Erwin, TN

My zero day at Elmer's Sunnybank Inn was just what I needed. Staying at this hostel is always such a treat for me. The old house has an extensive library, a nice garden, and an old guy that tells it like it is. It sort of reminds me of Twin Oaks in the good old days (meaning my good old days at TO). Elmer and other former thru-hikers provide organic, veggie meals two times a day. I ate there three times, and I didn't even miss the meat. Although, I did have an appetizer of turkey jerky before my last dinner there.

I had high hopes of taking off early the next day. I woke up at 7am, got breakfast at the diner, and then found myself back on the trail at 10:47 am. Not sure where all the time went. Its hard to leave Hot Springs. I wanted to do a 20 mile day, but ended up at 16.7 miles which led me down a back road to Hemlock Hollow Hostel. All my loved ones are gonna be so mad when they read that I was trotting down a Tennessee back road by myself and at the end of the day. I wasn't too thrilled about it either.

At Hemlock, I ran into Lightning who had an allergic reaction to MSG and found herself dry heaving on the trail, earlier that day. She had been sleeping it off in the bunkhouse and hadn't noticed the intense wasp infestation until I woke her up when I arrived. As I prepared my dinner, more and more wasps joined the party. Eventually, we had to alert the owners and were moved to a small cabin where we shared a double bed. Close quarters when you don't know someone, but we sleep closer together in shelters, so it was not such a big deal for hikers.

Next day, Lightning asked me to join her on a 18.8 mile slackpack that she set up. As it was her treat, I couldn't say no. A slackpack is when you carry only the supplies needed for the day (water and snacks or lunch) and are usually shuttled ahead on the trail and walk back to the place you are staying. This particular slackpack took longer than expected because we ran into 25 thru-hikers while hiking South and stopped to chat with all of them. On a typical North bound day, I would have seen maybe 5 of those folks. It was kind of neat to have that perspective for a day, and the weather was fantastic until the thunderstorms started during the last few miles.

That night, there was a pretty big storm, and we woke up to more rain which turned to snow. It was a slow going morning and it seemed like Lightning was wavering about getting back on the trail. She thru-hiked last year and is only sectioning this year, so she can do what she likes. I do not have that luxury. Eventually, she decided to get a ride into Erwin after they dropped me back at Devils Fork Gap.

I headed uphill that day with a late start and it got colder and more snow covered as I climbed. I put on more clothes which is rare when you are mostly going uphill. I was happy to run into Hazard early in the day and we hiked together until we got to Sam's Gap where Quiet Paul (GAME '07) was making breakfast for thru-hikers under an overpass. He made us huge sausage links, hashbrowns made from real potatoes, and scrambled eggs from actual chickens. Paul didn't talk much and may have ignored 3 to 5 of my questions but I didn't care because afternoon breakfast was fantastic.

Good thing we were warmed by the food because the rest of the day brought intense winds on top of Big Bald. The views were tremendous but there was no time to dally as I was nearly knocked over twice. Everyone I ran into that day decided to stay at Bald Mountain Shelter, but I wanted to push on and have less miles into Erwin. I also wanted to go a few more miles and drop the 1200 ft to get warmer. In the shelter register, Caboose and Upstate said that they were camping a few miles North, so I hoped to run into them. Unfortunately, when I got to the campsite no one was there. I thought about pushing on but I knew the next site was near a larger road (19w), so I decided to camp alone. This was my first time tenting by myself...ever. It was a big step for me. Luckily I got cell service so Marie/Tailgate talked to me for a couple of hours before I fell asleep that night. I was very proud of myself.

I got up at 6am the next morning, was hiking by 7:25am, and made it to Erwin around 1:30pm. I don't know if any of you remember, but you see Erwin a long time before you make it to the town. Long time. There's that Nolichucky again. I had a little knee trouble on the way down but it seems fine now. I have to wait for a package, so I'll be taking an unplanned zero. I wanted to hike out because I plan to take two zeros when Tailgate visits this weekend, but at least another day off will be good for my knee.

Until the next Southern Library.