Date: 2007-04-19
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: Indian Grave Gap
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Thursday, April 19, 2007Indian Grave gap to Iron Mountain Gap, 11 milesLeave Elmer¢s at 6AM. Breakfast at the diner, taking time to read the notebook made by Hot Springs Elementary School Fourth Grade class. If you stop at the diner, don¢t miss this. The first section is letters from the fourth-graders to hikers who are reading the notebook, the next section is journal entries written by the fourth-graders after hiking a section of the AT, the next section is creative writing, the next artwork, and lastly a section for hikers to write notes to the fourth-graders. Memere, Gray Feathers and I read aloud excerpts aloud from he notebook, relishing the fourth-graders¢ acute perceptions and powers of description. Here¢s one sample.¢Dear journal, today we hiked the A.T.! Well not all of it we just hiked the part Hot Springs School is takeing care of. It was lots of fun but I didn¢t like it that we couldn¢t hike to the top, the fifth grade got to. In my back pack I brought a bottole of water, a note book so I could draw pictures of what I saw, a pencle (what eltce am I sopost to write with), and a yummy apple but that was gone very quickly, it went munch, munch, munch, gulp, gone. When we were on Lovers Leap the acorns and dry dead leaves crunched under our feet. I was wet and cold and very steep a very bad combonation the cold wind blew and then my feet sliped on the wet leaves and as soon as I relised it I was siting in the dirt with one of my legs hanging over the steep hill.   Well that was pretty much it I had a lot of fun on the A.T.¢Author anonymous because I didn¢t get permission to include his/her name.Another author asked us hikers not to tread too heavily on the forest floor. In one of our notes back to the fourth-graders we write that when out in the woods we always try to ¢leave no trace¢ and to preserve the habitats of creatures who live in the wild.At breakfast we talk about the hike from Allen Gap to Tanyard. Memere and Gray Feathers feel blind-sided by the couple who offered a hiker feed 300 yards down the road towards NC from Allen Gap. Blindsided? I ask. They go on, We were chitchatting and enjoying the feed with Dash, and brothers J-Beard and Mangrove, when one of the hosts began to preach religion and salvation and to press religious books on us. I try to recall the sign. As best I can remember there was no hint of a religious purpose, the sign implied that former thruhikers were simply trying to give back to subsequent long distance hikers, providing Belgian waffles, desserts and other good things to eat.Period. The preaching made everyone feel blind-sided and deceived, Gray Feathers and Memere say. Conversation came to an abrupt halt. An awkward silence ensued.All of us agree that the sign should hint at, or better yet, come right out and say, that following the meal there will be a discussion of salvation. Memere, Gray Feathers and I talk about next year¢s southern AT hike. To allow for contingencies and zeroes, we really need 5-6 weeks. That¢ll assure us of getting to Springer, and if we have allotted too much time, we can always come home early. They¢ll see if an absence from husbands and homes of this length might be possible. It sure would be wonderful if they could finish the AT in 2008!Today I drive Memere¢s car, because I¢ll be hiking out to my own car and heading for Virginia from the Iron Mountain Trailhead where the Element will be parked.See a large raptor with prey (probably a small rodent) in its talons.50¢s, misty morning, sunlight burning it off, illuminating horizontal cobwebs in the grass, making them look like little grass lights. Rabbits. 3 white geese. I stop at the Super 8. The Patels have found my rain jacket and they¢ve kept it aside for me, all wrapped up in a bag with my name on it! CP says he told the people in 109 and 102 to tell me he had it, if they saw me! Wow! Lucky! I¢ve got my 2 old jackets, but the new one is more water resistant. Also it¢s huge, large enough to wear over both me and the daypack, like a poncho.Leaving Erwin for Indian Grave Gap trailhead, I wait for another long CSX train to pass across Rte 107.Start 9:40, high 40¢s, misty.Teaberries, wintergreen.Strong smell of wet wood, almost a creosote smell.Beauty Spot, birds are singing, a few towhees pose. I tape their songs.Then get a picture of a robin.Mostly bare ground, but still some areas covered in snow.How does woolly adlegid spread. Wind, birds, other forest animals, humans, nursery and lumber industries.2 defunct stiles, one walk-through, one climb over. Walk by both.A spit of rain.Is that Roan on my right?Near the road, blue trail and water to the left.Going up Unaka, I meet Chilly Willy and Just Ray from Florida. They started section-hiking the AT in 1997, the first year just a week, now they¢re doing big sections. They¢ve backpacked and slackpacked, they¢ve experimented hiking with a van and a car.Beautiful spruce forest at the summit, soft springy footing.A 20-minute shower of hail, about 14-3/8 inch in diameter, cute little hailstones bouncing high when they land, like popcorn or grasshoppers.Footing becomes muddier and slipperier. I start to worry about Memere and Gray Feathers. Seems like I should have met up with them by now. Now I meet them still climbing Unaka. I loan them my headlight in case they run into trouble getting out.I¢m double-bagged in 2 rain jackets, works fine!This footing is my nemesis. I¢m inching along. Still my feet fly out from under me and I go down 3 times. Not hurt, just mud-coated.A neat table at the gap made from skinny tree trunks.Flash of lightning and thunder claps. I¢ll go by Indian Grave Gap after I get out to make sure Gray Feathers and Memere get out safely.Register at Cherry Gap Shelter a note to me from them that it looks like rain, they¢re moving on after a break.Just as I¢m leaving the shelter, NOBO Red Dog comes in for the night.A couple of very fresh blowdowns across the trail, one before the shelter, one after it. 2 deer run by, white tails flashing. Stay afraid of humans, little guys.Out at 5:40 after a very very slow descent on the slippery mud. I drive to the other trailhead. Get there at 6:15. Memere and Gray Feathers have already come out, their car is gone.   Safe. Good.Brief stop at Kincora, lots of hikers there, no time to talk. I do see Pat who talks about raising Yoki, her white cat, from a kitten, nursing it. Hello to Diamond, Stubble and Boo Boo. Stubble tells me about his tough climb up Roan in the frigid cold and snow, Boo Boo about her worst day yet, hiking 2 miles the wrong way. Queen Diva says at night she used to point her empty trail shoes in the direction she wanted to hike out in the morning, but certain hiking associates would reposition these to face the other direction!!!Drive past Virginia Tech exit, a huge American flag at half mast. Lighted Flying J sign saying "Pray for Virginia Tech. God bless Virginia Tech."Drive to mile 283 on Rte 81, but can¢t go any farther. Sleep in the car.