On April 7th after talking more with "Ewok" the south bound hiker who was finishing in Hot Springs we learned of some very valuable information: that there would be some excellent trail magic the next day at Allen Gap. He told us "don't eat breakfast" and that we would get it at the gap. So on April 8th we set out at about 8:30am and hiked the 4 miles to Allen Gap where we were greeted by a sign telling us to walk 350 yards down the state road and up a concrete driveway for a great 3 course meal. At the house two former thru-hikers, a very nice christian couple, treated us each to a Belgian waffle, a bowl of stew, a cup of hot cider, and our choice of 4 different desserts. It was amazing. They told us they moved to that location to help out thru-hikers and have served over 1,500 hikers over the past 7 years. After stuffing ourselves we had to hike another 11 miles, all uphill on a hot and humid day. Needless to say, it was tough but the extra calories helped. We finally made it to Jerry Cabin Shelter but it was the first time we thought that we might have missed it because it seemed to be a lot further than we thought it should be. That may have been simply because we were so tired.
At the shelter we met up with the group of people we had been hiking with for the last few days: "Cascade" (with his dog Sierra) "High Five," "Enzed" (from New Zealand), and "The Colonel." Were still hiking with them now.
April 9th was a lot like the day before: hot and humid. We hiked a pretty uneventful 14.7 miles. We did meet two fellow New Yorkers at the shelter at the end of the day but not much else really happened. The water source at Hogback Ridge Shelter is supposed to be 0.2 miles away but it really felt much more like 5 miles. It was a long walk at the end of the day.
April 10th started out as a great day. We planned to do 20.7 miles to get with 6 miles of Erwin, TN for a short hike the following day. After about 2 miles we came to Sam Gap where another former thru-hiker, "Quiet Paul," was serving massive plates of scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage, and muffins. It was great! It's really amazing how much help people give to thru-hikers like us. Next we climbed about 8 miles up to Big-Bald which was a very beautiful big bald. We had lunch at the Big-Bald Shelter that was slightly under half way to our destination at 10.1 miles. The second 10+ miles was mostly downhill and a killer on our knees. We were exhausted but glad to be finished with this day. At 20.7 miles it is our longest so far.
Today was an easy 5.9 miles into Erwin, TN. It was mostly downhill but not bad at all. We checked into Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel where we shared a four person room with "Cascade" and "Enzed." We ate at an all you can eat pizza place with a delicious dessert pizza. We were both pretty stuffed. Later we resupplied at a Food Lion, and had a delicious, home cooked dinner with our friends.
We'll be in Damascus, VA in 6-8 days and about 120 miles. Next update should be around then. Until next time.
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