Date: 2017-05-05
From: Spivey Gap

To: Cantarosa Farm, Erwin, TN
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: heavy intensity rain

From Fatboy:We ate real food for breakfast and were excited to start our slackpacking day.  Our plan was to go about 11 miles and the trail profile didn't include any major elevation changes.  I even packed a turkey sandwich for my lunch!  Our host at Cantarosa Farm drove past the trailhead where we would be ending our hike and outlined contingency plans for bad weather (this is the kind of detail that is so important to making slackpacking safe and enjoyable.)  The forecast called for a good chance of rain late in the day so we wanted to get some miles behind us before getting soaked and cold.  The ride up the mountain included views of some pretty waterfalls along the road. We started where we'd been picked up two days ago and we're happy to be going north again.  The walking was easier than any day before and the first 5 miles went very quickly so we stopped for lunch at the No Business Knob Shelter.  My feet were starting to hurt some but they weren't horrible and I just resigned myself to another day of struggling with the hike.  No big deal.  The weather became quite cold and the sky turned dark but we didn't have any significant rain to slow us down.  There was a large tree that had fallen across the trail that presented a very difficult situation.  It was a mess of tangled dead and live tree branches and a main trunk that was over 12" in diameter.  Ginger could climb above the trail to pass the obstruction but it was way too steep for me and I knew I'd never make it.  She did pass the tree and we worked for about ten minutes breaking branches and clearing brush from the tangle until I could squirm under, over, and through the tree trunks to get past the deadfall.  It was fun and frustrating at the same time.  We hiked on.  As the miles passed my feet began to feel hot and more uncomfortable with each step.  I didn't really know what was happening but I did know the only way I was getting off the mountain was to walk.  Erwin began to appear in the distance from various vantage points and the weather continued to threaten rain so we hurried on.  When we at last reached the trailhead my feet felt like they were burning and I couldn't wait to get back to our cabin. We stopped at Uncle Johnnie's Hostel and got a couple of snacks and called for our ride.  Fortunately the cabin was only about a mile away so our wait was brief and we were back to our cabin quickly.  When I took my socks off I discovered that my feet were very red and they itched like mad.  I immediately took a shower and applied cortisone cream to try to stop the inflammation.  I though I was having a reaction to some new compression socks that I had worn for the first time.  After thinking about it for a while I realised that I'd rubbed camphorated menthol analgesic balm on my feet earlier in the morning and I was having a reaction to the chemicals in the ointment.  I will NEVER do that again.  That was one of the most miserable few miles I've ever walked.  I took some benadryl, we ate dinner, and I was asleep for the night before 2000. From Ginger:Happy 35 years to Mike M. at home! Cinco de Mayo is more memorable for me sober, and with a birthday to commemorate! After a homemade, trailmade 35-year marker, I joined Fatboy in the shelter for lunch with Speedy and Yahtze. Speedy went to school at Virginia Tech. Made me excited to get to the Blacksburg area of Virginia. It felt good to do a little trail maintenance for those who would come behind us today, and Nathan made a note of the mile so we could let the local trail group (or Peggy at Cantarosa) know about the fallen tree. Other highlights today: the view of the Nolichucky River from rocky tops, a small brown garter snake (I like these guys!), gentle terrain on the many downhills, a quick stop at Uncle Johnny's hostel, where we bought what will be our first sample of Mountain House dehydrated meals. They're super-light! Also, we did a YouTube channel interview featuring 2017 thru-hikers. We'll have to look that up later. The gentlemen compiling them isn't as far behind in his updates as we are. Here's hoping that one day Fatboy gets to enjoy a slack-pack hike! Wish I could share my feet health with him.