostel and had great service on the trail today. I sent Marlene many videos and pictures. The day started on an easy trail beside Laurel Creek. Soon the creek enters Laurel Gorge with high steep rock walls - 100 feet high - and on an old railroad bed from days gone by as it meanders through the gorge. Steep cliffs with rock stair steps placed by the trail maintainers to climb and descend. Many remote and rustic footbridges and always the creek in view or hearing distance. I came upon Laurel Falls - about 30 feet high and very wide as the creek tumbles over the edge. You can hear the creek and the falls for a long way. In the deepest part of the gorge the trail is on a narrow ledge just above the water and along the walls straight up. Sort of a technical effort to get through and stay dry. This is very beautiful.   I took several pictures and videos and sent them to Marlene. The gorge widens out a little allowing the creek to meander. There were more footbridges in the beautiful little coves with very high mountains on both sides. The local trail continues on deeper into the gorge but the AT takes a right turn and abruptly begins the climb up Pond Mountain to Pond Flats near its summit. The elevation chart shows the ascent going almost straight up. It was a long 2+ mile climb, beautiful as the gorge disappeared below, the creek and waterfall noise grew more faint, and the mountain on the opposite side grew farther away as I climbed. Eventually I saw mountains behind the mountain on the opposite side as I gained elevation and could look over the top. When I cleared the shoulder of the mountain and the trail wound around to the other side it grew quiet as I could hear the waterfall far below no more. Still climbing until I reached another final summit and a creek up in Pond Flats where Einstein, his brother Little Cheese, and Cousin Eddie - a young woman from Texas, were stopped for a rest and snack. We had passed and re-passed each other all the way up. Then across the top and down to Watauga Lake where there are picnic tables on the beach. We had been hiking with 8-Track on and off over the last 150 miles. His wife has their RV parked at this location and was doing trail magic there - sandwiches and drinks and fruit. So that was great! I stopped for awhile but needed to move on. We had seen warnings on trees from the U. S. Forest Service about marauding bears in this area causing a restriction that we could hike the next 5 miles but with no stopping or camping in the area. The next shelter 3 miles ahead (Watauga Lake Shelter) is closed and I needed to get to Vandeventer shelter 7 miles further anyway to make the trip to Damascus Virginia work out with my food supply. It was 3 miles to the closed shelter, another mile to the dam which creates Watauga Lake and then begins the long climb up to Vandeventer shelter - on the ridge above the lake higher and higher all afternoon. This was hard work but the reward is to see the lake and its many points and bays as it backs up into the valleys between ridges behind the dam. Very pretty. I finally got here and am camped with a full shelter and many tents. It was a hard day. Also very pretty. It was fun to share lots of it with Marlene via pictures and videos. Happy Easter. Goodnight Sweetheart.