Date: 2006-04-25
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Allen Gap
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

This morning Salt and I got up and packed while the Weasel slept in for a While. Since we had the cabin until 11:00am we were in no rush to leave and this gave us a good place to stash our gear while we were still in town. The camp store had biscuits so we treated ourselves to a hot breakfast while the Weasel finished off some cold pizza from the Paddlers Pub the night before. I had my feel for pizza last night after finishing off an entire 16¢ by myself, but the Weasel never lets a bite go to waste and still had an interest in a piece this morning. After eating I walked up to Bluff Mountain Outfitters to pick up a few last minute items before hitting the trail and ran into Shasta and H-Bomb. They had just completed the last section of trail before Hot Springs that they skipped a couple days ago so they could make it into town for the trail fest earlier in the week. After hanging out with them for a while Salt and I made our way back to the cabin just before another storm shower hit. We still had a few minutes before check out time so we waited the storm out inside the cabin where it was dry. Thankfully the rain stopped just before 11:00am so we were able to leave town still in dry cloths. On the way out of town we crossed the French Broad River and made an immediate right turn onto the trail for a short walk along the riverbank. On our ascend up the rocky path from town we passed by a place called Lovers Leap Rock that provided a few great snap shots of main street and the river below with wispy clouds left behind from the storm. A couple of miles out of town we took a wrong turn due to some poor trail markings as we crossed the gravel road right around the Mill Ridge area. This delayed us for a while but we shortly found our way back on the right path. From here the trail dropped down and we crossed over US 25/70 where we generously got several semi trucks to honk as we crossed on the overpass. I don¢t care how old you get it is always fun to throw an arm up in the air and give the old air horn a tug¢¦ Our next big stop was Rich Mountain Fire Tower. The tower has seen better days but this didn¢t stop us from going for a climb. All of the windows had been busted out and the inside was ram-sacked but none the less the top platform revealed great views of the valley below. While on top of the tower I took advantage of the good cell phone reception and called home to catch up with Mom and Dad. Shortly after climbing down the tower and following the blue blaze side trail back to the actual AT I passed Jane, Baro, and River Weasel. We all talked for a few minutes and all decided to try and camp together tonight if all went well. Since Salt and I were leading the crew at this point we volunteered look for a good place for everyone to camp. The next little section of trail was nice but off in the distance we started to hear another storm approaching. This was not only was bad in fear of getting soaking wet again, but the name of this section of trail is called Hurricane Gap, and I didn¢t want to find out why! All I could think about was the storm by Charlie¢s Bunion earlier in the Smokies and didn¢t want to replay any part of it. From this point to Spring Mountain Shelter there was no stopping to see the sights because we were in high gear. I made it to the shelter just as the dark clouds and wind hit the area but somehow the storm skirted around the base of the mountain. We all escaped this one but are not always so lucky¢¦ At the shelter was one of the newlywed couples Jeremy and Tina and shortly behind me were Jane, Baro, River Weasel, Shasta, and H-Bomb. We rested for a while and decided to get a few more miles in before calling it at day so we hiked on. The next section of trail down to Allen Gap had very little available camping so we all ended up camping on the side of the road at NC 208 / TN 70. By this time it had started raining again and was starting to get dark, so we were just looking for a place to stay. As we set up camp we were introduced to exactly how many trucks in the mountains have lift kits and mud tires becasue you could hear the hummmmm for miles as the trucks approached and then passed.Tonight at Allen Gap: Shasta, H-Bomb, Jane, Baro, Salt, Pepper, and I.