We started the week still in Gatlinburg and ended it at Uncle Johnny’s, where I came up with a wild idea. More about that in a little bit.
| Miles Since Last Update | Total Miles Hiked | Miles Remaining |
|---|
24.5
106.9
2008.1
We left Gatlinburg and headed to Johnson City to return the rental. This was the closest rental return we could find, as we were getting back on at Sam’s Gap (mile 320). We checked into the hotel, dropped off our bags as well as Tony and Helen, and headed to Enterprise, hoping that they could bring us back. Thankfully, they were able to. Then we set out to find a shuttle to get us back to the trail in the morning.
We got back on at Sam’s Gap and started making our climb to Big Bald.
We passed by a beautiful open meadow, where we stopped for snacks and a picture.
The next 4.5 miles seemed to go on forever, with the last 1/2 mile climb to Big Bald being steep. Just when you thought you might be done…nope! But once you got there, the view was absolutely amazing. We spent some time at the top before heading to Bald Mountain Shelter, where we set up our tents for the night.
The next morning began with Helen puking and her trying to get us to just leave her there. Turns out she had a massive migraine. I told her there was no way I was leaving her here. I’d figure out some way to get her off this mountain and into a dark hotel room.
The nearest hap was 6 miles away and for the most part downhill, with just a couple of small climbs. We all packed up and headed out. We let her lead the way so she could set the pace, and her pace was that of a snail (for obvious reasons). We had made it about three miles and Tony offered to carry her pack the rest of the way. She handed it over, and he took off to get to the gap. Thankfully, he had some help carrying it from another hiker named Hearbeat, who passed us and we told the story to. Heartbeat caught up with him and took over.
We sent Jerry on ahead as well. I stayed behind with Helen and ended up passing another hiker (I use that term loosely here) who also appeared very sick. He didn’t have on normal hiker clothes or carry normal hiker gear, but not everyone does. Anyway, we made it to the gap where trail magic was! So we got to have some trail magic while waiting for our shuttle. They were so amazing, even offering to take us to town (but we already scheduled a shuttle). They actually stayed around until we were picked up safe and sound! Thank you so much for your kindness!
The next day, we took an unplanned zero so Helen could recover.
The next day we were headed back out and made it to No Business Knob Shelter where it turns out the hiker we saw two days before had gotten sick at the shelter and left trash and his pants. We tented far away from the shelter and warned everyone who walked up so they could also avoid it. Needless to say, the tenting area was FULL.
As we were getting ready to settle in, guess who walked up? Fancy Pants!!!! We haven’t seen her since the Pinhoti!
The next day, we got up super early (4 am) and headed to Uncle Johnny’s, an iconic point on the trail. The goal was to get there by 9 am so we could catch the morning shuttle into town to resupply.
This was our first time on this trek to hike in the dark. I forgot how interesting it can be. Not being able to really see anything around you gives you a new perspective of the trail. The noises are different. It’s almost like it is a completely different trail.
We stopped at Temple Hill Gap for what we thought would be a quick snack. However, we were making such great time we decided to pause for a bit longer and watch the sun rise.
Once the sun rose, we told the young bucks to go ahead (it was uphill and they are faster). We told them we would see them at Uncle Johnny’s. As we made our way to Uncle Johnny’s, I got a wild idea. What if we grabbed my truck and did some key swapping? We could set up a base camp somewhere and slackpack every day, allowing us to cover more miles. It would also come in handy if there were an injury or sickness, and we wouldn’t have to rely on shuttles, which were in constant demand (you typically needed to book them at least 24 hours in advance).
When we got to Uncle Johnny’s, we ran the plan past the Young Bucks (because it would only work if they were with us and it was going to cost Jerry and I some money up front, but cheaper for all of us in the long run), and they really liked the idea. So we set up a shuttle for the next day to go pick up a rental car so we could make the 6-hour drive to my Mom’s to pick up my truck.
Leave a Comment or Suggestion