Date: 2015-06-14
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up with the birds and were packed and out of camp by 6:30. Morning light was just barely filtering through the heavy tree cover as I fell in behind Susan on the trail. I am not usually a morning person but the incentives of town food, showers, and beds are great motivators. After just a few minutes on the trail, we stopped in our tracks when we heard some loud crashing to our right. By the time I looked up, the crashing had continued to our left. Susan, being in front of me, had looked up soon enough to see the back end of a bear crossing the path in front of us and heading back into the woods. If we hadn't been awake before, we were both FULLY awake by then!We stopped about 8:30 and had our breakfast. Sandy from PA caught up with us there and passed us. She has been having some foot problems and found out a friend from home was in Erwin and could take her home if she could make it there today. She was originally planning to split the hike to town into two days, but has decided to make it in one day like us. Our morning was generally downhill and we were making good time heading to Spivey Gap, where the AT crosses US19. There weren't any good water sources though and we had drank almost all our water. As we neared Spivey Gap there was a group of day hikers coming up the trail, and we asked them how far we were to a water source. They informed us that there was trail magic at the Gap if we hurried. That got us moving faster!"Trail magic" is something unexpected that someone does for a hiker along the trail. Most trail magic happens when the "thru hiker bubble" is in the area.  My section hikes haven't coincided with that bubble, so this was one of my first experiences. I think it would be fun to pick a gap, take a grill and cooler, and provide trail magic myself some time.Rob Bird used to operate the Bird Cage hostel in Maine but has now moved to Unicoi, GA. His kids Sharp Knife and Hiccup thru hiked a couple of years ago.   They were all at the gap with cold drinks and snacks. I am not normally a soda drinker but I thoroughly enjoyed a Mountain Dew and a strawberry soda. I haven't had a soda in years, but those two hit the spot. We even got to sit on folding chairs while we visited. Sandy from PA was there too; she left before we did.As we crossed the road and headed back into the woods, the van packed up and left. We were the last hikers they served,  and we had arrived just in time.We walked along a nice stream with several cascades for quite a while. It was cool and refreshing listening to the water. We filled our water bottles and I wet my handkerchief. The cool water felt great on my neck, face, and arms as we heated up on the mile and half uphill section out of the gap. We made it to No Business Shelter about 3:00. It was our 2/3 mark for the day. A couple miles later we were in Temple Hill Gap with 3 1/2 miles to Erwin and I was running out of energy. The next uphill section seemed to drag on forever, but it was really only a mile or so. Every few minutes I was eating another fun-size Snickers for energy. After finally reaching the final rise, we had two more steep downhill sections. Glimpses of town and train whistles and traffic teased us long before we actually reached Erwin. Just as we got to the road, we saw Sandy from PA about a quarter mile ahead of us down the road, we tried calling out to her, but she didn't hear us. We never saw her again. We crossed the road and sat on the bridge over the Nolichucky River and waited for Sue's friend Ellen to pick us up and drive us to her home in Mar's Hill.After hiking 16.4 miles and then riding a half hour or so in the car, we were so stiff, we could barely get out of the car. It was great to shower and wash our clothes.   Ellen and her husband fixed a delicious dinner of pork loin with plum sauce, mashed potatoes, peas, and spinach and then brought out banana ice cream with caramel sauce. What a welcome change from rehydrated trail meals!I was able to recharge my phone and chat with my husband and with my daughter before I fell into bed for the night.