Date: 2004-03-26
From: No Business Knob Shelter, TN

To: Day 23: Cherry Gap Shelter, TN
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: scattered clouds

On AT Day 23, I got another early 6:30 a.m. start, fueled with food and vitamin I. The sunrise was particularly beautiful today. Descending toward Erwin, TN, I got some excellent high elevation pictures of the glistening Nolichucky River, whose rapids (like those of the French Broad River earlier in the week) offered special challenges and thrills to visiting kayakers. After crossing the bridge over the river and reaching the road to Erwin, I once again tried to use my cell phone to call Hot Chocolate and to my huge surprise (since I had had zero luck to date on the AT) I was at least partially successful.Sitting below the railway tracks that I was soon to cross waiting for the train to pass, I left a voice mail message telling my wife that ¢my plans had changed and that since I was averaging over 20 miles per day she was to pick me up a day early ¢ tomorrow night ¢ and if so we could spend two whole days together, what a treat.¢ Well less that 30 minutes later, I rechecked my math and discovered that in order for me to meet this target I would not only have to do over 20 miles today, I would need to do just over 30 miles tomorrow. Clearly this was going to be a major, if not impossible challenge. Unfortunately, my zero success in cell phone contact reasserted itself and I was unable to correct my earlier misstatement.With my head swimming with concern, and my legs tiring from the speed and perhaps worst of all my ever escalating hunger from not eating enough between breakfast and dinner, I came upon Nolichucky Gorge, with its promised public campsite, and more important for me, food source. I quickly walked passed the N.O.C. store and went directly to the vending machine at the commercial campsite. With 20-ounce soft drinks for only a dollar, I thought I was saved. However, when I checked my money supply, my smallest bill was a ten, so I quickly asked one of the campers if he had change. To my utter surprise he said no, but that he would go get me the money I needed for my drink. So off he RAN to his campsite, soon to return with four quarters. I told him that I could not pay him back, but he insisted that this was a gift.Listening to this exchange, the manager of this campground appeared on the second floor of his office and asked if I needed a ¢sugar fix.¢ I eagerly, and to be honest somewhat embarrassedly, said YES. He disappeared and I think ran to his stash and virtually immediately reappeared with a dish of high sugar lemon squares. He said I could have all I wanted. While this was going on, another camper, who had a big Ford F-250 diesel truck just like the one my wife now drives but with a much bigger recreational trailer, asked if would like some fruit drinks. Again, since I was really hungry and thirsty and all this talk about food and drink was making matters worse, I thanked him profusely and took what he offered. Seeing this, he then asked if I would like a ham sandwich ¢ and of course I said yes ¢ he then asked if I wanted it on wheat or rye, I said rye and he disappeared.I gulped down the fruit drinks and went to the bathroom to wash up ¢ remember that I really looked and probably smelled like a through hiker. When I emerged with some of the ¢eau de hiker¢ removed, on the picnic table in front of me was a huge, ham and bacon sandwich, potato salad, a banana and large glass of iced-tea. I was literally overwhelmed and thanked and rethanked the man several times.As I was gulping down the food, please note that it was only about 10:00 a.m., my trail angel benefactor told me that years before he and a buddy had tried to ride their bikes from Washington to California along the Pacific Highway. He said that they didn¢t make it because they ran out of money, so I guess he felt sorry for me. He then made derogatory reference to the fact that he was now way out of shape, but noting that he was perhaps 35, I told him that I was nearing 60 and that there was still plenty of time for him to once again try such an adventure. He then offered to make me up a ¢care package,¢ but I politely declined noting that I would unfortunately have to carry it and that my pack was already very heavy.Given the time that all this was taking, and not wanting to waste anything, I put the banana in my pack for later and thanked everyone once again and departed. After going less than a hundred yards I realized that I never used the four gift quarters; oh well, I hoped my donor didn¢t notice since I was and still am sure they will be used for the intended purpose in the near future. Refueled in every way, including my now greatly improved concept of the boundless kindness of strangers, I hustled along ¢ but to be honest I moved along a little more slowly than usual because I was not used to being this full. The latter precaution was apparently not sufficient, since within a mile I had to make an emergency ¢pit stop,¢ but after that I was in great shape.With all the food intake at my ¢brunch break,¢ I decided to forego lunch and instead eat two energy bars, one at 2 and one at 5 p.m. Along the way I met two new to me NOBO AT through hikers, Walk-On ¢ (mid-20¢s male) and Waterfall (mid-20¢s female), both of whom stopped to camp for the night at Deep Gap, just below the towering 5,180-foot Unaka Mountain. Although this represented a hike of two miles and a climb of over a thousand feet, since it was already 5:00 p.m. I ate my energy bar, loaded up on five quarts of water (a heavy load, but enough for both dinner and breakfast if I didn¢t make the next water source before darkness) and took off. Even with this extra weight, I was feeling particularly ¢pumped¢ by now, so I churned up the mountain and rushed down the other side, reaching the Cherry Gap Shelter around 7:00 p.m., just as darkness settled in and I had completed a new record distance of 22.7 miles. At the shelter I met two SOBO section hikers from Ashville, NC, who told me that my upcoming hike the next day was going to be even harder than today¢s. Flushed with a new, and now I know, unfounded sense of physical fitness, I was undeterred and promptly told the two of them that I planned to go over 30 miles the next day. Nature, of course, had other plans.