Wednesday April 3, 18.9mi/30.4km

Double Spring Shelter TN (452.1) to Damascus VA (471.0)

It was a cold 35F/2C morning, but we got up and on trail by 7:45am. It’s a town day! The trail was an easy cruise all morning, and the day warmed up fast with the strong sun.

Bob and I stopped for a quick lunch at the last shelter in Tennessee, then went another couple of miles to the border. We are in Virginia!

There was some brief celebration with music (“Meet Virginia” of course), and many other cheesy photos that didn’t make the cut.

After another hour of easy downhill trail, we arrived in Damascus, the first trail town in Virginia!

As my TA (Te Araroa) trail family knows, I can’t resist a playground. So many things to climb!

And Bob (that’s his trail name) found an old train.

We walked through town, and went to the Hikers Inn. Lee and Paul are the owners and wonderful hosts! We enjoyed hot showers, laundry, and wifi, and then went to the 7-Trails Restaurant for a 2nd lunch.

We did a resupply at Dollar General (ugh), and we checked out the local outfitter shop and bought some new fuel canisters. Its been cold on this trail, so this canister (220g/8oz) only lasted 470 miles/23 days.

Tomorrow, more Virginia and the Greyson highlands!

Tuesday April 2, 23.7mi/38.1km

Boots Off Hostel TN (428.4) to Double Spring Shelter TN (452.1)

Since it was another frigid 25F/-4C morning, I slept in for a later, and hopefully warmer, start to the day.The hostel was very nice, and even served a free continental breakfast. There were two other hikers there too, Sisqo and Hodag. I finally left at 9am, and enjoyed a walk along Watauga Lake for the first hour.

The lake ends at a dam, which the AT walks over at the northern side.

Bob caught up to me along the lake, and took off ahead. We talked for awhile during the climb after the lake, and pretty soon we were on top of the ridge that we would be following all day. The day had warmed up nicely, so lunch break was long and relaxed. The rest of the afternoon was mostly along the ridge and not very noteworthy. The trail was the least maintained section I’ve seen on the AT yet.

At the end of the day, we crossed a paved road, and the trail quality improved.

There were even nice bridges for the damp sections of trail.

And the first mile after the road was designated handicap accessible!

We arrived to the shelter at 6:30pm, and Bob and I are the only ones there! We were both surprised to find an empty shelter. I usually prefer to camp outside in my tent to avoid the snoring masses, but slept inside since it’s just two of us. We even had a nice campfire!

Early to bed, it’s a town day tomorrow!

Monday April 1, 21.0mi/33.8km

Piano Bar Hostel TN (407.4) to Boots off Hostel TN (428.4)

When I woke up at 7am, it was still very cold outside, 20F/-7C. So I had a leisurely morning, eating breakfast and reading. Bob and I finally left the warmth of the hostel at 9:15am. At least it was a sunny day!

I noticed that when it’s below freezing, the rhododendron leaves curl up, almost like they’re trying to hide.

After an hour of hiking, I came across this waterfalls, and it had a cool name. I think it’s named for the local trail maintenance crew.

The trail stayed up on a ridge all morning, and I kept moving to stay warm.

Just before I stopped for lunch at at Road crossing, there was a creepy abandoned cabin. It smelled like formaldehyde…I i did not poke around further.

After lunch, the trail entered a gorge carved by the Laurel fork creek.

There were hundreds of stone steps down into the gorge and the base of Laurel Falls, I think I counted 250 steps.

The falls has a nice swimming hole. Normally I would swim, but I suspect the falls wasn’t even in liquid form last night…

Bob had stopped off for lunch at a nearby hostel, and he caught me at the end of the gorge. The trail was cut thru rock and had many bridges, as it followed the river. It reminded me of state parks back in Ithaca.

We left the gorge and climbed one more small mountain, before descending to Watauga lake.

We planned to stay at a hostel again tonight, to avoid the extreme cold. This is starting to feel like the Te Araroa, with all the hostels! We arrived at “Boots off” hostel at 5:30pm, had a quick shower, and caught the 6pm shuttle to town for milkshakes.

The showers were very interesting.

It was a nice short and easy day, hopefully it’s warmer tomorrow.

Sunday March 31, 21.4mi/34.4km

Overmountain Shelter NC (386.0) to Piano Bar Hostel TN (407.4)

It rained heavily through the night, and stopped around 4am, when the temperature dropped 20 degrees. Brr! I woke up to fog, and it was 30F/-1C.

The first 2mi/3km were happily uphill, so I warmed up quickly.

It got colder as I climbed up to Little hump mountain, and Hump mountain.

Supposedly the views are great. I saw fog. The descent from 5500ft down to 2800ft was like traveling forward into spring. Along the way, I left North Carolina for the last time!

I stopped for lunch at the station at 19E, a nice brewery/restaurant/hostel. It was nice to sit by the warm fireplace.

After lunch, another hiker, Bob (PCT ’17) and I headed out into the sunshine and hiked on. The storm was over! Bob (trail name, not real name) is super fast, and I tried to keep up with his 3.5mph pace.

There were nice views of the Bald peaks we hiked over this morning.

And then, a few miles later, we hit the 400mile marker!

We stopped by a nice waterfall, Jones Falls, for a quick break. Even though it’s sunny, it was still very cold out.

The rest of the day was on a nice easy trail, and we passed by a couple more small waterfalls. I think this one was called Mountaineers Falls.

We knew it was going to be stupidly cold tonight, like 19F/-7C, so we pushed on a couple of extra miles to a hostel. It’s fun to be outdoors, but it’s good to know when you’re outmatched and go hide indoors. It was a basic bunkroom and only $10, called Piano Bar Hostel. Which contained neither a piano nor a bar. But it had a shower, which was quite interesting.

After a nice hot shower and dinner, it’s gonna be a warm night of sleep tonight!

Saturday March 30, 24.7miles/39.8km

Cherry Gap shelter TN (361.3) to Overmountain Shelter NC (386.0)

I woke up before the other hikers, and packed up quietly. Fast Eddie woke up as I was finishing breakfast, so I said goodbye…for now. I might see him again.I hiked along rolling hills, not seeing anyone until just before lunch.

It was rather strange to see a random stool just placed beside the trail.

Some of the passes here have bizarre names…”Greasy creek Gap”. At least it’s not another Low Gap or Deep Gap.

There was one spot where the trail broke out of the trees, and I had a view to the north.

I stopped for lunch at Hughes Gap Road, and there was already a couple eating lunch there.

Yukon is hiking the AT this year, and is taking a zero day today. His girlfriend Hayley drove down from Indiana to see him, that’s dedication! And together they were doing a trail magic for hikers! Another thru, TurtleThump, joined later.After lunch was a 2200ft/670m climb up to Roan mountain. As the trail climbed above 6000ft/1830m, there were still traces of snow from the storm 10 days ago.

I got to the top at 2pm, with surprisingly good views, since the sun came out.

The trail passed by the site of an old hotel from the 1800s. All that was left is the chimney.

I decided to stop by the highest shelter on the AT, the Roan High Knob shelter, elevation 6270ft/1910m.

It’s actually enclosed with a door, and had a sleeping loft upstairs.

And on the front porch, there were beers from a local brewery, Blue Blaze Brewery!

After a very refreshing beverage, I continued down the mountain, and at the next road crossing were some folks from the brewery. With tons of food!

This wonderful trail magic was put on by Legs (MTS, PCT) and Richard. Legs did the first 1000 miles of the PCT last year, and was the first woman to Yo-yo the Mountains-to-Sea trail here in NC. Cool!After spending too much time eating, I had to get moving to make it to the next shelter by dark. And the forecast was for rain tonight, so I definitely planned to sleep inside the shelter.There were a couple more small climbs, to Round Bald and Jane Bald. It was a very touristy area, and I saw heaps of people.

Looking back at Round Bald and Roan high knob, from Jane Bald.

I hiked another 3 miles, and arrived at the shelter at 7pm. It’s a giant barn! There were 20+ hikers there, it was a small village!

I setup inside upstairs, and met a Scandinavian hiking trio, Stumbler, Not Swiss, and Finnish Line. They are from Sweden and Finland. We chatted as I made dinner, and I think everyone passed out before hiker midnight (9pm).

Friday March 29, 17.0miles/27.4km

Erwin TN (344.3) to Cherry Gap shelter TN (361.3)

I slept in at the hostel, it was a nice warm night with the woodstove nearby. There is a morning shuttle to downtown, I didn’t need anything, but I went anyway for one last meal in town.

After taking down a “Bo’s Box” (meal with many fried things and over 1000 calories), I went next door to Pals, a local chain for grill food.

Eventually, the shuttle came back and got me, after it was delayed for 45 minutes. I got packed up, and finally left the hostel at 11:45am. Uncle Johnny’s was a good place to rest for the night, and very relaxed vibe.

The hiking today was easy, but almost all of it was a gradual uphill. After the first 1000ft/300m of climbing, I came across this old house foundation. Strange.

A couple of miles later, the trail crosses a paved road, and a generous local man, Brother Tom, was hosting a trail magic! His dog Moses sat and watched/drooled as a bunch of hikers ate lots of food.

I hung out there for almost an hour with another hiker, Mowgli, and his dad. I said my goodbyes, as I still had 9 miles/ 3.5 hours to go until the shelter. The climb up to Beauty Spot was easy, and it had good views at the top.

While I was passing through, I watched a local couple get engaged. I was so surprised, I forgot to take any photos until they were walking away. The couple are the nicely dressed people in pink.

The next, and final, climb for the day was up to Unaka Mountain (5184ft/1580m). It’s not a Bald summit, so there were no expansive views. But the pine forest was so green and soft, and my favorite forest on the AT so far! It reminds me of the PCT in Northern Oregon.

A couple miles before the shelter, I caught Shine and Puff, sisters from North Carolina. We had a fun conversation and arrived at the shelter at 7pm. After my usual dinner of a knorrs pasta side, tuna, and kool-aid,… time for bed!

Thursday March 28, 22.8miles/36.7km

Viewpoint N of Sam’s Gap NC (321.5) to Erwin TN (344.3)

I got packed up in the dark (the sun doesn’t rise until 7:30am), and got moving down the trail at 7 am.

My goal was to start early, to cover the 23 miles to town today by 5pm. The hostel has a free shuttle to downtown at 5pm, and it goes to a Mexican restaurant… burritos and margaritas!

The first climb was up Big Bald (5500ft/1676m), with 30-degree views. It was very windy and cold, so I only got a few photos.

Looking north to the next mountain, Big Stamp…

And the view from Big Stamp, looking back at Big Bald…there was still a tiny bit of snow on the north side!

The rest of the day, the trail was in the trees. And after it descended 2000ft/600m, it was much warmer too.

There was a small viewpoint called High Rock. I had seen any people yet today, so I talked to the viewpoint… “Hi rock!” (In New Zealand we always said “Hi Cows!” when there were no people to talk to)

I had an early lunch there, then continued on to “No Business” shelter and had 2nd lunch at 1pm. Cool name for a shelter!

The trail was nicely graded, and weaved around the hillsides rather than straight up and down them.

As I got lower in elevation, the ground turned green.

There were some nice views of the Nolichucky River on the way downhill to town.

I arrived at the hostel at 3:30pm, checked in to a bunk, showered, and was ready to go for the 5pm shuttle to downtown.

A couple of other hikers were in the shuttle too, so the 4 of us (Fast Eddie, Skins, Marie, me) went to Jalapeños, the Mexican restaurant option. Afterwards, we walked to the Walmart for a grocery resupply, and were ready by 7pm for the shuttle ride back to the hostel. Long day!

Wednesday March 27, 27.0miles/43.5km

Little Laurel Shelter NC (294.5) to Viewpoint N of Sam’s Gap NC (321.5)

It was a cold night last night, but I was cozy under all my goose down. I packed up from the shelter and got moving quickly so I could get warm.

After a short climb, I got to Big Firescald knob. There is an option to go around the peak instead of over it. But the sign said the around trail had bad weather, so I went over. 😛

It had pretty amazing views.

Right after the peak, I passed mile 300. Keep on Rollin…

It was a nice sunny day, and it actually warmed up to 55F/13C today.

The highlight of my morning was Big Butt Mountain. Yes, this is its real name.

🎶 I hiked big butt and I cannot lie… 🎶

I stopped for lunch at Flint mountain shelter, and a few other hikers were there, getting setup for the night. Ed, (another) Ed, Salamander, and Pushing-60 were all gathered.

The AT crossed a fence today! This stile (to get over the fence) reminded me of the hundreds that I saw in New Zealand .

And this post was just funny. Another thing that reminded me of New Zealand, with the Lord of the Rings reference.

Otherwise, it was mostly enjoyable walking in nice weather. I didn’t see anyone else after lunch.

I crossed interstate 26 at Sam’s Gap, and also crossed back into Tennessee again briefly.

I stopped to camp a couple miles later, and the campsite had nice views. The first photo is a preview of tomorrow’s climb, Big Bald Mountain.

Tuesday March 26, 19.6miles/31.5km

Hot Springs NC (274. 9) to Little Laurel Shelter NC (294.5)

Yes, I saw both Chuck Norris and Tombstones today. The two aren’t related this time, but they usually are!

I woke up late in a comfy bed, and CloseCall and I went to breakfast at the Smoky Mountain Diner.

After eating way too much, and doing some town errands at the library and post office, I went back to the hostel to pack up. I talked to the hostel hosts/caretakers, Tigger and Chuck Norris (he got his trail name because he looks like the actor). We chatted about the upcoming ALDHA event, the Gathering in October. And trail reminiscing of the PCT, CDT, FT, etc… “Bears hang their food at night to keep it safe from Chuck Norris”… Ha!

I left town at 1pm, and it was an easy walk thru town, crossing the French Broad River as I left.

The trail followed the river for awhile….

… then climbs up up up to a overlook called Lovers Leap.

At the top of the climb, there was a dam and a pond. And some signs of spring!

The trail broke out of the trees, and there were views of fog.

I climbed up to Rich Mountain, and the fog got even thicker, so I didn’t bother to climb the firetower for a view.

Then, every mile or so, a tombstone would randomly appear next to the trail. I think there were at least 5 of them. So creepy.

And then, at 4pm the sun came out!

An hour later, I passed by Spring Mountain Shelter, and there were at least 10 tents set up.

I had plenty of energy since I started so late today, so I kept hiking another 2 hours to the next shelter, arriving at 7pm. There were way fewer hikers there, and there was even an empty spot in the shelter, so I slept inside. I met a few other hikers – Hurley, Bumblebee, Snuggles, and a few more that I can’t remember.

Monday March 25, 12.3 miles/19.8km

Kale Gap NC (262.6) to Hot Springs NC (274.9)

The three of us got going early, at 7:15am. It’s always exciting on a town day! Captain and CloseCall were being fueled by thoughts of coffee, but I was daydreaming about milkshakes…

The trail started off with a nice 1000ft/300m climb up Bluff Mt to get us warm.

There weren’t really any views from the top, but we could see the sunrise through the leafless trees. On the way down the mountain, we found… danish of mystery!

I guess someone left it in the middle of the trail? Captain devoured it without a second thought, haha.

A few miles later, near Deer Park shelter, we passed a random and creepy old graveyard.

On of the graves said, “lost but not dead”. Huh. The rest of the trail was an uneventful cruise into Hot Springs, and we covered the 12 miles into town by 11:15am.

We had some rain the last 5 minutes, but otherwise we avoided the rain. Perfect! We checked into the Laughing Heart hostel, showered, and walked down to town for lunch.

The trail goes right thru town, and even has its own sidewalk markers, cool

After lunch at the Smoky Mountain Diner, the 3 of us were joined by Birdman (AT ’15), a friend of Captain’s who had driven in from nearby Asheville. We checked out the gear at Bluff Mountain Outfitters, and then off to the hot springs!

It’s a small resort, and they pump the mineral springs water into plastic hot tubs (hygienic reasons). It was a nice soak for an hour, and then it was time for 2nd lunch/1st dinner at Spring Creek Tavern. The pizza & wings hit the spot. After a quick resupply at the Dollar store, I went back to the hostel to relax for the night, and watch the rain from indoors. Good day!