Date: 2015-03-09
From: Telco Gap

To: Wayah Gap
Miles today: 13.5

Monday started out as a dreary, wet day and ended up as a terrific hike with opportunities to see some old friends, meet some new ones and have some great experiences. This was the first of 5 days of predicted rains and we had 13.5 miles of SoBo slack-packing on the agenda. Ranger drove us to the Tellico Gap trailhead and we climbed out into a light but steady rain with temps hovering somewhere around 40. The hike started with an hour-long steady climb up Rocky Bald that served well to warm us up, and then an hour-long ridge walk. The weather conditions varied a great deal along the ridge, from light rain and mist to freezing rain and even snow (photo included). Somewhere along the way we met Brother Louie. He was in an unbelievably upbeat mood considering the drizzle and brightened the day for us. He also passed along the news that great trail magic was just ahead of us along the trail.About an hour later we found Fresh Grounds at Burningtown Gap. We heard about Fresh Grounds on the trail last year and met him once in a laundry at Fontana Dam. But this is the first time we encountered him on the trail. His version of trail magic is about everything an AT hiker could dream of. I took a pic of his setup that he calls the Leapfrog Cafe, and it¢s included in the Photos section. He was still in the breakfast mode when we came by and he offered sausage, bacon, all kinds of things, fruits, hot coffee, hot chocolate, other drinks, energy bars, etc., etc. All of it under a tent with a tarp windbreaker, places to sit, and good, friendly conversation. We fortified ourselves with a huge breakfast at the cabin before we left this morning, so we just had some hot drinks. But we had a great time talking with him and resting out of the chilly rain. Fresh Grounds stays in one spot for a while, then moves his cafe periodically along the trail as the hiker bubble moves northward. Eventually, we bid him a reluctant adieu and hope to see him perhaps on the other side of the Smokeys. Gradually, the weather conditions improved. The rain mostly stopped, the mist cleared on one side of the hills, the trail dried out in places and the temp moved up a couple of degrees. However there was a persistent problem with wet, muddy sections of the trail that were very slippery. I slipped on a muddy rock and went down, but no serious damage. We stopped briefly at a stone tower on top of Wayah Bald, and I took some photos. Clouds still obscured much of the surrounding valleys, but I could see distant mountain ranges. Panoramas atop the tower suggested that on a clear day the Smokeys and Clingman¢s Dome are visible - but not today. We realized a few minutes later that Princess had dropped her best pair of heavy wool convertible mittens somewhere on the trail, probably between Licking Gap and the Wayah Bald tower. We asked several NoBo hikers we met later to keep their eyes open along the way and pick them up for her if they find them. The muddy sections continued and one long section still had about a half-inch of snow and slush on the ground. But then we descended, the temp got warmer and the trail dried out. And we met more hikers. These included (just) Jesse, Fireball, Lorax, Exodus, Maverick and a young couple that we have not met before. I have no idea how to spell their trail names, but they sound like Buny and Bow (perhaps it¢s a generational thing?). A photo of them is included. We really enjoyed talking with them, and Bow said that her father had read our TJ blog and told her that she might meet us along this section if we headed SoBo again. We send him our regards and thanks for reading, he has a delightful daughter.One final anecdote before I sign off, I saved the best for the last. Not too far from our pickup point, we met 2 NoBo hikers and one recognized us immediately and called out our names. Private Benjamin was one of the first to leave us a note in our guest book last year and she was particularly interested in the details of dehydrating food. We exchanged emails and I sent her some info including the spreadsheets we used for planning. She sent encouraging messages several times since then, and again when we decided to return to the trail this year. She recognized us from the TJ photos as soon as she saw us and we had a great time talking and catching up with her and her friend, Cookie Monster. She still hopes to thru-hike in 2017 and is hiking sections to get some experience. Finally getting the chance to meet her was really exciting and we talked so long that we suddenly realized that Ranger was probably already waiting on us at our pickup point. So we exchanged photos (one is included) and reluctantly said good-bye.Ranger was, in fact, waiting on us when we finally appeared. We returned to their cabin, cleaned up and the 4 of us ate at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) restaurant. The NOC is the end point for our hike tomorrow. We stopped in the NOC outfitters and picked up a few items, saw Giuseppe and Father Louie, and then headed back to the cabin to pack up. We¢re headed for a new base tomorrow.