Our troop of travelers did 70 miles in 5 days to arrive in Erwin, TN on Monday night. After a brief overnight at Uncle Johnnies Nolichucky Hostel and Outfitters, they were back on the trail Tuesday. I didn't get a call so there are few details. But they are out of Erwin and headed north again.
If they stay on track Mileage wise, they should be around the Clyde Smith Shelter 363.9 NoBo by days end today. The link takes you to a picture of this grand spacious shelter. That makes over three HUNDRED miles in just over 30 days. Considering there has been a zero day and several short days, they have kept up an incredible pace. They are in Carter county in the great state of Tennessee. These next couple days are almost all uphill. They will be gaining close to three thousand feet in elevation before topping out at Roan High Knob at 6275 Ft of elevation. When they left Erwin on Tuesday, they were at 3070 ft elevation. If they skip Clyde Smith they will hit Roan high Knob Shelter. This is the highest elevation shelter on the trail, has a real door so is fully enclosed, and an upstairs. It is known as one of the coldest shelters on the trail.They are in the Roan Mountain State Park.
I bet few of us could do 10 miles on straight roadway let alone up and down mountain ranges day after day. That is some very impressive mileage. I'll get a call in the next few days to get the next food drop location and hope to have another long post to provide you with more stories along the A.T. For now, we just have to marvel at the speed they are trucking through the trail.
So much has been made about the awesomeness of Trail Magic along the way. I think if our readers are going to be unable to join the gang along the trail, a great way of supporting them without having to put in all the miles is to prepare and set up a Trail Magic location. The AT meets the road at so many locations it won't require a lot of hiking in to set up. All you need is some snacks, water, and a big smile to greet the weary hikers as they come in. Please think about starting one. They should be up in New England by July, and that would be the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors and perk up the spirits of some trail weary people. Even if you don't catch Hollywood, Julia Childs, or Tripwire, the satisfaction in helping out the cause will be plenty. Melissa wanted me to post this up to encourage even the most slothful of us to get out and join in on the fun.
More news and adventures on the next call in from the trail.
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