Date: 2023-10-22
From: Carvers Gap

To: AT-Trailer Hostel, Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 105.9

Google Photos Photo AlbumDay 130Carvers Gap to Cherry Gap ShelterAT miles 19.1Miles hiked 19.2I cannot say enough good things about Robert and April and their hostel. In talking to them the past couple of days their passion for helping hikers on their journeys is quite clear. They are both hikers and Robert has thru hiked the AT. They want to pay forward all the kindnesses they have experienced on the trail. They operate their hostel on the honor system. Hikers keep track of their purchases on 3x5 cards and settle up at the end. After I paid I went to throw my card away like at other honor system hostels and Robert wanted the card back. He told me that now that I've stayed there I'm family.  If I ever come back he will pull my card to see what kinds of snacks and soft drinks I bought so they can make sure they have them for me when I come back. He also told us that we are welcome to bring our families to stay anytime. All of us agreed that while we've not stayed at a bad hostel we've never felt so welcome or at home as we did at the Hiker Refuge.Like yesterday, Robert shared all sorts of local history and highlights of the area. Even though the drive was about 40 minutes it seemed much shorter. Soon enough we were at the parking lot putting on our gear, taking pics, wishing each other well, and bidding farewell to Robert. It was cold and windy like yesterday but today we were in a huge spruce forest right away which took the teeth out of the wind. It was very peaceful hiking in this stretch. Hambone and I were hiking together for a while passing an old chimney and the former location of a tourist hotel that thrived during prohibition. Now all that remains is the foundation of a water fountain and the parking lot. People have made a mess of the place leaving their trash scattered all about. Disgusting. And sad.It wasn't long before I was rolling along by myself enjoying the day. I found an overlook protected from the wind and fixed my current favorite lunch ¢ ramen and jerky with hot sauce and ketchup added to the broth. Cookies for dessert. It's good. You should try it.The rest of the hike was just cruising through the woods until I came to the Iron Mountain Gap parking lot when a lady asked if I wanted some trail magic. Not counting Fresh Grounds this was my first actual southbound trail magic. Root Beer, banana, apple, cheese, and a couple of Little Debbie cakes. Her trail name is Imoji and trail magic is her ministry. Like Candace up north she does trail magic everyday. Imoji also told me to not miss the Southern Cookie Lady. Too soon it was time to go so I could find a place to camp before dark.I made it to Cherry Hill Shelter and set up camp at a tent spot a ways from the shelter. I had just finished cooking dinner when G-man showed up and about 10 minutes back was Teva. G-man built a fire and we ate dinner taking in the warmth of the fire.  I headed to the tent before 8:00 and was ready to sleep soon after.Day 131Cherry Gap to Uncle Johnny's AT miles 17.1Miles hiked 17.1What a day. The fall colors just keep getting better. My first visual treat of the day were the amazing views at the summit of Unaka Mountain. A couple miles later I caught up with G-man and we hiked up to the appropriately named Bald, Beauty Spot. The views were magnificent so we took a snack break and soaked in the views.Hiking on I passed some section hikers who told me there was trail magic coming up. Wow! Two consecutive days of trail magic. I caught up with Teva and we wondered if Imoji was back.  Nope. It was the infamous Brother Tom. He had homemade brownies and pumpkin bread. I had a brownie and sweet tea. Pretty soon the rest of the crew started arriving and we're all entertained by Brother Tom's tales of being a trail angel. Turns out he is also a good friend of Ms. Janet who got him started driving shuttles and doing trail magic.Our next stop was Uncle Johnny's. I couldn't wait to get there so I could meet Miss Janet and get my warm sleeping bag and new mattress. The hiking grew harder as there were rocks and tree roots reminiscent of New Hampshire. It made for some slow hiking and my energy levels started dropping. That's when it dawned on me that I hadn't eaten lunch. Oh well, no point in stopping now.When we arrived, Uncle Johnny's was closed but the sign on the door told us to make ourselves at home and find a bunk or tent site and we could settle up in the morning.  They had some junky bikes we could ride so Hambone and I rode into town for some pizza. We destroyed two medium Pizzas then went to Dollar General for some snacks. I'll tell you, riding those bikes were leg killers. Once we got back I let Miss Janet know I was there and she brought my stuff. Hambone was as excited to meet her as I was. While we were talking a young guy and his girlfriend came over. He had a big smile on his face and asked her if she remembered him. He had thru hiked 10 years ago. She said. "Honey, I've seen 10,000other hikers in that time and you expect me to remember you?" Then she floored us when she said, "Not many people hike the trail carrying a tomahawk."Dang! That was his trail name. Tomahawk.We stood around quite a while listening to Miss Janet's stories. Her mother owned a hostel in Erwin. She started driving shuttles when she was 17 then later took over the hostel from her mom. She may be the most famous living person associated with the trail. She closed the hostel and now drives shuttles supporting hikers from Georgia to Maine. When I was in Vermont I remember a couple of hikers talking excitedly about meeting Ms. Janet that day.After she left I opened my REI box and saw my mattress wasn't there. I looked on my REI app and it was scheduled for delivery the next day. I texted Miss Janet and she told me no worries. She'd bring it tomorrow and take me to the post office.Day 132Uncle Johnny's to No Business Knob ShelterAT miles 6.2Miles hiked 6.2My new sleeping bag was awesome! Can't wait til my new sir mattress gets here so I can sleep through the night without waking up to reinflate. Fixed some breakfast then found out there's a town shuttle for resupply and breakfast.  Nice!They dropped us at the Steel Rail coffee shop. The coffee was great. I went to the outfitters to buy a new pillow to complete my new sleep system. Then I went to the grocery store for resupply. They give a hikers discount. I got out of the store with time to spare so ran over to Pals hot dog stand for a chili dog and fries. It was drive through only but they let me walk through. When I got to the window to pay the cashier told me the car that was in front of me bought my lunch. Erwin gets better and better.Checking my REI app I see my mattress is out for delivery and will be delivered by the end of the day. After we got back I repackaged my food, packed, ate lunch and chilled.My package finally arrived and Ms. Janet said she'd be over to Uncle Johnny's around 3: 30. She picked me up and took me to the post office then brought me back to the hostel. She lived up to all the hype.  I repacked and got on the trail at 430. I planned to hike 10 miles but stopped early to give me time to hang my food and fix dinner. Neither happened. I couldn't find a suitable tree for the hang and I didn't want to cook close to my tent.  Plan is an early wake up, good breakfast, then big mile day. The hardest part will be waking up.Day 133No Business to Hogback Ridge ShelterAT miles 20.7Miles hiked 12.2Well, the early wakeup didn¢t happen exactly but I got an early, for me, start. I¢m hoping to make it to Hogback Ridge Shelter but the terrain and how I feel may shorten that day some. There is a lot of elevation gain as the hike goes over High Rocks, LIttle Bald, and Big Bald with an elevation gain over 6,000 feet. Elevation not seen since, I think, New Hampshire.Thankfully, the trail was really nice and the climbs were over mostly gently graded switchbacks. It was still walking uphill but not climbing over big rocks straight uphill.The weather was nice, and the views were amazing. Today was just a day of walking through really pretty fall colors with views out over the mountains and valleys. Big Bald was almost as spectacular as Roan Mountain. There was a lot of smoke rolling up through one of the valleys which was a bit concerning. I found out later that the USFS was doing some controlled burns.The last hour or so of hiking was after dark but the night hiking was pleasant enough. When I arrived at camp I saw that I had caught up with Speedo and company. I thought they were a day ahead after my delay in Erwin. There was also a couple from New Zealand camped there.I ate a quick dinner then pitched my tent and crawled in and basically passed out.Day 134Hogback Ridge to Little Laurel ShelterAT miles 22.8Miles hiked 23.5My legs felt surprisingly good after yesterday which turned out to be a good thing because this turned into a longer, harder day than yesterday. Originally, I was going to do about 18 miles but I was running out of food so couldn¢t afford the extra day.  I stopped for lunch at Jerry¢s Cabin Shelter and took a nice, long break. When I started to go into afternoon nap mode I made myself get up and get going. I still had mountains to climb and wanted to get as far as possible before dark to get as close as I could to Hot Springs.The biggest climb of the day was over Big Butt Mountain. I first saw this mountain way back in Virginia somewhere during the Triple Crown. That was a couple hundred miles ago. There were some nice views on the way up and at the summit. I couldn¢t help but feel sorry for this mountain though as I¢m sure it¢s been the butt of many hiker jokes.On the descent I saw this fenced area and went over to investigate. There were two graves there. One was for a lady born in 1865 who lived until 1965. Hiking on further there were graves for two civil war soldiers, the Sheltons and a young boy killed in a Confederate raid.. Their very interesting story can be read here.A couple of hours later I came to Fire Scald Knob. This turned out to be a bit of a challenging climb reminding me of NH and ME hiking. There was a bit of rock scrambling involved. Along the way were some nice views. I passed a husband and wife hiking the trail. The husband seemed frustrated by the rocks and kept asking how much further until they got off the knob. I answered in terms of time (45 minutes) and he wanted to know distance. So I guessed and told him about a half mile (a lie but he wasn¢t being friendly). The longest half mile of his life. Then I encountered the wife who told me how dangerous the rocks were. I asked if she¢d ever been hiking in Southern Maine. When she asked why I told her this would be considered an easy day there. I was probably punished for those transgressions because when I got to where the bad weather trail met up with the AT I somehow took went the wrong way for about 10 minutes. Oops.By the time I got off of Fire Scald it was time to put on the headlamp and hike at night. By the time I got to the shelter it was all the way dark. Having learned my lesson I brought my phone with me when I threw my bear line. I found a great tree but it took me awhile to find a great rock. After two or three tries I got my line where I wanted it and hung my food then went back and set up my tent and went to bed.  I was startled awake several times during the night by something hitting my tent. Turned out I was under an oak tree that acorns the size of ping pong balls and they were falling out of the tree all night.Day 135Little Laurel to Hot Springs, NC - AT Trail-er HostelAT miles 19.9Miles hiked 20.5The wind had calmed down after almost blowing me off the ridge last night. Today we're headed to Hot Springs for resupply and our Great Smoky Mountains Thru Hiker permits. On paper this looked like it should be a 19 mile cruise into town. Everything always looks better on paper.During breakfast we were all comparing our food situations and all of us would be rolling into town on empty. That's the ideal situation as long as I make it into town. All packed up I was my usual last out of camp but that¢s OK. The first stop of the day, hopefully, would be the Southern Cookie Lady¢s house house. This is one of the highlights of the trail not to be missed. It was about 4 miles away so I figured in about 90 minutes I would be eating a warm cookie. The trail was so nice that I came to Log Cabin Road in under an hour. There was a handmade sign on the tree directing hikers to the Cookie Lady Cabin. Left turn, 100 yards, and there she was. Speedo, G-man, and Teva were already there feasting on her treats. While I took off my pack, Cookie Lady went inside to get me a cookie. It was a warm, snickerdoodle-like cookie with almond slivers and mandarin oranges inside. Delicious! She also gave us Halloween candy and we bought some additional Halloween sugar cookies decorated like pumpkins to eat later. Cookie's husband joined us for a bit of conversation and to take our pics then we were on our way.The easy hiking was done for the day. For the next few hours we were slowly grinding up a long, usually steep hill. After the past two days of hard hiking, my legs were telling me they were done but I kept willing my feet to keep on steppin¢. After what seemed like forever I made it to the Spring Mountain Shelter where I planned to stop for lunch. I was soon joined by a section hiker and Teva. I went down to the spring to fetch some water and it was a painful climb down and back up. I ate my cookies and other snacks but decided to not cook lunch in favor of moving on. G-man showed up and asked where I was staying in Hot Springs. I hadn¢t really thought that far ahead so I looked at Far Out and thought that the AT Trail-er Hostel sounded reasonable and easily accessible. He agreed so I said I would make reservations the next time I had a signal. Back to hiking.After my break there was a bit of comfortable downhill hiking, then downhill hiking on a crappy trail, then the trail started back up. There were a lot of ups and downs. Steep in both directions. On tired legs, steep downhills are almost as bad as steep uphills. Sections of the trail reminded me of New Hampshire and Maine since the trail was made of rocks and tree roots. The only thing missing was the mud. I came to a spur trail for the Rich Mountain Fire Tower. Being a sucker for fire towers I couldn¢t resist. I dropped my pack, grabbed my camera, and started up the even steeper fire tower trail. The views were worth the climb but photos can¢t begin to capture what the eye was really seeing.After crossing Highway 25 at Tanyard Gap the trail once again turned upwards this time eventually joining a fire road. Climbing uphill on a fire road is usually better than climbing uphill on a trail. This was no exception. Then we were going down through a meadow that really showed off the fall colors and made me momentarily forget how tired I was. As I was descending back into the trees I saw something that didn¢t make sense at first until I realized I was at the dammed pond. That¢s it¢s actual name. So I stopped at the dammed pond for my last trail snack of the day. Looking at the elevation guide into town, it looked to be downhill all the way. However, there were points of interest with names like Lover¢s Leap that made me think there must be a little climbing involved. I was right. Kind of. There was a lot of climbing involved. And rocks. And roots. And side-sloping trail that really was trail only in the technical sense of the term. None of the marked views or even Lover¢s Leap were all that noteworthy. Then the trail started going down.  While the trail maintainers took their time getting us up the mountain, they either ran out of time or patience, or mountain and decided to get us to the bottom in less distance. This resulted in lots of steep trails or climbing down those uneven rock steps. Yep. Definitely a New Hampshire vibe going on here. Also, this was where the good views were. That made the descent more tolerable, even enjoyable. Finally, the bottom. The trail paralleled the French Broad River to the bridge into town. The trail goes right through the middle of town and there were food places everywhere. And the smell of food was almost overwhelming. I caught up with G-man right before the hostel and we went together to check in. Pleasant surprise. The hostel was very, very clean and tidy. It was also run by the Blue Ridge Hiking Company owned by hiking legend Jennifer Pharr-Davis.  After a quick shower we decided to go to the Brewery and Taqueria for dinner. Speedo, Crocstar, and Teva were already there. We ordered the nachos which were very good. Then off for some ice cream and back to the hostel. On the way I picked up some snacks because for some reason, I was still hungry.Day 136Hot Springs, NCAT miles 0Miles hiked 0Much needed rest day today plus taking care of some chores.First things first, the Smoky Mountain Diner for breakfast. They did a great job of upholding the tradition of local diners serving delicious food at reasonable prices. I ordered the Smoky Mountain Breakfast (Two eggs and bacon plus an order of biscuits and gravy. As she was leaving my waitress asked if I¢d like a cinnamon roll. Sure! In less than a minute she¢s back with a fresh, hot, cinnamon roll the size of a dinner plate. It was delicious. I was stuffed by the time I left there.I went to the library only to find they weren¢t open yet. There was lots of time to kill in a town that was basically closed. I headed back to the hostel and ran into G-man on his way to the post office. I accompanied him and we sat outside waiting for it to open. After he picked up his food drop we headed back to the hostel to get ready for his 10 mile slack pack down Bluff Mountain back into town. I considered this but felt that I was better off resting.Finally, it was time for the library to open. I went down there to work on my journal. Luckily, there were several available computers to choose from and I was the only person in the room. This was a busy place though as people were constantly coming in and out. I was trying my best to get my journal updated but all too soon the lights are turning off. The librarian must have forgotten I was in the computer room when she was closing the place down. I didn¢t get everything done. Not even close. But I was able to fix my spreadsheet and update some entries. I went to the outfitters next door to get my Great Smoky Mountains National Park AT Thru Hiker Permit. The only place on the entire AT that hikers have to pay to hike is GSMNP. When you read all the stipulations to getting the permit and all the rules thru hikers must agree to, you wonder if they even like thru hikers. Oh well. It's either pay up and hike the trail or road walk around the park.After getting my permit I was talking to the guy at the outfitters and mentioned I wasn't looking forward to hiking in the coming rain and snow when he said I needed Sealskinz socks. I¢d never heard of them but they sounded amazing so I bought a pair. The guy at the hostel says they're perfect for hiking in snow and freezing rain and will keep my feet dry and warm. Hopefully I didn¢t waste a bunch of money on yet another pair of socks.I headed back to the hostel with a detour to the Hillbilly Country Store and the Dollar General Store. I picked up a few snacks and food for the next five days. I did much needed laundry while repacking all my food.Then I just chilled out for the rest of the day. AJ and I watched a movie and talked about hiking and what to expect in the Smokies.After the movie I took a nap then woke up and found another movie, Get Out. It sounded like a romantic comedy so I started watching that and eating dinner. For dinner I went back to the DGS and picked up some frozen dinners instead of going to one of the breweries in town for a meal. Sometime during the movie G-man returned and announced that those of us hiking up Bluff Mountain were about to get our butts kicked. Thanks G-man. Anyway, the movie was pretty weird and definitely not a Rom-Com. G-man had seen it and said he thought the same as I. We watched the rest of the movie together then I headed to bed. Apparently tomorrow was going to be a hard day.