On Friday, April 20th, my hiking partner’s girlfriend joined us on the trail for a couple of days hiking. Cindy drove up from South Carolina where she picked up Kokopelli’s dog Dee Dee and made her way to Devil’s Fork Gap and joined us on the trail near the end of a 14 mile hiking day. After crossing over a mountain we set up camp in TN just past Rector Laurel Road. On Saturday, we got up and proceeded to enjoy a 14 mile hike in pretty good weather though it did threaten rain. Cindy and I got to Sam’s Gap before Kokopelli and enjoyed some Trail Magic (yummy non-trail food and drink). We hiked on to yet another Low Gap campsite and were lucky to get inside out tents before it really started to rain.

On Sunday morning we woke up to a cold rain and heavy fog with the threat of snow. I got up and out of camp straight away before eating breakfast and hiked four mile in the rain to Bald Mountain Shelter where we decided to contact Uncle Johnny at the Nolichucky Hostel and arrange for a ride into Erwin, TN. Three hours later, at Spivey Gap, three wet and cold hikers and one wet and dirty dog were on our way down the mountain, on the twisty road, into Erwin and a dry place to sleep for the night.

Monday morning dawned wet and rainy with promises of more rain and snow in the mountains. Cindy and Dee Dee were on their way back home and my mother came to Erwin and picked us up for a couple of zero days in Green Mountain with her and my dad. It rained off and on for those two days, but the rest and yummy food were good. Wednesday we got back on the trail at Spivey Gap (40 minutes from my mom’s house) and were hit with rain a few more times before arriving in Damascus, VA ten days later. I hiked into Damascus today with just a few spatters of rain, but this afternoon it really came down hard.

So all I have to say is rain rain go away, come again some other day (when I am done with the trail or at least on a zero day).