Tenessee, North Carolina now in Tenessee, now North Carolina....

It turns out that when we were at Trail Days a dog decided that our tarp would make a good bathroom. Unfortunately we did not figure this out until we were a couple of miles out of Hot Springs, back on the AT. We discovered that there was a hostel only half a mile off trail 16 miles out of town, so we made a bee-line there, and got a room for the night. Borrowing a bucket, and a stick of laundry soap, we were able to wash our afflicted gear.

The next day we hiked along a rugged ridge line most of the day, for the most rugged terrain we had encountered so far. There were stone steps, and even a 6 foot wall that we had to climb down. We had beautiful views in both directions, with the ridge culminating in a rock formation with the dubious name "Big Butt". For the first time on our trip so far, we had a shelter to ourselves! We celebrated with a giant pot of rice and chicken, and went to bed early.

We went up and over Big Bald, Little Bald, camped at Whistling Gap and then down to Uncle Johny's Hostel the following day. On bikes borrowed from the hostel we rode into Erwin to pick up supplies, including the most vital item of all: Double Bacon Cheese Burgers! Yum. We managed to get in and out of town in a few short hours, then back on the trail to Curley Maple Gap Shelter. Early in the next day we made it to Beauty Spot, where there was one hold over from Billville, who hooked us up with cheap beer! A little tipsy, we stumbled over Unaka Mt., which was like a little enchanted forest, and crashed at Greasy Creek Gap.

The next 3 nights we stayed at Over Mountain Shelter (a giant red barn), Vango and Abby Memorial Hostel, and Kincora Hostel, pretty nice accommodations! The Kincora Hostel, run by Bob Peoples, had more hikers per square foot than we had ever seen. There was a cabin built into the side of Bob's house, and there were bunks in every spare room. We were able to snag the executive suite, a small private room with a double bed! We got a ride with other hikers into Hampton, TN, got our resupply and a large pizza, showered up and laundered our clothes, then had a nice night chatting with the other hikers.

The next morning, four Texas boys we had been hiking off and on with made breakfast for pretty much everyone. Best breakfast burrito ever! The hike out had some of the most dramatic rock formations we have seen. We went through large cracks in up-turned rock walls, scaled down cliff faces and saw a large, multi-leveled water fall. After the trail went pointlessly up and over Pond Flats, a deceptively named steep climb, we went down to the beach on Watauga Lake. There was a family swimming area, barbecue pits, picnic tables, and a ton of people. Feeling out of place, we decided to cook a pot of ramen and move on, but before we could eat, we were invited to eat BBQ with one of the families! BBQ chicken, cheese burgers, hot dogs, baked beans, chili, 2 types of brownies, and soda... they had it all. Half staggering with the weight in our bellies we made it to the crowded Vandeventer Shelter for the night.

We were getting close to Damascus, VA. With the proper motivation (namely town food), we were able to cover the remaining 33 miles in a day plus a few extra hours the next day. First order of business in town was of course the Dairy King - double bacon cheeseburgers and chocolate shakes. We stayed the night at The Place, a bunk house / hostel run by the local Methodist church. We decided to send home some gear to lighten our loads a little bit, and Don't Panic scored a used backpack at a very reasonable price from another hiker who had bought a new one (DP's pack straps were ripping beyond repair). A steak and egg breakfast and it will be back to the trail!