Date: 2018-03-17
From: Stecoah Gap

To:  Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: clear sky

By 0800 we were at the McDonalds across the street from our motel eating Egg McMuffins. We decided to go ahead and check out and take our packs to breakfast with us in hopes of catching a ride back to Stecoah Gap. Other than a half dozen hometown boys huddled in their morning coffee group, the place was void of activity. One of the fellows was looking our way and I sensed an offer was near. As we were downing our last bites, he made his move. Roger, an older man wielding a walking stick, stood up and made his way to our table. ¢Good morning, are you all Appalachian Trail hikers?¢ Unsuccessfully tampering our excitement at where we knew the conversation was headed, we answered in unison, ¢Yes sir, we are!¢ Over to Roger, ¢Do you need a ride back up the mountain?¢ Back to us, ¢YES SIR!¢ Before Roger started back to his seat, he said, ¢Just let me know when you are ready.¢ I offered to buy him a cup of coffee, but he declined. A few minutes later the three of us were piled in the cab of his truck, our gear nice and dry in the covered bed.During the 10 minute drive into the mountains, Roger said he gives hikers a lift whenever he can. He told his friends that they should do the same, adding that ¢those hikers are harmless.¢ (Their odor notwithstanding). Roger is absolutely correct. Long distance hikers are stripped down to the bare necessities, uninterested in carrying anything more than they need to get them from Point A to Point B. When a hiker pops out of the woods, their only concern is likely a hot shower and something to eat (not necessarily in that order). Once a hiker is clean, full, re-supplied and rested, the woods are calling again and they are in need of nothing other than a way back to the trailhead.Roger returned us safely to Stecoah Gap, refusing my offer to give him money for gas. As he pulled away the rain began to fall, so we pulled out our pack covers before hitting the trail. Since the air was warm we decided to just hike in the rain wearing only shorts, a T-shirt, and a cap. Sun was in the forecast in the afternoon, so we figured the less that got wet, the faster we would dry. We were loaded down with four to five days of food and supplies and a couple of liters of water each. Which Way¢s Dad had shipped us a re-supply box to the Fontana Village Post Office, located on the edge of the Smokies. But, when I realized that we would be arriving in Fontana Village on the weekend, I called the post office and requested that they re-direct the package to Robinsville. Thus, the reason for a zero day in Robinsville and fully loaded packs coming out. About a mile into the hike we hit a steep incline known as ¢Jacob¢s Ladder.¢ The steady rain and heavy packs made the .6 mile, 600 foot ascent a bit challenging. Nonetheless, it was not as difficult as I had pictured after reading dozens of accounts from other hikers over the years. As we neared the top, we stopped to let Which Way catch a breather and to grab a quick snack. It was then that the only two hikers that we would see on the trail today passed us by. Just as we crested Jacobs Ladder, the rain stopped and the sun began to peer through the fog. How cool!Fun fact: From Springer Mountain to this point in our hike, our total ascent is over 39,000 feet. To put that in perspective, Mount Everest stands 29,019 feet above sea level. Oh, and we have descended the same amount. The next time you are cruising in a jet at 35,000 feet, look down and imagine walking from where you sit to the ground and back.We hiked a couple of more miles before stopping for lunch, perching atop Brushnel Knob, offering views on both sides of the narrow ridge top. The skies had cleared by now and the bright sun and soft breeze quickly dried our rain-soaked clothes. Minus some muddy spots and a few clusters of slippery moss covered rocks that we were forced to hike over and/or through, the terrain for the remainder of the hike was ideal. We were the first hikers to arrive at Cable Gap Shelter, a small structure resembling a log cabin with the front end open. The tent was up quickly and we were down for a nap by 3PM. Several other thru hikers soon trickled in, along with a group of teenage boys and their chaperones. They are a church group on spring break, hiking southbound from Fontana Dam to the NOC. From their interaction with each other and brief conversations with us, it became apparent that they were a very nice group of young men. As they were preparing to cook their dinner, one of the men provided us a bit of comic relief. With his stove and fuel canister in hand, he gathered a few of the boys around and said, ¢This is how Grizzly Adams and Daniel Boone showed me how to do it.¢ Evidently the valve in his MSR Pocket Rocket stove was turned wide open, so when he screwed the stove to the canister, it immediately began spewing propane. ¢Hey, it spewed liquid all over me!¢ Then he set the fire to it and, of course, it shot a flame in his face. One of his students then yelled, ¢Turn it down, turn it down!¢ Then, the other man came over and showed him how to work the control valve. Down to one eyebrow, but with the flame under control, he set his pot on top of the three-pronged stove and watched it teeter. ¢Hey, this sure doesn¢t seem very stable!¢ The star student then said, ¢Sir, you need to pull the prongs apart.¢ Thankfully he did not grab the now hot prongs with his bare hands. I reckon Grizzly Adams and Daniel Boone left a few minor details out when showing him how it was done. As I am finishing this journal entry, it is dark, we are back in our tent, a storm is brewing in the distance, and two owls are exchanging cackles and screeches (some type of mating call I think).  ¢Next Step  Elevation Data:Ascent ~ 1,880Descent ~ 2,160Grade ¢ 9.0  Weather:Day ¢ 65 degrees / AM ShowersNight ¢ 47 degrees / Thunder Storms  Over the Horizon: Fontana Dam Anything worth doing, is better done TOGETHER--Which Way and Next Step!