AT- Walnut Mt. to Watauga Dam

Day One: 2.2                                                 Outcasts Total Miles: 2289.4
Walnut Mt. Road to Laurel Fork
Day Two: 5.8
Laurel Fork to Moreland Gap Shelter
Day Three: 8.6
Moreland Gap Shelter to Laurel Fork Shelter
Day Four: 11.1
Laurel Fork Shelter to Wilbur Dam Road
Total Miles: 27.7

Once again we used Mountain Harbor B&B for a shuttle. We got on the trail and made it to the Upper Laurel Fork foot bridge before dark and set up camp for the night. As we were setting up we had a guy walk up looking for a girl that had wondered off into the woods. We visited with him for a little bit and he went on his way. We got a good campfire going and did some visiting under the bright stars. Later that night we had some deer that were none to happy to have three hammocks in their woods. They blew and blew.

Day Two:
We headed out after breakfast and it was after lunch before the rain set in. All of our views today were white clouds. We were going to have a short hike today to be in a shelter when the predicted storm was going to come in around 2am. After we got everything hanging out to dry, a man and his son came in for the night. They were on an annual twelve day hike and were on day six. They stayed the night at the shelter as well.

Day Three:
The storm never came in. We had some sleet hitting the roof of the shelter for a little bit and the rain stayed steady, but no storm. We headed out in the rain again this morning. Clouds again for views today. Laurel Falls was beautiful and the gorge it is in. Interesting hiking skirting the rock wall next to the river. We had seen the man and son a couple of times today and thought that they would be at the shelter, but no. We had another hiker stay the night with us. He was hiking an Eastern trail which started in Canada, connected to the AT connecting to the Pinhoti Trail connecting to the Florida trail. Sounded long to me.

Day Four:
We had a long steady climb this morning to Pond Flats. Got to hear an owl talk to us and a hawk did a fly by in the woods. On the way up we ran into the man and son coming down. They had stopped at a hostel and got dropped off to slack pack this section backwards. We headed on to Watauga Lake and found that they still have signs up for no camping all through this area for bear activity. We ended up just hiking across the dam and on to the car. Another great hike!

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AT - Huges Gap to Walnut Mt.

Day One: 3.0                                                Outcasts Total Miles: 2261.7
Hughes Gap Road to Ash Gap
Day Two: 9.2
Ash Gap to Over-mountain Shelter
Day Three: 6.2
Over-mountain Shelter to Doll Flats
Day Four: 11.6
Doll Flats to Campsite before Mountaineer Falls Shelter
Day Five: 1.8
Campsite to Walnut Mountain Road
Total Miles: 31.8

We used Mountain Harbour as our shuttle service again. We got on the trail the day after a winter storm with 22 degree temperatures and high winds. We got off the trail just before the rain came in. Life is good!

We started at Hughes Gap road in the evening and hiked to Ash Gap for our first night of camping. Short hike and good camp. Pretty steep down to the spring.

Day Two:
We got this morning with a cool start. Today was lot's of views after crossing over Roan Mountain. With lots of views comes lots of people. We crossed Round Bald, Jane Bald, Grassy Ridge, Yellow mountain, and on to Over-Mountain Shelter for the night. We got to see lot's of Ravens as we crossed all these balds. We also had to race the woolly worms. They were everywhere, by the hundreds. It is going to be a mild winter as they were mostly brown.

Over Mountain Shelter is a large barn which is the largest shelter on the AT. As we were setting up camp for the night off the edge of a road bed, we had some military backpackers that were bringing coolers up the road from a nearby parking area. They were nice enough to offer us a beer on there way. They were partying for the next two nights. We were glad that we were not staying in the shelter. There was no wood so we had a night around the Lucy Light.

Day Three:
We started the long climb first thing from the shelter. We climbed Little Hump Mountain and on to Hump Mountain, both with balds and views. We made it to Doll Flats for the night. Good spring here.

Day Four:
We got to see some deer this morning and found some more before we crossed Hwy 19. Lots of ups and downs and through valleys. We thought we were going to camp along the Elk river, which we found overgrown. We thought we would camp at the Yellow Branch, which had no campsite with trees. After dark we came to the campsite before Mountaineer Shelter. Finally a place to stay for the night. Another night around Lucy.

Day Five:
We hiked out to Walnut Mountain Road. We had the shuttle drive pick us up. We have now gone over 400 miles on the Appalachian Trail. The end of another great hike.

From Roan Mountain all the way along this hike we could see a large structure with the background of Grand Father mountain and could not figure out what it was. After getting home and doing the google maps I found it to be Sugar Ski and Country Club on Sugar Mt. in North Carolina.

Pictures:

Iron Mt. Gap to Hughes Gap

Day One: 4.1                                                                           Outcasts Total Miles: 2229.9
Iron Mt. Gap to Greasy Creek Gap
Day Two: 5.3
Greasy Creek Gap to Hughes Gap
Total Miles: 9.4

This time we used the shuttle service from Mountain Harbour in Roan Mt. Tennessee. As we drove into the mountains we could see the snow at the tops. They were calling for flurries with an additional inch of snow possible. We started out in 3-6 inches of snow heading our way to Greasy Creek Gap. 

We set up camp and gathered firewood as the snow began to fall. It was supposed to get down to 19 degrees tonight. We got our campfire going and ate dinner as the snow continued to fall. By bed time we had to knock the snow off our tarps. Through the night the snow kept falling. Every time we got up to use the bathroom there was more snow. Finally by morning we had an additional 12 inches of snow. It was still snowing.

We got on the trail and started plowing our way through two foot drifts and knocking the snow off branches as they hung across our trail. There was 6-8 inches of snow on the branches. It was a powdery snow so that did help. We stopped at the Clyde Smith Shelter to have a snack and thaw out our bladder hoses.

From the shelter we had 6.4 miles to go to get to our next camp at Ash Gap. It wasn't looking good for time. As we continued to battle the snow we were making slower and slower progress as well as getting more tired. Knowing the snow was not going anywhere and a good possibility that it would get worse as we climbed Roan Mt. we decided to call it at Hughes Gap Road. We called for the shuttle and they came and got us. Luckily they had plowed the road on the side he was coming from.

Pictures:

AT - Spivey Gap to Iron Mt. Gap

Day One: 4.9                                                        Outcasts Total Miles: 2220.5
Spivey Gap to No Business Knob Shelter
Day Two: 10.5
No Business Knob Shelter to Curley Maple Gap Shelter
Day Three: 7.9
Curley Maple Gap Shelter to Deep Gap
Day Four: 8.0
Deep Gap to Iron Mt. Gap
Total Miles: 31.3

As usual, we like to start out with a little excitement. When we got to Iron Mountain Gap there was no AT signs like we have had at all the other Gaps. There was snow and ice. We drove just a little further to make sure we were at the top, then turned around in a driveway. Well, when we backed back into the road an eighteen wheeler tanker truck come around the corner above us heading our way fast. Marco and I both hit the accelerator of the truck trying to get out of his way. Actually he was the driver, but it was a tight minute for sure.

We used hikershuttles.com and had Tom meet us at Iron Mountain Gap to take us back to Spivey Gap to begin the hike. We started out at Spivey Gap which is 331 miles from Springer Mt., the start of the Appalachian Trail.  It didn't take us long to hike into the snow. This time it was only about 3 inches deep and no drifts. We hiked on to No Business Knob Shelter for the night. Of course we did not stay in the shelter, but swung in our hammocks near by.

Day Two:
We decided to get an early start today and try to make it to the next shelter before the storm came in which was supposed to be around noon. We stopped in Erwin at Uncle Johnny's for lunch at his picnic table out side under cover. From there we crossed the Nolichucky River and headed on to the Curley Maple Gap Shelter. It had still not started raining. Lora gave us an update that the weather was still coming. Marco entertained us with trying to hang the bear bag inside the shelter. We did stay in this shelter. It started raining around 2:30am. 

Day Three:
It decided to rain on us on and off all day today. It gave us the chance to try out some new gear. Troy had some water proof mittens and a Frog Tog rain hat. We also had our Frog Tog coats and pants. The new equipment worked OK. 

We could see nothing at the Beauty Spot which is a large bald on top of the mountain. When we got to Deep Gap the wind was blowing so hard it almost took us off the trail. Unfortunately, this was also our camping spot for the night. There was no way we could stay here which later we found out was over 50 mile an hour wind. We hiked back South until we found us a place to make camp. We ended up camping in a cloud which later did a quick freeze and dropped down in the twenties. We did get to see a deer as we found a spring down the hill from us.

Day Four:
We got up and had to pack frozen solid gear up. We were breaking ice as we put our tarps in our backpacks. We started out with the steep climb up Unaka Mountain. The snow was frozen over and we walked mostly on top of it. There is a Christmas tree decorated at the top in memory of a young boy. Probably died of cancer. The top of the mountain is covered in a large thick pine forest which is beautiful in ice and snow. On the way down the mountain we saw our first hiker of the trip. 

We stopped at Cherry Gap shelter for lunch and then we saw a mouse playing at a campsite before the next mountain. On the way up the next mountain we saw two more backpackers that had just started out on a backpack going South. 

We got to the truck and headed to our traditional breakfast at Waffle House.

Pictures:

AT- Devil Fork Gap to Spivey Gap

Day One: 3.3                                                        Outcasts Total Miles: 2189.2
Devil Fork Gap to Frozen Knob
Day Two: 5.9
Frozen Knob to Spring
Day Three: 7.4
Spring to Campsite
Day Four: 5.3
Campsite to Spivey Gap
Total Miles: 21.9

Well we brought on the weather again! We called our shuttle at Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel & Outfitter in Ewrin, TN and they had gotten three inches of snow on the ground. We said that we are on the way. When we got dropped off at Devil Fork Gap there was six inches of snow on the ground. Soon we found drifts ranging between knee and crotch high. Needless to say we didn't make the miles that we normally would make.

We made it to Frozen knob and found a place out of the wind to make camp. We got wood collected and camp set up before dark. It was a pleasant night on the mountain.

Day Two:
Long and hard day today. Lots of drift busting. We had problems at two places where they did a double blaze and nothing else within site. Both places were at intersections of trails. Normally the trail is a worn out cow trail, but when you cover it with a few feet of snow it is hard to find. We split up and went blaze hunting in both directions until someone found one.

We stopped at Hogback Ridge Shelter for lunch. There were bear tracks just in front of shelter. The cool thing about snow is you see what else walks through the woods. We ended up seeing many bear, deer, and smaller critter tracks over the days. It is a long walk to the spring at this shelter.

We saw our first people between High Rock and Sams Gap which is a popular day hike. They had packed the snow down so now we were hiking on a sheet of ice. We were grabbing everything we could to stay on the trail. From the road we hiked up to the first spring and then made camp at the bottom of the draw. We met a trail runner here that had made it to the Big Bald.

We got a fire going and enjoyed the evening. Looked at the map and tried to figure how far we would make it this trip with all the snow. Not to Erwin!

Day Three:
Today was windy day. We got to check out our new lightweight Froggtoggs jacket. It worked great for stopping the crazy wind that we walked in all day. We saw our first Southbound thru hiker today. We had seen him at Uncle Johnny's on day one. He told us that it was getting down to 12 degrees in the valley tonight and heavy wind. He was getting off the trail tonight for sure.

Who would have thought that after over 300 miles on the AT, they would put a Nature Trail off to the side? Really?? There really is one and I got a picture of the sign.

When we got to the Big Bald we ended up taking the bypass trail which the thru hiker had recommended because of the weather. The wind was quite strong now as we crossed Big Stamp. We made it to the campsite beyond Bald Mountain Shelter and set up for the night. Another good evening around the campfire.

By the time we went to bed the temps had dropped below 10 and the wind was bellowing. It blew all night long. We made the call to Johnny's and arranged a pick up at Spivey Gap. Last possible pick up point of our trip.

Day Four:
We woke up to a mild wind compared to the night. EVERYTHING was frozen. Water that was in our packs, boots, and we had to use our hiking poles to chip out our tarp stakes. It was bloody cold. We got a fire going and started thawing everything out.

We saw one backpacker today who thanked us for busting up the drifts for him over the miles. We called and verified our pick up time with Johnny's when we got to Trail to High Rocks. On the way down to Spivey Gap we actually found some dirt under the ice to walk on. 

We got picked up by Doug of hikershuttles.com who was very nice and on time! His number is 423-270-9775 cell and home 423-743-8126.

Pictures:

AT - Devil Fork Gap to Hot Springs

Day One: 5.5                                                        Outcasts Total Miles: 2167.3
Devil Fork Gap to Shelton Graves
Day Two: 7.3
Shelton Graves to Spring
Day Three: 10.1
Spring to Spring
Day Four: 7.6
Spring to Campsite
Day Five: 4.9
Campsite to Hot Springs
Total Miles: 35.4

Day one consisted of getting there. We used the same shuttle service Bluff Mountain Outfitter. After hiking to Flint Mountain Shelter we had to make the decision to hike on or not with the early sunset. We voted to go on to the next spring. Unfortunately we hiked into a cloud and which made a bad mix with the dark. With the head lamp on you could see about four feet in front of you. Without the light you could make out about six feet. We continued on until we crossed over a spring. From there we climbed up the side of the mountain until we found trees spaced to hang our hammocks on and then set up camp. Troy stayed at the campsite while we got water so we could follow his voice and light to make it back. Everything was wet so we used the Luci light to eat dinner by and visit under until bed time. We looked like a couple of bums under a street light. We had a screech owl to get our attention in the dark.

Day two:

We got up. The cloud had moved on and the wind had dried off our tarps. It looked to be another great day. At Jerry Cabin Shelter we met a couple who were Southbound thru hikers. He had on a fancy pair of waterproof mittens made by Mountain Laurel which we questioned him about.

Today we got to experience Big Firescald Knob, a mile and half section of the trail that crossed a rocky top mountain ridge. You did have to use your hands to climb part of this Knob. Lot's of great views, but you had to earn them.

We hiked past White Rock Cliffs to the next spring. Climbed the hillside and made camp for the night. We had lots of dry wood and leaves so we got a campfire going. Once again the cloud came in for the night and totally soaked everything. We heard owls and coyotes thru the night.

Day three:

Long steep downhill today. Our goal is to reach water after crossing Allen Gap. Like every other gap there is a steep climb out. We finally got to Deep Gap and had to hike Little Paint Creek trail to get to our water for the night.

The wind picked up in the gap after we got set up for dinner. While we ate the wind died down. We decided to visit under the old Luci light again tonight. No fire. It sprinkled on and off during the evening and then rained in the night.

Day four:

We got up and while eating breakfast, a big old buck walked by camp. Shortly afterwards as we were hiking another deer crossed the trail stopping in front of us. Then of course here comes the hunter looking for the deer.

Today had a lot of climbs and down hills. When we got to the fire tower they had removed the bottom steps to keep people from climbing it. We crossed US 25 on the bridge and then hiked to the pond which turned out to be a rough water source. We went back up to the spring feeding the pond and filtered our water. We carried our water to the Pump Gap trail and made camp for the night.

The weather was great and we had a good campfire with plenty of wood for the night.

Day five:

Today was a few good ups and downs before the steep climb down to Hot Springs. Lots of views on the way down followed up by another meal at the Smoky Mountain Diner.

We have now passed the 309.1 mile mark on the Appalachian Trail.

Pictures:

AT - Clingman's Dome to Fontana Dam Makeup Hike

                                               
Day One: 3.2                                                        Outcasts Total Miles: 2131.9
Clingman's Dome to Double Springs
Day Two: 7.4
Double Springs to Derrick Knob
Day Three: 8.9
Derrick Knob to Russell Field
Day Four: 8.3
Russell Field to Campsite 113
Day Five: 5.8
Campsite 113 to Fontana Dam
Total Miles: 33.6

Marco missed this section of the AT so we started out our season getting him caught up. From here it will be back to Hot Springs NC. We decided to change it up and hike it backwards so it would be all down hill this time.  HA HA HA.

We dropped off the truck at Fontana dam and drove up to Clingman's dome to start our hike. Our first injury of the trip was Marco's finger. He had his hand out the window with fingers on the roof when an acorn fell and hit it while we were driving.

When we got to Clingman's of course the traffic was backed up for a couple of miles. When we finally got somewhat close to the parking area, we did a U turn and parked on the side of the road. That gave us the chance to warm up before we started hiking. After fielding all the usual questions by the hundreds of people, we finally got on the trail to join the Southbound thru hikers.

We stayed at Double Springs shelter. They had a fire going before we got there which was a blessing for once. We had two thru hikers, two older men (anal and A** hole), Light Red and his three friends for a total of eleven. The lady thru hiker was looking for a place to hang her pack when Troy said that he could move his pack to make room for her friend. She let him know that "I don't have any friends". That of course left her wide open so I had to follow up with "I just got here and she already said that she don't like me! That's my quickest record  with a woman yet!" Lot's of laughter. Later she asked who had the pink water bottle of the four colors of bottles. The one guy said "it's not pink, it's light red". "If you say so", said the the lady. That's how he got his name. We got lots of laughs in that night around the fire.

Day Two:

Started out the day right. Troy had made some dehydrated hash browns to go with my eggs. Another success. Today was lots of up and downs as we headed to Derrick Knob shelter. We had gotten there early enough to gather firewood for the night. A hike came through and asked if we were the Outcasts. He had read our blog. We met Texas and Brother-in-law as they came in to spend the night. Had some more good visiting and time around the fire. Then the rain came in an sent us to bed for the night. It rained hard all night long. I think there were eight in the shelter tonight.

Day Three:

Texas and Brother-in-law said they were staying with us tonight as well at Russell Field shelter. We hiked off into the fog today climbing Thunderhead and Rocky top. We had the same views I had with my Dad and Brother years ago....NOTHING! After we dropped down from the peaks, the clouds cleared and we got to see mountains again.

Troy figured that it was mathematically impossible to go uphill this far and still be going down. He came up with a new song to the music of "99 bottles of beer on the wall." It went "9 miles of hurt to go, 9 miles of hurt, you take a break study the map, nine miles of hurt to go."

Again we arrived at the shelter just before Brother-in-law. The Canadian was already there. He had seen a mother and two cubs back a couple of few miles back, eh? I assume a couple means two, a few is three or more, so around six miles and eh is +/-. Any way, we some more good visiting tonight as the temperature dropped. I got to try Troy's dehydrated bandanna pudding, awesome! No fire because of the 90+ miles and hour wind blowing.

Shortly after we got to bed, Norm stopped by for a visit. Marco tapped my shoulder and told me someone was running down the trail toward the shelter. He came in and while sitting he was opening a pack of tuna. Two seconds later he opened a bag of chips, turned it up and emptied it. He asked about water and was off to get it as soon as we told him where. He almost passed himself on the way back. We asked if he was staying and he said no. He had left Newfound Gap this morning and was heading to Fontana tonight. Getting 41 miles today. I asked if felt like he was missing anything hiking at night and he replied he had already hiked the trail once. He had walked Northbound and turned around and headed back while he had the time to do it.

The wind blew most of the night. At some time when I got up for a bathroom break, I scared off some big animal as I heard it running out through the woods.

Day Four:

Today we hiked up and down. Troy got to do to me what I do to Lora often. I got up from lunch and started following Marco. Shortly I noticed that I didn't have anything in my hands. I turned to go back for my hiking sticks when I noticed Troy carrying four poles with a big grin on his face.

We played tag with Texas and Brother-in-law. They got to campsite 119 first and scared off a mother and three cubs from the campsite. Texas and Brother-in-law headed on to the dam. After getting camp set up Troy and I saw them again down at the bottom of the creek bed. We had another group of five guys that came in later in the evening. One of them yelled on the way in "There's the three stooges." We knew they had talked to Brother-in-law on the trail! Another good campfire night! It sure felt great to be back in our hammocks after all those shelters.

Day Five:

We climbed Shuckstack and the tower for some great views, then made the steep steady hike down to the dam.

Pictures: