Date: 2016-04-13
From: Spivey Gap

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 11.1

The featured photo shows Crazy Carl standing beside his hammock behind the No Business Knob Shelter on the AT. A number of AT hikers have taken to hammocks as an alternative to tents & shelters. I¢ve never tried a hammock, but the proponents swear that they¢re just as warm, dry and comfortable, and that they¢re more flexible than tents. More flexible meaning that all they require are 2 sturdy attach points a reasonable distance apart, compared to tent sites that prefer a bigger, reasonably flat footprint, without protruding roots or rocks, and ground that¢s not too hard or too soft to hold the stakes. Hammocks can have rain covers, bug shields and insulating pads and they seem to set up more quickly than a tent. But since I¢m not a user I can¢t make a fair assessment. My only complaint regarding hammocks is that 2 years ago, Four Fingers came into a shelter very late, when everyone else was asleep and set up his hammock inside the shelter (where it was warmer). All night long hikers were cursing and swearing (myself included) when they ran unsuspecting into his hammock in the dark as they were headed out for a privy run. I¢m including the topic here for those of you who are considering a future AT hike and making gear decisions for yourself. Talk with your outfitter, and then talk with other hammock users before you decide. (PS: you¢re not supposed to camp above treelike in the Whites)The rains have vanished and today dawned chilly (30¢s) and then warmed to the 70¢s. I dressed warmly to start and then shed layers quickly as I made the first climb. By mid-morning I was down to a hiking tee and biking gloves and I almost unzipped my pants-legs. The section that we did today (Spivey Gap to Erwin) was in great shape, with little trace of yesterday¢s rains. Princess and I did the key swap, we each had an initial climb (although she started about 1,500 ft below my start elevation). She is having problems with swelling on the top of her foot. It may have started several days ago when her laces were too tight. Downhills, particularly steep ones cause her more discomfort. Today she cut a slit in the top of her trail runners and she said it felt fine. Since we¢re headed home for the next 5 days and won¢t be back on trail until Tuesday, she will have a chance to RICE (rest, ice, compress, elevate). This section is a favorite of mine with a number of good memories from previous hikes with Ranger and WyeKnot. The final descent starts from a point high above the valley and offers a number of overlook points with great views of the Nolichucky River and Erwin as the trail winds all the way down to the river. Mike still has the boot warmer that WyeKnot built for him last year and today we drove past the ice cream shop where Ranger talked Marie, our shuttle driver into stopping for a milk shake at 7:00 in the morning. I mentioned the trail being in great shape because the maintainers on this section are friends with Peggy & Mike, our hosts here at Cantarroso. And Peggy & Mike occasionally help them keep the growth trimmed back, etc. I did notice specific places along the trail where the runaway/drainage channels had been freshly raked, a stretch where a number of rocks had been pulled up from the trail and moved to the side (something you don¢t find in PA), and a number of places where small stones had been spread to improve footing and cut down on mud. Plus I didn¢t have to duck as I passed through any of the rhododendron groves. Our hats are off to all the trail clubs and maintainers all along the AT who volunteer to keep the trail in shape. Our hike was fairly short again today, we decided to stop in Erwin. It¢s a good end point when we start up again in October after the JMT. We headed straight downtown and had the Wednesday special at the Hawk ¢n Dawg. And now we¢re playing vacation, napping and sipping IPA. Early tomorrow we head back to Norfolk, about a 7 hour drive from here. I plan to take a breather from the journal until we get back on trail at Harpers Ferry next Tuesday. Take a hike this weekend.