I spent six nights at Above the Clouds Hostel as part of one of their group slackpacking trips, arriving the afternoon of September 23, and greeted by Nimrod’s heavenly-smelling kitchen. (Nimrod made fresh bread everyday.) As stated in my earlier post, the group was small and intimate with only one other person, Robyn, a nurse and runner–and with much more stamina than I! Lucky (hostel owner) hiked with us on day one, but after completing the first day on the trail, he felt confident that we could increase our mileage for the remainder of our stay. On days two through five, Lucky hiked only parts of the trail with us, typically dropping us in the morning and meeting us on the second portion of the hike. What a wonderful experience! I’ll always remember the entire trip, but here are some of the highlights:
| Day 1 | Springer Mountain to Hightower Gap | 8.9 miles |
| Day 2 | Hightower Gap to Woody Gap | 11.9 miles |
| Day 3 | Woody Gap to Neel Gap | 10.8 miles |
| Day 4 | Neel Gap to Hogpen Gap | 6.9 miles |
| Day 5 | Hogpen Gap to Unicoi Gap | 14 miles |
On day one, we were on the trail by 9:00 and hiked the one mile to the top of Spring Mountain, the start of the trail, before hiking the same one mile back down. We hiked over rocks and and roots and paused to lunch beside Long Creek Falls. After six hours of hiking, this Florida girl’s body cried for a break! I returned to the hostel, sliding out of the truck on wobbly legs, and greeted by a room scented with candles and a delicious steak dinner.
Day two hiking started with Nimrod’s yummy blueberry pancakes, sausage, and home fries. Our hike began at Hightower Gap, and within the first couple of hours, we had climbed Unnamed Mountain and Sassafras, somehow avoiding the forecasted rain. We lunched beside Justus Creek before ascending some very ominous-looking stairs. Before lunch, Robyn had spotted two bears, and that afternoon, I came across one just off the trail. Dang! Those things are fast! We completed 11.9 miles and returned home to a heavenly-smelling dinner of boneless chicken thighs sauteed in a teriyaki sauce and smothered with a fruit salsa.
We began day three with a quick breakfast of egg and bacon sandwiches and departed to Woody Gap by 6:15. At Woody Gap, we hiked one mile in the dark to the top of Preacher’s Rock to watch a gorgeous sunrise. What a glorious and ethereal start to the day!
Neels Gap to Hogpen Gap on day four was the shortest hike so far–only 6.9 miles, but the last climb to Hogpen proved the toughest to this point. The day started sunny, but cold–so, I layered up, happy for the buff I had picked up at the outfitter the day before.
Our last day on the trail began with a breakfast of french toast, home fries, and fruit. It ended with shrimp primavera and homemade cornbread. We hiked about eight hours and covered the last fourteen miles to Unicoi Gap. The trail started out easy and mild, but the last two to three miles were nuts! The path was narrow, rocky, and rooty, and at times, I had to search for a spot to step. We completed the 52.5 miles, and I was thrilled to have suffered only muscle aches and pains during the five days.
Footprints and Ripples 