Date: 2007-05-13
From: Hot Springs, North Carolina

To: Unaka Mountain & Cherry Gap, Tennessee
Miles today: 84.4
Weather: clear sky

"Miss Janet Here I Come."                        Ranger Jan Reporting   With the full force of "Luck" still with me, it has been another great week on the trail. Sunshine and great views have been the norm. Rich Mountain, Blackstack Cliffs, Big Butt, and great ridgewalks started the week. The trail must have been re-routed since my guidebook was published, because those ridgewalks weren't even in the book. And the wildflowers have been nothing but spectacular. Whole hillsides are often in bloom and hardly a mile goes by without great abundances of flowers. Finally spring is roaring to life. Only the highest elevations now are without full leaf.   Gimpy, Candyman, Just Glen and Totonka have been my companions. Unfortunately I found Otter (the Scottsman) nursing a bad ankle, Max, his dog at his side. It's unlikely I'll encounter that jolly hiker again. I still seem to be in the thick of a thru-hiker traffic jam. Many slack-packers and other thru-hikers seem to be converging on Damascus for "Trail Dayz". The festivities start next friday and I'm on schedule to be there just in time.   Thursday found me ascending to some of the highest elevations since Clingman's Dome. The Big Bald and Big Stamp served up vast 360 degree views as stunning as any yet. And today (Friday) was an easy (16.9 mi) romp into Erwin, TN. I couldn't believe my "Luck". Just as I came off the mountain, there was "Miss Janet" sitting in her van, waiting for hikers. A little coujoling (sp) and she promised to squeeze me into her already over-flowing hostel. It's another one of those eclectic melting pots where all manner of character might be found. So a shower, a visit to the Burrito Shop and lounging on the front porch are my activites of choice.    Tomorrow it's back on trail and more milestones. (I passed the 300 mile mark earlier this week) A more dubious milestone was my first major tumble. It was actually the fault of my trekking pole to be more precise, but the blood was still mine. Fortunately, I escaped with only a minor scrape. My trekking pole, though, suffered a clean break.   After escaping the zoo that was Miss Janet's, the simple life of walking the trail was a relief. The longer I'm on the trail, the more I appreciate just walking, breathing and enjoying. Serenity is nature's countenance. (most of the time) Disconnecting from the intrusive sensory overload of modern life is one of the main reasons I hike.   So on Saturday, I left Erwin and was headed into some of the most beautiful sections of the trail in Tennessee. A light rain was falling, but I never had to deploy my umbrella. Walking along the Nolichucky River I began ascending back into the mountains. Passing the Beauty Spot bald, I would soon cross the summit of Unaka Mountain and it's fir and spruce forest. The transformation as I climbed was as dramatic as the Great Smokys had been, but only lasted a few miles. Soon I would be in the Roan Highlands, with its great balds and vistas. In the next few days several more milestones would be achieved. My first month on the trail would come, my 400th mile would be travelled and the final miles of my hike in North Carolina and Tennessee would arrive. Virginia was coming.