Date: 2015-04-26
From: Sams Gap, NC/TN

To: Whistling Gap, TN
Miles today: 11.2

Leaving Asheville, NC without more trail magic wouldn't have seemed right. At 7:30am sharp, just as he'd promised, Hobble's father, Bucky, arrived from Johnson City, TN simply to return us to the mountains and the trail head located at the NC/TN state border. As we were navigating the streets, Bucky asked if we'd like to be treated to breakfast at a nearby Cracker Barrel. The only thing keeping us from shouting "Yes, please!" was the thought that he was already showing us enough undeserved kindness. However, a hiker's stomach has little room for manners when it comes to the possibility of its next meal and we would soon be pulling into the parking lot.Over the next hour and as if with some kind of magic, a table covered from end to end in plates filled with eggs, greasy bacon, grits, strawberries, hash browns, chicken fried chicken, pancakes, and biscuits smothered in warm gravy, syrup, and jam, the food would disappear more believably than if done by a trained magician. A huge thanks to Bucky - another fine example of the generosity shown to us by complete strangers as our journey continues. With belt buckles stretched to their breaking points, we were soon heading west on I-26 back to the mountains, taking advantage of the radio and singing Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" in the process.After being dropped off, Bucky grabbed a quick picture of us and we were off. The first ~200 yards consisted of retracing our steps down the interstate and under the overpass where we last set foot 2 days ago. A few new NoBo hikers made jokes that we were heading the wrong way, but we assured them of our doings. With our brief warmup concluded, we would return into the mountains only to have comments quickly run up the line of ~10 hikers that trail magic had just arrived in the gap we just exited. Though some consideration was given to the idea of more food (and possibly a Coke for me,) we decided to leave it untouched for the hikers behind us that would be more deserving.Up and over Street Gap and Low Gap, the day would start with my mind and body battling over the fact that it was my fault I was struggling back into the mountains on a stomach filled with breakfast, dinner, and more than a handful of beers from the night before. Add on top of that a pitiful night's sleep of ~4-5 hours in a rain-filled tent and it was safe to assume today wasn't going to be one of our strongest performances. Eventually my body won out and I had Moosehead and Hobble pull over to break while I relieved myself by a downed tree nearby. A light rain would begin during this time and would remain the rest of the day, even now at 7:30pm as I write this entry.Although no views would be had along Big Bald, Big Stamp Ridge, and Little Bald, due to thick clouds hugging the summits, the weather conditions provided a unique experience nonetheless. I spoke with Moosehead during this stretch and he agreed that it was a lot like being in a state of limbo - not where you want to be, but not quite being able to reach it either. The swift, low-moving clouds obscured anything over ~100ft, making it seem as though everything was just out of reach. On a particular stretch up Little Bald, climbing at roughly a ~35-degree angle, the summit seemed like it was unattainable as if I were on an endless climb and would never reach what lied just beyond the fog. Our minds wander as far as our legs do during this journey, but this would be one of those moments that seemed to make at least some sort of sense.Today would also be the first time we topped out over 5,000ft for the first time in nearly a week. I'm confident we missed out on several good views throughout the day. Some you land; some you miss. Enjoy them while you have it. On a better note, almost all of the blisters that have called my feet home for the past few weeks have healed, save a few tender spots. I still resemble a baby deer each morning when I first take to my feet, but my body continues to grow stronger...or perhaps just more accustomed to the physical abuse each day.We reached Whistling Gap at ~3:00pm today and, while short of our original destination by a mile and a half, we decided to call it a day. More so than the physical strain of hiking after nearly a day and a half off, the lack of sleep was getting to us the most. It's actually a good thing we stopped because it began raining just as we got our tents set up. Crawling into a cold, wet, dirty tent was difficult, but I soon found myself asleep, thus my first official nap of the trek. Two hours later, I would awake to other hikers talking around camp and would discover that both Moosehead and Hobble had also fallen asleep. We forced ourselves to get up around 5:30pm so as not to ruin our sleep schedules. The last thing you'd want to do is wake up at 2:00am and toss in your tent until sunrise. You won't have many friends in the morning if so.About an hour ago as I was rewriting this entire journal after it was accidentally deleted (luckily the evening allows for access free time) Moosehead offered me a piece of white chocolate. As I was unzipping my rainfly to retrieve the goods, I noticed a familiar figure across the camp - good 'ole Rock Boat. He managed to officially catch up after a few shorter/zero days on my end and some higher mileage days on his. We exchanged a few comments before he quickly retreated to his tent to escape the cold rain. He even carried a Coke for half of the day from trail magic he hit in order to give it to me when we reunited. However, he fell victim to the urge himself and drank it at some point in the day. I can't blame him for the thought and, more importantly, carrying the weight with me in mind.Rain is still falling and the temperature slowly continues to fall. I'm currently wearing my jacket, balaclava, and gloves as I conclude this entry. Tomorrow's goal is to reach Erwin, TN, ~13 miles away, hang out for a few hours so we can resupply, recharge our gadgets, and potentially eat before covering an additional ~4 miles to our next campsite.Hopefully the weather improves from today, but I did just enjoy 36 hours of amazing weather, people, beer, and trail magic in Asheville, NC so it's all about keeping things in perspective.