Finishing North Carolina and Nearing the End of Tennessee

Day 31

I hiked into Erwin this morning. There was a hostel at the edge of the trail and I was able to use their computer to post my last update! We took the shuttle into town and were dropped off at a pizza and salad bar buffet. Buffets are a hikers dream and I certainly ate my fill. The grocery store was conveniently across the street too. It was a successful resupply!

The hike to the shelter out of town was all uphill and I was so sweaty by the time I arrived! A full pack and a full belly made for a heavy load. Another night of good company. The rain just started and I look forward to sleeping to the sound of rain on the tin roof. It reminds me of Peace Corps in Micronesia.

Day 32 

It was wet and rainy all day today. I probably should have stopped to put on another layer to increase my fun factor but I was warm enough as long as I kept moving. It was a short day today of 12 miles so I had a lot of free time at the shelter when I arrived. What did I do with free time? Ate some food and sat in a sleeping bag. It was a good day.

I saw a new flower today! It looked like a series of little butterflies hanging on the stem. Another hiker said the name was Dutchman's Britches. Hopefully I can get a picture tomorrow.

Day 33

I had a hard time getting into to the rhythm of hiking this morning. I felt like I was in a bit of a funk. I was happier when the sun came out and I could see into the distance a bit.

I also took my first real digger this morning. I nearly did a face plant after getting on foot caught on a root. The momentum of going downward with the added weight of a pack meant I went down quite fast. Somehow I managed not to really hurt myself, though I may have a couple bruises tomorrow.

All afternoon I had "Purple People Eater" in my head. I have no idea how it got there but I was singing it for at least four miles. This morning it was "Silhouettes on the Shade" and I never did remember the first verse.

We had a lovely campsite tonight just a couple miles shy of the last 6,000 footer. We all went to bed early but revived a bit when Walle arrived. There was a very pretty sunset that made the mountains in the distance look like they were floating. Then the fog came rolling back over the mountain.

My shoes and socks really stink from being soaked yesterday. They are in the vestibule of my tent and the stench keeps wafting in. Oh the joys of the trail!

Day 34 

We had some beautiful views today! For a good portion of the afternoon we were on balds offering panoramic views of mountains, small towns, and clouds. It was so nice not to be in a cloud on top.

The sunset tonight was a fiery orange. We didn't have a fire so I took my ukulele, sat on a rock, and played facing the sunset. It was very soothing just to play for myself and the sun as it sank below the mountains.

Day 35 

We were woken up at 5 the morning because some hikers were walking by. The were quite loud and using flashlights that shone thru tents quite easily. They hiked on and a few minutes later another group came tromping by. When the third group passed I started to get really annoyed and when one person asked what time it was I shouted, "it's 5:30!" from my tent. This went on for a hour. We were not impressed. I don't know who they were but they were ambitious and loud.

The morning improved when we had some trail magic! A man had been camping out for a few days and he made us pancakes, bacon, and eggs. It was a great surprise and very yummy.

I saw a beautiful waterfall today. The water seemed to be leaping over the top then cascaded down a series of rocks. I am so glad multiple people told us to take the side trail to check it out!

Day 36 

It was a drizzly, gray day today so I didn't get any pictures of the great things we saw. We walked across a river on a wooden footbridge with a railing on one side. Rising up from the other side was a huge stone cliff.

A little further along the trail we descended down many rock stairs to a waterfall. It is amazing how much water came rushing over the top. We looked for the trail and saw a blaze on a rock face right next to the river. We walked on rocks with the river rushing by around the bend in the river. We were happy to get to the shelter tonight!