Hot Springs, NC to Erwin, TN 3/15/2009-3/20/2009

Photos: http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2992940430104728652mEltxp

3/15/2009 9:00 PM - Spring Mountain Shelter - 11.0 mi today - 282.8 mi total

Dad, Flo and Harley arrived at 6:30 yesterday (Check out the video of Harley's arrival here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgXywoG7rWI). Great to see them. Had dinner at Smokey Mountain Diner. Excellent. After, we all went to Steamboat's cabin so our families could meet. Steamboat officially named Flo "Florence Gump" (Gump for short). Nice to hang out and watch basketball, though Syracuse lost in the Big East final. Bummer. Spent a long time organizing Flo's stuff for hiking. ried to upload some more pictures, but still have a load to do. Got up this morning in time to make it to breakfast at the Sunnybank Inn. Really good food and nice people. We were there for about an hour and a half eating and talking. Went back to te room and packed the bags and made adjustments. Hit the outfitter on our way out of town. THe four of us walked up the first hill out of town, and then Dad turned back. Flo, Harley, and I continued on. Harley was great! We let him off the leash as soon as we were away from traffic. He walked about 20 yards ahead of us all day and kept checking back every 30 seconds. He was adorable! Flo had fun as well, though she got hot spots (precursurs to blisters) in the first mile. We'll check them in the morning. Felt longer than 11 miles today. We were all beat when we rolled into camp. Luckily the rain held off most of the day. Just kind of foggy, so everything is wet anyways. Sharing the shelter with one other section hiker. He was already in bed when we arrived at 6:45 PM. Thats over an hour before sunset. Flo and I pumped water, and got the stove going. Made arroz con queso, which was delicious, but huge! Flo ate about a quarter of it, but I polished it off. Harley is in the shelter with us tonight. Can already hear the mice running around.

3/16/2009 8:30 PM - Little Laurel Shelter - 8.6 mi today - 291.4 mi total

Woke up a couple times last night. The dog was moving around a bit. He went out of the shelter around 5. I got up as well and found the section hiker sitting outside in the dark shaking hands with Harley. He was complaining about too much sleep. Thats what happens when you go to bed that early! Brought Harley back inside and snuggled with him for a bit. He was ready to go and didn't want to settle down. Flo slept like a log. That's what college does to you. Got up at 9:30 and everything was wet. The fog had soaked everything through. Showed Flo how to get the bear bags down from the cables. We decided to do a hot breakfast and made oatmeal. Usually, I eat cold breakfast, so it was a nice change. Also had to pump water because we were low. Finally got going at 11:4 and it started to rain. It was expected, so no big deal. Wasn't too hard. Flo and I took it easy today. She got blisters yesterday, so I didn't want to push her. We treated them with moleskin and duct tape. Had lunch when the rain broke. Timed it perfectly because it started raining hard when we left again. Played some alphabet games while we walked to help pass the time. We really suck at naming countries. Flo also conveniently left the summer sausage out of her pack at lunch, so I was carrying an extra 12 ounces this afternoon. Last hour in the rain was tough. The dog looked mopey and Flo didn't enjoy it much either. Glad to see the shelter. Arrived at 4:45 and changed into dry clothers. Cooked dinner (chicken rag out) which was better than expected. Another couple from Knoxville arrived, so we made space for them. Plenty of room for all, though with wet clothes hanging everywhere it looks like a laundromat. Hanging the bear bags was an adventure. No bear cables here, so I had to toss my own line. Of course with food for two people and a dog it was too heavy for one line. Decided to cut the cord in half and hang two, which actually worked. Took about a half hour, and a little help from our shelter mates, but I now ave two perfectly hung PCT bags. Woohoo. Harley decided he likes my sleeping bag more than his fleece blanket. He curled up on it and went to sleep while we were eating dinner. I had already toweled him off, so I didn't mind. Now he is sleeping between Flo and I. He's chasing a rabbit in his dreams I think. His paws are twitching and he's snoring softly. He is great on the trail, it's just going to be a lot to handle when it's raining out. I can't wait for the rain to stop. Still, I'm having fun and glad to have Flo and Harley.

3/17/2009 9:00 PM - Flint Mountain Shelter - 12.7 mi today - 304.1 mi total

Woke up a little after sunrise today. The dog slept much better last night. Didn't move around as much, which was a relief. Ate my granola and chatted with our shelter mates. They are a really nice couple, and even offered to pack out our trash! Harley was getting impatient with us. He was ready to leave, but we had to pump water and pack the bags. Major uphill out of the shelter. It was tough putting on wet clothes in the morning, but they dried out fast. We got a great view from White Rocks Cliff. We took a long snack break and snapped a bunch of pictures. From there, we were walking along an exposed rocky ridge. It was quite fun, but slow going. The dog did really well, and was constantly having to wait for us. There was only one spot where he got wedged in between two rocks. He's still not used to his wingspan. We decided his trailname is "Kneecaps" because he isn't used to his new wingspan and is constantly bumping into people and clipping Flo's knees. We did a video from the top, which you can watch here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XCRREadWDY). Today is St Patricks Day. What a change from last year! Had a really nice lunch at Jerry Cabin Shelter. Sunn and warm, so we laid out all the wet stuff to dry. We hiked over Big Butt, which was the 300 mile mark. Woohoo! The last mile and a half was very steep downhill. Glad we didn't have to hike up it. First ones to the shelter at 6:15. Flo and I are getting the system down. I pumped water while she cooked. The dog took a nap after his dinner. He'll sleep well tonight. He's already snoring next to me keeping Flo awake. Steamboat arrived as we were eating dinner and Wizz-kid (got his name because he urinated in his water bottle one night and didn't rinse it out very well the next morning) was right behind him. Glad to see familiar faces and meet new people. Pretty chilly night, but great for stargazing. Not sure of tomorrow's destination, but it should be fun.

3/18/2009 8:00 PM - Hogback Ridge Shelter - 8.8 mi today - 312.9 mi total

Got up at first light and retrieved everyone's bear bags. Made Flo breakfast in bed. She doesn't know how lucky she is. The dog was ready to go in 5 minutes. We took a little longer. Hit the trail at 9:45, which was our earliest yet. Walked with Steamboat all da. Flo set a quick pace to begin and we hit the first 2.7 miles in 45 minutes. The got us to Devils Fork Gap where we had to climb up a set of steps to cross a fence. Got a picture of the dog doing it. He really is excellent on the trail and a lot of fun to walk with. My only concerns are how to deal with him in the rain and in towns. Not all towns are dog friendly and I would feel bad tying him up somewhere while I run my errands. If it was a short backpacking trip, there is no question that I would bring him, but it gets really complicated when you have to resupply every few days. I'll talk it over with Dad o Saturday and make a decision then. Right now I am 50/50, but I really do enjoy walking with him. Back to today. After Devils Fork Gap was a serious uphill! I hadn't looked at the elevation profile yet and wasn't expecting it. Of course Harley was in the lead wondering why it was taking so long. Had lunch halfway up. I really enjoy a hearty lunch. The rest of the hike wasn't too bad. Flo's blisters are looking bad. I'm running low on duct tape from having to treat it everday. She says her legs feel fine, its just the blisters that hurt. She's definitely in better shape than I was when I started the trail. Wizz-kid was already at the shelter when we got here. Guess he had taken a long lunch and then decided to stay. We got in around 3 so we had tons of time to do everything. Flo got a little bored and was wanting a book to read. I talked to Rachel on the phone and was hoping to make my March Madness picks, but she was in Disneyland and couldn't take them down at the time. I'll have to make them Friday and avoid hearing any results before then. Dinner was clam chowder which was good. Glad to get rid of the can of minced clams No more canned goods. Period. They weigh too much! A bunch of people rolled into camp after us. I already knew Wes, but met Pacman, Wally, Grizzly Adams, and Chert. We had a lot of laughs over dinner, especially when it came time to do bear bags. Pacman may have giardia. Yikes! I'm glad I haven't been risking it with my drinking water. I'm tenting with Harley tonight just to test it out. He's snoring again.

3/19/2009 8:00 PM - Bald Mountain Shelter - 10.1 mi today - 323.0 mi total

We were supposed to take it easy in the morning because it was only a 10 mile day. Harley didn't get the message. I didn' mind though because I was ready to get up. Steamboat and Gump were not. I made Gump breakfast in an attempt to sprun her on. Harley gave her a good morning kiss. We were the last group to leave as we had to triage Gump's feet. Ran out of duct tape and had to borrow some of Steamboat's. Whoops. Hit the trail at 9:15, our earliest start yet. Found Wizz-kid's camera about a quarter mile out of camp. Gave it to him when we met up at I-26. There was a wanted poster at the trailhead by the interstate. Hope we don't run into that guy. There was also a trash can at the parking lot. It's the little things that really make your day. Between there and Big Bald wasn't all that memorable. We stopped for lunch at a spring and rehydrated the hummus that Mom had sent. It turned out really well. We saved half for tomorrow. Harley took his lunchtime snooze. We also broke out the Easy Cheese. Steamboat, Gump, and I played the alphabet game between lunch and Big Bald. Gump lost. Big Bald was great. Views were good, though the clouds looked menacing. A couple from Indiana took our picture. Harley rolled around in the grass. Easy hike from there to the shelter. We thought it would be a full house, but it was empty. We moved the table under the overhang to avoid the rain. Good thing we did. After we pumped our water, the rain came. We managed to stay dry as we cooked. Mac and cheese with turkey and peas were excellent. Gump's favorite dinner. Afterwards I made hot chocolate for everyone and then broke out the cheesecake mix that I had saved for Gump's last night on the trail. It was great hanging out with just the four of us (Steamboat, Gump, Kneecaps, and me). We read a lot of the old entries in the shelter log and just chatted. The rain has stopped now, so we are hoping that it will hold off tomorrow as well. Shooting for Erwin, which will be Gump's longest day at 17 miles. Will also be a test for the dog, though he has beat us up every hill so far. Pretty sure I'm going to keep him with. I'm willing to deal with whatever extra obstacles I meet in town and in the rain. It's been fun hanging out with Flo this week, despite her foot problems. Hope she had a fun relaxing time. Looking forward to eating in town. Steamboat and I are planning to get from Erwin to Damascus in sevenn days. Should be a good 120 mile push. Just have to take it one day at a time. Living the dream!

3/20/2009 11:30 PM - Erwin, TN - 16.9 mi today - 339.9 mi total

Staying at Uncle Johnnys tonight, but haven't had a chance to write my journal yet. Heres the summary: Good hike. Flo is a trooper for putting up with her blisters. Made my March Madness picks. Went to a sports bar with Dad, Steamboat, Flo, and Old Man River. Got to watch some basketball. Syracuse won! Came back and hung out with the rowdy Nascar fans. Managed to upload all of my pics and videos! Here are the links to all the videos on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Julheyy-le0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH_V5iaE-LU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnpTTqpAokY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XCRREadWDY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYxvQ0l0Rfo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgXywoG7rWI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7N2nvmK2kg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXNGpUZTlp8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcvIUwgTQbw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A1uz4catfA

The pictures are all on my webshots account. Here's the link: http://community.webshots.com/album/569839690UGnCpG?vhost=community&start=0

I'll add my entry for today when I get the chance. Thanks for following and please leave me comments!

UPDATE: Here is the full journal entry for 3/20/2009.

Woke up to catch a nice sunrise. Got moving fairly quickly, though it was cold when we got out of our sleeping bags. Camelbak tubing was frozen. Taped Gump's heels and hit the trail at 9. Mostly downhill today, but still got a couple views. Had lunch at No Business Knob shelter and ate up the last of the food. I almost lost my SPOT down a steep hill, but was able to rescue it. Called Dad as we got close to Erwin. He met us about a mile up the trail. Gump was a trooper and carried her pack the whole way, despite the blisters. Turns out its a Nascar weekend in Erwin, so all the places in town were fully booked, including Uncle Johnnys Hostel. For $8 we were allowed to tent on the grass. Showered and set up camp while Dad went to Walmart to buy himself a $21 tent. That thing is a piece of crap. After showers, I made my March Madness picks and we went to Johnson City to go to a sports bar. Watched basketball and enjoyed nachos, quesadillas, burgers, and beer. Excellent food. Got back to Uncle Johnnys and found a rocking Nascar party. Free beer was nice. Some of the guys were pretty hammered, especially the guy that works here. I'm convinced this guy just jumped out of a pirate movie. I went to the bunkhouse to warm up and update the blog and upload pictures. The people who reserved the bunkhouse didn't show up. That's annnoying. It was really warm in there. Five day forecast looks very good. Steamboat and I will hit the trail tomorrow after a grocery run. I've decided to keep Harley on the trail. I really enjoy having him, though he needs to stop snoring. He's pretty loud!