Date: 2017-05-05
From: Erwin, Tennessee (Asheville by car)

To: Unnamed Campsite at Mile 355.0
Miles today: 12.3

It's amazing to me the amount of change one can experience in a twenty-four hour period. Last night I was in a very nice hotel (thank you, Stephen!) and tonight I am snuggled up in my sleeping bag with a single sheet of cuben fiber between me and a very windy and cold rain storm (thank you, Tent!).  Armed with strong Wi-Fi and a fully charged phone, I  spent over an hour early this morning updating my journal. At the time I left the hotel, all my entries were up to date, and I had uploaded a good number of photos, some dating back to over a week ago. We all slept in until 7:00 and then got ready to leave the hotel to have breakfast at a biscuit restaurant that Stephen and Chance had gone to the last time they were in Asheville. The food was phenomenal. I had the three biscuit and gravy flight and was able to choose three of their gravies. I chose mushroom medley, a red eye gravy (that was very savory), and the gravy of the day, which was bacon, sausage, and two cheeses. For good measure, I also had two sunny side up eggs and coffee. After breakfast, we said goodbye to Chance and headed back to the hotel. We finished packing up, checked out, and headed to REI for a few things I needed. I decided to purchase a new pair of Super Feet insoles which proved to be a very good move. The balls of my feet felt so much better today. I'm thinking I may be able to get through a third of the trail with my first pair of shoes which are, knock on wood, holding up well with little signs of wear. Inserts will be replaced more often. Significantly, the blister on my toe didn't bother me at all today.  After REI, we drove back to Uncle Johnny's Hostel. Uncle Johnny has written his autobiography, and he was kind enough to autograph my copy, which I sent home with Stephen. Something to look forward to reading when I get home. My original plan was to zero at the hostel.  We got there a little shy of noon, and it seemed awfully early to call it a day. I really wanted to get back on the trail. The weather forecast was not promising, with a call for rain, cold, and wind. I figure you can't always hike in "good" weather, and I oftentimes prefer cool weather to hot for hiking. I opted to head out at least to the next shelter which was 4.3 miles away. I started by crossing the Nolichucky River. What a difference a day (and substantial rainfall can make).  Yesterday, the river flowed calmly and blue. Today, it raged along looking brown with white caps. I felt rested and ready and made good time. The trail was somewhat steeply up as I left the Nolichucky valley. There were several very nice footbridges, one of which was an Eagle Scout project. When I reached Curley Maple Gap Shelter, I had a decision to make. The weather still held off, but did I want to hike on or hunker down in the shelter and wait for it. I figure I'm not carrying all of this inclement weather gear for nothing, so I decided to continue on. Besides, it seems to me you can stay warmer in a tent than in a three sided, wooden structure.  I motored on, hoping to make it to a good campsite area I had heard about which was eight miles further on. The trail was typically AT, with lots of ups and downs,  some of them steep. It began to rain at 5:00, but it.was not windy and not so cold that I felt the need of my rain jacket. I hiked in an intermittent rain until I made it in very good time to my destination of choice. There were some very flat spots along an old road, but I opted for a slightly less flat spot down a hill, as I figured it would be more sheltered from the wind. The wind picked up and the temperature started to drop as I arrived. I changed into a dry shirt, put on my rain jacket, and set up camp. I cooked supper and hung the bear bag in a tree before settling in for the night. The storm began in earnest as the sun went down. My thermometer read 35 degrees when I went to bed. I'm quite toasty in my bag, although I am wearing my puffy jacket and stocking cap. As usual, I slept for about 1 1/2 hours before waking up. It is presently 12:30, and the temperature in the tent has actually gone up to forty degrees. It is far colder outside. The storm is pretty intense.  I am listening to very strong winds but, as I hoped, they are.pretty much going over the top of my tent. I am dry and toasty warm now, and I don't know what tomorrow might hold. I don't feel it would be wise to venture out in this storm, so I may just hunker down and wait it out. After all, I do have my mp3 player that I have yet to use. I have Bruce Springsteen's book, Born to Run, on audio books. Maybe tomorrow will be a good time to listen to "The Boss."  I have food, water, and shelter, so I am in fine shape. I'm going to put my gloves back on and go back to sleep.  Another day in the adventure.