Allen Gap, NC to Watauga Lake, TN

Day 4, Saturday, May 26

Big Bald Shelter to "Uncle Johnny's" Nolichucky Hostel, Erwin, TN, 16.9 miles

Awake at 6:45 AM. I pack and leave camp behind "Jim Bowie" at 7:30 AM. The hiking is great this morning. The weather is cool, but gorgeous. I cross over the first couple of bumps slowly. My legs are sore this morning, but I can tell they're getting stronger every day.

I catch "Jim Bowie" a mile or so up the trail and we hike on another mile before taking a pack-off break for five minutes. We press on and "JB" pulls away from me on the uphill toward Big Rocks. I decide not to detour up the narrow, steep trail to the summit of Big Rocks.

The last two miles to Spivey Gap are very pretty hiking. Nice, clean woods with little undergrowth. The trees are also beginning to change from hardwoods to fir and hemlock. I cross a rock bridge over a creek and climb up the hill to Spivey Gap at 10:05 AM. "JB" is sitting on the steps across the highway. I take a short break until 10:25 AM while "Jim Bowie" heads on. Not a single car passes while I'm at Spivey Gap. Quiet morning.

"Flying Bear" passes me at 11:45 AM. I catch up to "JB" and "FB" beside a creek taking a break. They push on for the shelter 1.1 miles away.

I reach the shelter at 12:35 PM. Bruno show up fifteen minutes later and the four of us eat lunch and rest until 1:30 PM. I decide to press on with them to Erwin, six miles away. That will put me ahead on the schedule and will help out in case of bad weather.

The first two plus miles go quickly, then a long .7 mile uphill at Temple Hill Gap. We climb steadily, but I'm tiring quickly. Finally, we're at the top. Now it's only two-and-one-half miles downhill. And what a two-and-one-half miles!

Suddenly a train whistle pierces the air and I know we must be getting closer. Erwin, TN is an old train town built as the railroad passed through Nolichucky Gorge in the 1910's. Although not much of the town has anything to do with the railroad today, it still sits on the main line north and south and trains roll through all day and night.

We finally pop out on a cliff eight hundred feet above the Nolichucky River and you can see Erwin laid out below. The climb down the switchbacked-trail hurts a lot, but we make the Nolichucky Hostel a few minutes after 4 PM. "Uncle Johnny" signs us in. The guys are going to pitch their tents in the grass beside the hostel. I'm going to stay in the hostel bunkhouse tonight.

After dropping my gear on a bunk, I head for the other Johnny. The first thing I want to do is drop five pounds and then take a shower. After I clean up, I sort out my food drop, and give some of my excess to "JB". I give my laundry to "Uncle Johnny" who promises that it will be ready first thing in the morning. At 5:45 PM "Uncle Johnny" and Charlotte shuttles the four of us and "Triple Shot" to the Erwin Burrito for supper.

Somehow I always seem to eat at these places that make you very sorry later up the trail. I would have settled for pizza or fried chicken, but no!!!! Erwin Burrito. More beans and rice...in a Mexican sauce...just what the discriminating hiker needs before heading back into the woods. EB is owned by a couple of former thru-hikers.

After making a quick stop at Joe's on the way to EB for refreshments, we order chicken burritos. They're very good, but I wanted something other than more beans and rice. We make a stop on the way home for ice-cream, and we're back at the hostel by 7:30 PM. "Lucky Duck" has hitched into town to rest her leg and wait for "Hiker Chick" to catch up. I talk with some of the other folks for a while before heading to bed at 10:30 PM.

Shortly "Venus" comes in. I haven't seen her since the rain yesterday. She's slackpacked from Sam's Gap today with "Giddyup" and "Fried Fender". Her feet and leg looks awful, but she's still plugging ahead. I give her my scissors to cut the medical tape off her lower leg. It looks like the tape is taking all her skin off. I think the adhesive on the tape has melted into her skin. Now she has a very irritated leg.

It's after 11 PM before I fall asleep to the sound of mice scurrying in the walls of the hostel, and train whistles in the distance.