Date: 2010-05-01
From: Erwin, Tn - Uncle Johnny's

To: Iron Mountain Gap
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: clear sky

May 1, 2010 ¢ Day 26 - Saturday"Go forth under the open sky, and list to Nature's teachings." William Cullen BryantThe seven of us: Truth, Troll, Bismark, Legend, Limestone, Muffin Man and myself were up and waiting for the shuttle to take us to the gap for our day of slack packing. Four other hikers showed up who talked to Johnny at another time, but were not on the list. Mass confusion reigned about the shuttle drivers and Johnny. It all worked out and the major comment among the hikers was the ¢business by crisis¢ attitude. The seven of us got the first shuttle with the intent of beating the thunderstorms predicted for the afternoon.7:45 am we are at the gap piling out of the shuttle. Nano seconds click off and Muffin Man and Legend are seen running down the trail, sobo with Truth right on their heels. The restof us walked down the trail to enjoy our communion with nature and without our backpacks. We were slack packing means hiking with limited gear and food, enough for that day, all contained in a small day pack. A hiker can either walk sobo or nobo, the choice is yours. We chose to go south over Unaka Mountain and Beauty Spot providing a mostly downhill hike based on the profile in The A.T. Guide.The hardest part of our day hike was the almost 2 mile ascent of Unaka Mountain, elevation 5180 in the cool morning air. The top of the mountain created a fairly level terrain covered in beautiful a conifer forest. The air carried that alpine scent of pine riding the wind currents.The next stop was Beauty Spot, our halfway point where we stopped for lunch on a grassy knoll and watched the town of Erwin from above. The afternoon sun was pretty intense and the cool mountain breeze was a relief from the heat and the annoying gnats.Coming down from Beauty Spot we descended into my least favorite forest so far. The forest was scarred from a burn several years ago. Today, the forest only has limited growth with burnt tree trunks jutting out of the underbrush. It also didn't help hiking on a rocky path, witnessing a parched landscape void of water, and me close to my "midday meltdown".Walking southbound gave us a chance to see nobo's who are one/two days ahead. Almost all of them were envious. They knew how hard it was climbing out of Erwin, most of the next 20 miles is going up. It was a good feeling to know we made the better decision. To show you how fast Trail Mail can be, we got word and passed on the news that Legend made it back to Johnny¢s by 11:30, that¢s 20 miles in less than 4 hours. That's 5 plus mph. Legend of the Fall, his complete trail name, is a tall, very athletic young man, that catches the eye of several female hikers. Both Truth and I thought he was in his mid 20's. I was impressed with the way he carried himself and his polite mannerisms. I think I witnessed the next Greyhound.About a mile from Uncle Johnny¢s a light rain helped cool us down for the final walk across Nolichukny River on the bridge.The latest weather reports got more serious as a low was heading our way with high winds and heavy thunderstorms. The time the rain system is expected to hit this area keeps getting later and later because the movement towards Erwin changes speed. And, once the system gets here, the mountains can create their own unpredictable surprises in the weather. All the hikers are asking each other what they are doing. Some are taking a zero, going to the first shelter outside Erwin, or the hikers that slacked the 20 miles will leave in the morning no matter what. Several of us discussed options then decided to wait until morning to make a decision, especially since we looked up and noticed a night sky of twinkling stars.If not now, then when? Krispykritter 2010 GaMe