Date: 2009-04-14
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Uncle Johnny's Hostle
Miles today: 17.0

We were still in bed and I was thinking about getting up since I was facing a long hike down to Erwin today. Rain at 6:00 made me hunker down in my bag a little longer. It only rained long enough to ensure our food bags hung out in the trees to save them from bears, got soaked, because we really like putting wet stuff in our packs. I have learned to carry an extra plastic bag to put wet food bags in before placing in the top of my pack.Mt Unaka was a long hard climb from the north, the only place where it was a harder climb for SOBO's in the three days I was heading south. I was just hitting the top two hours later when it began to rain again. It was a really nice little transition area for me. From mossy green with lots of little evergreen trees, to a really dark full canopied hemlock forest. No mix turning gradually from one forest to another, BAM! like there was a line drawn in the sand. You stay on your side and I'll stay on my side. Green, next step dark. If it wasn't so bad weather wise I would have taken a picture. I am such a sissy about stopping, taking notes and pictures when it is nasty weather wise. You didn't have to agree so readily!Supposedly down hill the rest of the way to Erwin. You know how that goes when you are expecting one type of terrain. Nothing is a straight line up or down on the trail. I passed a lot more NOBO's but didn't know very many of them. I will have to make new alliances and friends when I return from the wedding. The rain held off for most of the rest of the day. It rained quite hard for 15 minutes while I ate lunch at the Curly Maple Shelter, the last one heading south before Erwin. Only four miles to go, but I was really tired and my knees were acting up from the huge downhills I had been doing for three days.As I neared Erwin, A coal train passed below me next to the river. They go through quite regularly all day. With a half mile to go to the hostel the trail crosses the railroad tracks. The train I had watched earlier was parked across the trail. Couldn't see the engine and I couldn't see the caboose. Remember when you were young and you went on the tiger hunt at a campfire story time, activity song....Couldn't go around it....couldn't go under it, (didn't trust it to stay parked)...Have to go over it, so I did. Tossed my poles to the other side of the tracks between two cars, and climbed up one side of a car, crossed over, and climbed down the other. Not to bad except for the pack changing the center of gravity on me during the transition. Made it without incident. Took a pictute between the cars with a white blaze hopefully visible on the other side. Got to Johnny's at 4:45. Very tired, sore, cold, and wet.I knew the routine. Dinner shuttle at six, shower before, laundry tomorrow. Lefty and Rehab were at the hostle. I was hoping Lefty would get to the hostle during my SOBO flip. Mexican for dinner. There was only one bed left so I was in the Big room of the hostle rather in the smaller 2-4 bed cabins. Half the inhabitants watched a movie or two late into the night, the other half of us went to bed at various times. Decided to do laundry tonight rather than wait until tomorrow because I was still thinking I might head toward Charleston tomorrow and didn't want to go with a pile of dirty, really dirty clothes. I was going to look a little back woodsy compared to the rest of the attendees anyway, no sense assaulting their sense of smell in the process. I was definitely up a little later than I wanted to be but there was a lot of activity going on in the hostel and I don't think I would have been able to sleep this early anyway. Finally went to bed. Top bunk, raging fire in woodstove, heat rises, wow was I warm. Took off as much as I thought I could get away with and laid on top of my sleeping bag.See you on the trail.Nice Lenses