- Miles 344.2-352.5 (8.2 mi.)
- Total ascent: 3415’; descent 1677’
How much later we sleep with our stomachs full of Mexican food and with just one window to the morning! We stirred just after 8 and, after making several trips to the bathhouse, ate an eclectic breakfast of strawberries, bananas, olives, and toasted jalapeno poppers.
We had everything we’d been craving but the centerpiece: a hot, fresh cup of coffee. We each got one, if K-cup brews count, and bought some energy chews (which turned out to be like oversized, bitter fruit snacks) to meet the credit card minimum.
On the porch, while drinking our coffee, we weighed our packs. With five days of food and a liter or water, we clocked in just under 35 pounds each. After eating down our weight by a couple of Nutty Buddies, we set off.
We left camp just after 11 a.m., our check-out time, on account of the short day and of the principle of using our in-room time allotment. We crossed the Nolichucky, a whitewater river and one whose name I enjoyed repeating to myself throughout the day.
Briefly, we met two groups we didn’t know at tributaries to the Nolichucky. At the second, we filled a liter and a half, which lasted us until lunch. For lunch, we tried out a new addition to the staple peanut butter and tortilla: chocolate granola. The granola gave the burrito texture, cutting our gums but keeping the peanut butter from clogging our throats when we ate it too quickly.
We saw nobody for the next few miles, stumbling later in the afternoon on an older black gentleman with a bright blue pack who was hiking southbound. He told us he couldn’t wait to thru-hike, which we’d told him we were doing, when he retired in four or five years. His son had sparked his interest in long-distance hiking with a two-week walk on the regional Benton-MacKaye Trail.
Two miles later, about 4 p.m., we stopped for a sit at a hilltop campsite with rooty, slanted tent sites. The next and final two miles for the day we earned by stepping over pointy, iron-rich rocks to a flat spot.
As appealing as town days are, I’m grateful to be back out in the woods. There’s no rain in the forecast for five days, and my new shirt — a white, polyester Walmart special with short sleeves — doesn’t seem to chafe or collect odors.
Tomorrow, on to Beauty Spot, which must be something special to have earned its name in such beautiful surroundings. We’ll see whether the hike is worth the squeeze.
