Allen Gap, NC to Watauga Lake, TN

Day 8, Wednesday, May 30

Overmountain Shelter to US 19E, Elk Park, NC, 8.7 miles

What a night! "Tom the Trapper" catches eight mice during the night with his mousetrap. I sleep through most of the excitement. Songbirds wake me up at 5:15 AM, as soon as light begins to fill the valley below. I lie still watching the birds in the meadow for thirty minutes before drifting back to sleep.

I get up at 6:30 AM and begin packing to leave. Another cold breakfast of Pop-Tarts and crackers. Not bad! I finally leave the shelter at 7:45 AM. Walking up the hill, I stop to get water at the spring on my way back to the trail.

Once back on the trail, it's uphill as usual, climbing to cross Little Hump Mountain by 9 AM. The profile of Grandfather Mountain to my right is outstanding. The next several peaks are open grassy balds. I make Bradley Gap at 9:15 AM, but it takes me another thirty minutes to climb "both" Hump Mountains. I say "both" because as you climb Hump Mountain you see the top, or at least what you think is the top. Once you get to the fence with the gate, you see the real top of Hump Mountain another couple of hundred feet higher in elevation.

On top of Hump Mountain you can see forever. Whitetop Mountain and Mt. Rogers in Virginia to the north, Grandfather Mountain and Linville Gorge to the east, and Roan Mountain and the Black Mountains behind you. I never would have imagined the view from here.

The next several miles are downhill, the first half-mile crossing the lower part of Hump Mountain before reentering the woods. Once in the woods, the trail becomes very rough and rocky and my right shin starts to twinge. First leg problems that I've had other than being tight. It gets worse as I climb down the rocky trail.

I begin to hear children's voices and soon a school group, fourth grade at Freedom Trail Elementary School in Avery County, NC, appears. They are on a field trip to hike on the Appalachian Trail and picnic up on Hump Mountain. Wish I could have had those kinds of field trips in school. Some of the kids are already struggling as they climb. One chubby little boy remarks that "Ms. Jones is trying to kill us". I tell him it gets worse. He groans.

The next couple of miles I'm looking for a place called Doll Flats to take a break and some ibuprofen to see if that'll help my shin. Doll Flats never appears. "Whitey" passes me in a small clearing (which I later learn is Doll Flats) and I continue down. An hour later the trail starts to look familiar. It looks like the AT just above Apple House Shelter. Either I missed Doll Flats (I did) or there are two places on the trail that look remarkably alike. Ten minutes later Apple House Shelter pops into sight.

Most of the gang, "Ropeyarn", "Yellow", "Giddyup", "Belu", and "Whitey" are taking a break there. I join them and pop some Vitamin I. I distribute some of my excess food to them. They are going on up the mountain after Highway 19E (next crossing). I'm going into Roan Mountain and pick up my mail drop package of food. After a nice break we head off down the hill to the highway.

I hitch into Roan Mountain and pick up my package, but there is no hotel in Roan Mountain anymore, so I hitch back to Elk Park and get a room at the Times Square Inn. Beautiful luxurious facilities (not) for $30 (since I'm a hiker). I unpack my pack and my food drop and try to eliminate a few more things that I can mail home.

I eat supper at the Country House Restaurant and then it's back to the Inn to do laundry. I haven't seen any more hikers around here this afternoon.

The Postmaster at the Roan Mountain Post Office had told me that the weather looked bad for the next couple of days so I watch the Weather Channel back in my hotel room for the forecast. It does look touch-and-go for tomorrow with a 50% chance of showers. That usually means it's going to rain half the day.

Friday and Saturday definitely look like morning thunderstorms. I think it's going to be tough to finish in two days. I've got a little more than twenty-eight miles to go now. That's two fourteen-milers, without weather complications. Depends on how my swollen feet and ankles and my shin do.

I walk down to the restaurant in front of the motel to see what time they open for breakfast. I can hardly walk down the hill. My right leg is on fire and there is a strange discoloration on the front of my shin where it has been hurting this afternoon. I've had shin splints before, but never ones that I could see. Strange.

For the first time in all of my hiking on the AT, I'm wondering if I should quit. I don't want to further injure myself, especially since I'm heading back into the woods tomorrow. There won't be any good places to abandon ship between here and Dennis Cove, twenty miles away. I'm at the best possible location if I need to telephone someone to come pick me up.

I go to bed with by feet propped up. Hopefully that will help reduce some of the swelling.