Date: 2018-04-09
From: Nolichucky River Bridge

To: Unaka Mountain Tent Site
Miles today: 12.5

First things first - Happy Birthday Christopher! In case anyone is wondering, Christopher is my brother. He was also part of the Springer Mountain sendoff party. As if we didn¢t have anything else to think about today, he wanted to make sure we didn¢t forget his birthday. So there you have it. I must say that Christopher has faithfully texted us AT facts and corny jokes since day one of our journey. To reciprocate, we sent him a steady dose of corny birthday jokes today. If you are reading, Christopher, here¢s one more for you¢¦Q: What happens when no one comes to your birthday party?A: You can have your cake and eat it too. In the real world, Monday¢s can sometimes be a grind. Evidently the same rings true in the long distance hiking world. Especially when Monday falls after a zero day.The day started on a good note. Charles (aka Dude), who we met at church yesterday, picked us up at the Cantarroso Farm and treated us to breakfast. Waiting for us at the diner were two of his buddies, Brinson, and Allen (aka Big Al). In my best effort to help Dude maximize his opportunity to do good, I ordered eggs, country ham, biscuits with gravy, and fried potatoes. The food was delicious and the company was delightful! Thanks guys. Dude dropped us off at Uncle Johnny¢s, where Which Way needed to tend to a little business. We are using Mophie case chargers to give our I-Phones some extra juice. For some reason, WWs stopped working about a week ago. She called Mophie customer support and, after a little trouble shooting, they agreed to send her a replacement case at no charge. It was delivered to Uncle Johnny¢s and she went to pick it up and send the old one back. Thanks for the great customer support Mophie. It was well after 10:00 when we crossed the bridge over the Nolichucky River and resumed our hike. The trail followed the roaring river for about a mile, gradually rising above it. From there the path turned away from the Nolichucky, and began traversing a mountain stream. The roar of the river was replaced by the more soothing sound of the clear rushing water finding its way down the mountain. We crossed the stream several times, walking through Rhododendron tunnels as we meandered our way to greater heights. When we parted ways with the stream the footpath became more rugged and the ascent steepened. The trail bypassed Erwin to the east and we were starting to catch views of North Erwin through the trees. I was hoping to come to a good spot to get a picture. Then, in an instant, Erwin was covered by a cloud that soon swallowed us up too. With it came a light drizzle that persisted for the next several hours. Along the way we passed by Heartburn and Spirit Man. Then we passed by the rest of the Los Jalape±os crew¢Sky Water, Cackles, Blade, Peanut, and Cin-a-bun. The only problem was, they were all headed in the opposite direction. Had I followed Which Way the wrong way? It turns out that they had all caught a shuttle to a point north on the trail and were slack packing back to Uncle Johnny¢s. We must be doing something wrong. Deflated, but undeterred we continued our climb from 1,780¢ (where we started our day) to 5,000¢ (where we would tent). As the elevation increased, the fog thickened, obscuring any potential views. It became as if we were just hiking in a bubble that floated higher and higher. Creeping along in our fog-surrounded bubble made the hike feel mundane for the first time. This too shall pass. We paused at a pipe spring to water up and began a final push up Unaka Mountain. About a half mile short of the top we came to a tent site. A tree at the spot was decorated with Christmas ornaments. I believe it was some type of a memorial. Hikers were contributing to the decorations and signing a guestbook. We will check it out in the morning. But, with rain and wind mixing with the cold air, setting up the tent and getting in warm dry clothes was job one. Soon we were safe inside our tent, but the rain and wind persisted. Hungry from the steep climb, but not eager to venture out into the mess and risk bringing water back in our dry cocoon, we opted to cook dinner under the tent vestibule. After eating a much needed pasta dinner, we packed up our food bags and left them outside the tent. We waited for the rain to stop and then found a spot out of mice¢s reach to hang them. In the meantime, we took a little nap. When we woke up it was dark and a light rain still fell against the tent. But, we had to go to the bathroom, so we begrudgingly left our warm place and ventured out into the elements to take care of business. Mundane Monday was finally over. Looking forward to Terrific Tuesday! --Next Step Elevation Data:                  Weather:Ascent ~ 4,530           Day ¢ 40 degrees / Rain & FogDescent ~ 1,230                  Night ¢ 29 degrees / Snow ShowersGrade ~ 8.8 Over the Horizon: Roan Mountain