Allen Gap, NC to Watauga Lake, TN

Day 2, Thursday, May 24

Jerry Cabin Shelter to Hogback Ridge Shelter, 14.6 miles

Awake at 6:40 AM and up five minutes later. I pack and leave at 7:20 AM. I like to get an early start, especially on 15-mile days. I reach Big Rocks by 8:00 AM and it begins to lightly rain for the next hour.

The trail joins an old road and the next three miles are great hiking. It's cool and rainy and good hiking! I reach the Shelton Graves at 8:55 AM and rest for five minutes. It's been a dark, quiet, damp, breezy walk through the trees this morning. I head downhill and rest for thirty minutes at Flint Gap (3425').

When I reach Flint Mountain Shelter at 10:15 AM, "Taz" is there waiting for "Triple-shot" to catch up. "Taz" is thru-hiking. He's from the Silicon Valley of California. I rest and talk for a few minutes before pushing on at 10:30 AM.

When I reach Devil's Fork Gap at 11:30 AM, I stop five minutes later up the hill for lunch until noon. I've covered 8.6 miles so far...six miles to go...uphill. The climb to Hogback Ridge is so long. This must be a rerouted section of the trail. The guidebook says it's 3.3 miles to the top of Frozen Knob, but I can't seem to find the top of anything. It's up, up, up!

It begins to drop rain at 3 PM. I struggle across Rice Gap and walk around the mountain, finally reaching the shelter at 3:45 PM. There's a group pulling out of the shelter as it begins to rain harder. Of the group has hurt their knee, so they are stopping their hike at Sam's Gap, a couple of miles away.

Two section-hikers and two thru-hikers are staying, so I make five so far. Amy "Fried Fender" and "Dr. Everlast" are the two thru-hikers. Although they haven't received their trailnames yet, "Nipples" and "Chuckles" are the two section-hikers.

I walk 400 yards down the hill for water in the rain. Although it's cool this afternoon, I'm taking a bath. I pump water and struggle back up the hill. I take my shower tarp and take a quick bath behind the shelter. It feels great! There is nothing better than cleaning up after a long day of hiking.

I cook supper, chicken and rice, and slowly eat a double portion. "Flying Bear", Bruno, and "Jim Bowie" show up as the rain slacks off. Chris rolls in at 7:15 PM. "Fried Fender" conducts a ceremony naming "Nipples" and "Chuckles" and Chris as "Detour". It seems that he missed a turn in the trail several miles back and ended up being chased by dogs at someone's house at the bottom of the mountain. Hence the name "Detour". "Nipples" became "Nipples" because he didn't have a trailname and "Flying Bear" came up with "Nipples". His friend laughed at the idea and hence became "Chuckles" It doesn't take much to get a trailname around here!

Linda "Giddyup/Wassabe" from Kansas City comes in at 8 PM. She came from Little Laurel Shelter this morning, twenty miles back. We sit around the campfire until 9:30 PM and then turn in. We have eight in the shelter tonight, "Dr. Everlast", Amy "Fried Fender", "Flying Bear", "Bob" Bruno, Chris "Detour", "Jim Bowie", Linda "Giddyup", and me. "Nipples" and "Chuckles" pitch their tent behind the shelter.

At 9:35 PM it begins to rain very hard, and it rains all night.