Date: 2013-04-19
From: Erwin, TN

To: Iron Mountain Gap
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: moderate rain

I woke up at 6:00 with excitement and some trepidation about tackling my first 20+ mile day. I organized my pack, leaving in the motel room things I wouldn't need and packing things I would need like 2 liters of water, rain clothes, jacket, snacks, and first aid kit. Trouble and I walked to a small market near by and had a delicious breakfast. We also got omelette biscuit sandwiches to eat on the trail and boy am I glad we did. It was yummy!Miss Janet picked us up first because she said she knew we would be ready. Once we had everyone rounded up there were 12 hikers plus Miss Janet. Melkie, and all our gear (see pic section). Some of the people in the van were Bubblegum, Diet Coke (CT), Big Red, Yooper, Gar Bear and his girlfriend Bear Snack (Nevada), Oatmeal (FL), and Peanut. Most of us were slack packing SOBO, but Big Red and Yooper were going NOBO. For other hikers who may be reading this, here are Miss Janet's rules for slack packing - I think they make a lot of sense. 1. Slack packing is serious - never underestimate it. You are out there without your tent, sleeping bag, stove, etc so you have no resources if something goes wrong. 2. It's best to always hike back to your pack. That way you know exactly where it's at3. If you are going to allow someone to take your pack forward, make sure you can trust them and they have a vested interest in your well being. 4. If you are going to allow someone to take your pack forward, be sure you know exactly where it will be. She relayed a story in which someone had their pack taken forward but that part of the trail had been relocated. When Miss Janet dropped us off there was a light drizzle so we all began changing into our rain gear. This would be something we would do repeatedly as the rain stopped and started throughout the day. We immediately began to climb Little Bald Mtn (4,347 ft). I felt so amazingly light without a full pack. The drizzle stopped and we had about 2 hours of wonderful rain free hiking. Our next big climb was Unaka Mtn (5,180 ft). The summit of Unaka reminded me of the Black Forrest in Germany - dark and mysterious. I wouldn't have been surprised to see a gnome or leprechaun peek out from behind a tree. It was fun to see all the NOBO hikers that we knew. First, we ran into Mr. Giggle Fits and Paisley and I exchanged contact info with them. They are a couple from Maine who want to do trail magic when they're done. I'd love to finish in time to help them. They are a really fun couple. If you would like to see their website this is the link: www.jamesandamysatadventure.comWe also ran into Two Sticks (see pic section) who is a fun loving, nice young man. We finally got to meet Tracy McG (wife of Food Walker) from Wisconsin. As we were climbing to Beauty Spot (4,312 ft) the sky opened up and it felt like a monsoon with high winds and heavy rain for about 20 - 30 minutes. It was a cold rain and I was glad it didn't last long. It was bad enough for some people to decide to get off the trail. One of the fascinating things about Beauty Spot was watching the clouds come up the mountain and across the open grassy area. Trouble described it as looking like the vapor from dried ice. One minute we would be in a cloud and then suddenly it would be perfectly clear as the clouds blew by. See the pic section of pics of trees that I took only a few minutes apart. We had been behind everyone else but as we began our descent our pace quickened and we eventually caught up with and passed Gar Bear, Bear Snack, and Oatmeal. We came to a shelter and found Navigator. He had recovered from the hikers plague and was back on the trail. The tops of the mountains are still very barren and winter looking. As we went lower and lower the trees had bright green, springtime new growth. There were even some dogwoods blooming. By mile 17 I was beginning to feel like a walking zombie and we slowed the pace. We passed by a kayaking place and I knew that meant we were getting closer to being done. When we emerged from the woods a man got out of his car and asked if we were Trouble and Hobo. Miss Janet had something else she had to do so she arranged for someone else to pick us up. We told him that there were 3 people close behind us and we should wait for them. He could only take 3 people at a time and one of the other people wasn't feeling well so we said to take them first. He had parked beside a bridge which we hadn't walked across yet, meaning that we technically hadn't walked that section of the AT since the trail crossed the bridge. While he drove the others to town Trouble, Melkie and I walked across the bridge. When I finally got back to the motel room my mind was mush and I had a hard time getting organized. After a hot shower I began to perk up some. For dinner I had two thirds of a large pepperoni pizza, a tube of Pringles, 2 peanut butter cups, and a quart of ice cream. It felt good to have my first 20 miler under my belt. It felt even better to have a full tummy and to be dry.