Date: 2012-04-14
From: Nolichucky - Erwin, TN

To: Indian Grave Gap
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up in the cabin at Ripshin Lake. Jim (Mango) and Jane had breakfast ready so we ate and talked for a little while. When we left, we drove Rog to his start point at Nolichucky and I headed for Johnson City to the Cherokee UM Church to see their quilt show. Jim had made a quilt that was in the show. He had quilt squares that were pieced by his grandmother. He used 8 of them in the quilt surrounded by other material and then had it machine quilted by someone else. He put a wonderful label on the back with pictures of his grandmother and mother plus info for future generations. He has made 6 of these quilts for female relatives and plans to make more..lucky women in his family! Back in town, I got us a room for the night and then went to pick up Rog at Indian Grave Gap...my shortest drive yet..abaout 11 miles:-) Rog wasn't there so I started walking on the trail...I got about 3/4 of a mile before I found him. He was surprised to see me. We walked back together and then I drove him back to town. After his shower, we went to the Choo Choo Cafe for dinner. This is such a fun place in downtown Erwin...go there if you are ever in this town. The owner does everything herself...cooks, cleans, sells antiques, etc. She cooks one or two things for the evening meal and that is what you eat. Tonight she made ham/beans and cornbread with a potato/meat casserole. Everything was delicious...she is a great cook and a fun person. Nothing matches in the whole huge room. Two music groups from the local college entertained us while we ate...a fun, funky place! Now we are at the laundry...not as much fun as the Choo Choo!SOS here - Hiked the first two miles today next to a rushing montain stream. I had to cross over it several times. Normally, you cross mountain streams by stepping from boulder to boulder, but this time there were at least 5 wooden bridges with a railings on one side that spanned the stream so you could cross. I had a good signal for my cell phone so I called Mom and my sister and talked to them for about a 1/2 hour as I hiked. It is amazing that you can talk as you hike on the AT - especially since I can remember as a child party lines and antiquated phones.Met 3 new people on the trail today. On my first up today, I met Stepping Out and Tag Along, who are from just North of Grand Rapids, MI. Tag Along was in obvious pain. She had fallen, and Stepping Out believed she may have broken ribs. I can not imagine hiking with a full backpack with broken ribs. The next time I saw them again at Curley Maple Gap Shelter Stepping out was carrying both backpacks, his own on his back and Tag Along's against his chest. Tag Along indicated he was carry approximately 75 lbs.I had stopped at Curley Maple Gap Shelter to eat lunch - Soleman from Ashville, North Carolina; real name Coleman, who I had met yesterday, and Slim Chance from near Seattle, Washington were there. It was my chance to give out more trail magic. I knew that Soleman loved candy bars and I had two Snickers so I gave him one. I was also able to share the trail magic Mango had given to me this morning - sliced oranges. I would eat one and than give one to Slim Chance and one to Soleman. I continued this until they were all eaten. They were delicious Mango. Slim Chance was taking a zero at the shelter because he had hiked 35 miles yesterday. WOW! Slim Chance told me that his friend was hiking the PCT with the same trail name. There trail name came from a locally brewed beer named, you guessed it Slim Chance. He told me the beer is no longer brewed and they had one bottle left between them. They had agreed that the first to complete their hike would get to drink the beer in front of the other. People hike the trail for all kinds of reasons, this is one of the most unique reasons I have heard so far. AT Slim Chance savors the image of drinking the last bottle of Slim Chance beer as PCT Slim Chance watches. PCT Slim Chance's wife is in possession of the beer. AT Slim Chance trust her that she will entrust it at the end of the hikes to the winner. If I see him again, I think I will ask him to email me a picture of the winner drinking the spoils as the losser watches.It was a great day to be hiking the AT only 1,833.9 miles to go!<