Allen Gap, NC to Watauga Lake, TN

Day 1, Wednesday, May 23

Allen Gap to Jerry Cabin Shelter, 11.6 miles

Today's the day! Headed back to the AT for some 2001 fun. Up at 4:00 AM and on the road at 5:00 AM. Picked up my dad and uncle in Morganton at 6:00 AM. They are going to drop me off at Allen Gap, NC for this next leg of my AT hike, from Allen Gap, NC to Watauga Lake, TN. We're in Asheville an hour later and make a biscuit stop at Bojangles in Weaverville.

We reach Allen Gap at 8:00 AM, and we're hiking ten minutes later. Dad and my Uncle John and going to hike to Little Laurel Shelter with me before heading home. Dad carries my food bag up the mountain.

The hiking is fairly easy this morning although uphill. We reach Little Laurel Shelter at 10:20 AM. Pretty good 4.9 miles uphill. Dad and John decide to continue with me to the top of Camp Creek Bald before turning back.

We eat lunch at 11:30 AM near the top before they head back down the mountain. Once over the top of Camp Creek Bald, the trail flattens out and follows ridgelines for the next six miles to Jerry Cabin Shelter. I reach the shelter by 2:30 PM, wondering if I should press on. But 11.6 miles the first day out isn't too bad. I decide to rest and repack my gear and enjoy a great afternoon.

I only passed one Southbounder all day, and I've seen no one going north until I reach Jerry Cabin. At Jerry Cabin, I meet "Belu" and "Venus". They've stopped for lunch and are heading on to Flint Mountain Shelter. "Venus" is taping up some nasty blisters. It'll be a long afternoon for her. "Belu" is from Ohio and "Venus" is from Israel.

One southbound hiker passes through at 3 PM on his way to Little Laurel. I'm sure this place will fill up by nightfall. I take my time setting up camp and then get water from the piped spring above the shelter. When I return to the shelter, I see two guys getting ready to jog away. They are running the AT over 66 days, averaging 30-34 miles each day! Obviously you have to have a lot of ground support to do that, but impressive none-the-less. They leave me a Cliff Bar. Trail Magic!

Thirty minutes later, a hiker, "Flying Bear" comes in. He's thru-hiking and has just hitched from Hot Springs to Allen Gap and hiked from there this morning as well. He calls Rhode Island home for the moment. Three guys show up thirty minutes later and rest for an hour before pushing on to Flint Mountain Shelter, six miles away.

Bruno, trailname "Bob", from Germany and "Jim Bowie" show up a few minutes later.

I cook and eat supper early tonight to get out of everyone's way. I can then relax until dark.

Three girls, two of which are recent graduates of Columbia University in New York, and one still a student there, struggle in southbound at 5:00 PM. They are carrying BIG packs. They're out for a week southbound from Devil's Gap. They appear to be eating gourmet considering the type and quantity of food they are carrying. They cook an elegant pasta supper.

It begins to storm at 6 PM and rains for about thirty minutes. "Disco" shows up at dark. He holed up with some folks in a van near the Camp Creek Bald Firetower when the storm came. It was hailing and raining very hard there. Two thru-hikers and one of their girlfriends were chilling at the bald. They are already past Damascus on the trail, but had returned to the area for a wedding, and decided to spend the afternoon near the trail. They gave "Disco" six cold beers that he brought and shared with us at the shelter.

We build a fire and sit around it through intermittent raindrops and breeze. Beautiful, cool night. To bed at 10:30 PM.