Date: 2011-05-30
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Curley Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I ate cheerios, powdered milk and two granola bars for breakfast. I completed my back exercises and hydrated. As I knew the 12.8-mile hike to the next shelter began with a long climb up Unaka Mountain I left the shelter by 7:07. At 8:07 on this beautiful, sunny day I took a break after completing most of the initial mountain climb. Then the narrow, dirt trail climbed gradually and I finally summited in a red pine forest after a 2.3 mile ascent. Upon reaching Deep Gap I crossed the cinder packed road at a blue blaze trail but discontinued my search for a spring when the path abruptly ended. Soon after I flushed a wild turkey that gave me a bit of a fright. Later I met No Hurry taking a nap inside his tarp under the shade of a tree in the middle of a large meadow. On this extremely hot day, he gave me explicit directions to a spring which I later found near the base of the climb to ¢Beauty Spot¢. At 11:20 I reached the summit of Beauty Spot. While I was treating my water and relaxing, a man and his grandson stopped by to say hello. As I munched on a peanut butter sandwich and a granola bar I was satisfied to have hiked 6.4 miles in four hours, thirteen minutes in ninety-five degree heat. As I knew I had another 6.4 miles to hike I slowly descended the mountain on a wide jeep road covered with an abundance of loose stones. On the descent I passed numerous families taking their kids to the mountain summit for Memorial Day. I heard one blond mother tell her daughter that she was walking on the Appalachian (apple-latch-in) Trail. At 1 PM I reached Indian Grave Gap on the Tennessee/North Carolina border. The border between these two states in this area is the crest of the Appalachian mountain range, almost the exact path of the AT. The joke goes that you hike with your left foot in Tennessee while your right foot is in North Carolina.For the remaining two to three miles the trail gradually climbed over numerous rocks and roots making the going slow. At 1:45 I stopped for a water break and a granola bar. The singing of ovenbirds, veery, red-eyed vireos, black-throated green warblers, wood thrush, chestnut-sided warblers, wood pee-wees, and dark-eyed juncos temporarily took my mind off the heat. Rhododendron, azalea, and mountain laurel were all in bloom.At 3:05 I reached the Curley Maple Gap Shelter. The shelter was built in 2010, has two levels, and sleeps twelve. There is a picnic table under the generous shelter overhang and ten two-foot high stumps circle the fire pit.Water was seeping so slowly from beneath a rock at the spring that I had to use my drinking cup to scoop water into my water bag. I swept the shelter, dried my cloths and boots, and washed with a wet bandana while I waited for company. I took a brief nap until my NC pals (Carl, Rick, Louise & their two labs, bama and scout) arrived at 6:20. Three thru hikers including Pyro and Grant arrived later. Naturally, Pyro started a fire. The thru hikers noted that the best food per ounce, and that which contains the most calories is ¢olive oil¢. Many thru hikers find a way to add it to each of their meals. I crashed by 9 PM, hiker¢s midnight, and slept well.