McAfee Hikes

Date Written: 11/23/2024 | AT Mile 1852.7 | Day Total: 12.1 miles | Gain: 1086 ft

Didn’t sleep well last night. Wind was still whipping this morning. I would wake up every few minutes to a loud gush of wind. I got an additional 1-2 inches of snow last night.

I packed up everything in my tent before heading out into the tundra. The good news is that all 12 miles into town today should have been cleared of blowdowns according to FarOut comments.

I had a little 300 ft climb up to Beauty Spot (not the Gap where I currently was). This climb was pretty difficult and my stride was one foot in front of the other. There were a few drifts that were nearly to my knee. After 10 min I already had my pack of and I shed another layer because I was too hot. Despite the difficulty it was beautiful! Hence its name Beauty Spot!

It was very foggy and gusty still and I was glad to be heading down. The rest of the day I’ll slowly be walking down 3000ft into Erwin.

As I got lower the snow became heavier and not as tall. I was slowly able to pick up my pace throughout the day.

When I was low enough the fog (or clouds) had cleared and I was able to see across the valley. The neighboring ridge was filled with blowdowns highlighted by the snow. It’s so interesting how spotty and patternless the blowdown fields are.

Passed an old house foundation as FarOut calls it just before I took a break.

I took a snack break at Curley Maple Shelter with 4 miles to go. It’s a nice one. Wish I was better spaced to spend the night here. It’s so difficult to plan my nights ahead of me because I’m not sure how fast or slow I’ll be moving through the trail. I’ve also been trying to camp near roads just I case I need to bail.

The snow was completely gone when I reached the bottom of the mountain. It’s crazy how just 4 hours ago I was trudging through 8inches of it in extremely gusty winds.

I got to the Erwin around 1pm. The last mile I was walking along the side of the mountain above the Nolichucky River. This river flooded and reeked havoc during Helene. The river rock was everywhere and dump trucks were actively speeding down the newly constructed gravel road moving earth.

I soon made it to the parking area on the northern side of the river. The AT normally crosses over a bridge right here but if I had keep blindly walking I would have fallen 15ft into the river. This concrete bridge was completely washed out.

I could see Uncle Johnny’s (a hiker hostel) across the street. It got demolished during the storm when the river flooded.

I called Unicoi Shuttle for a ride into town but he was currently unavailable and recommend that I hitch into town. I started walking down the road for 5 minutes before the first car came by heading the same direction as I was. I stuck my thumb out and he stopped! May have been the easiest hitch I’ve ever gotten. He was a local driving around in his truck checking on how things were moving along after the storm. He dropped me off at the Food City near the hotel I was going to stay at. I resupplied and got some food for lunch, snack and breakfast today and tomorrow.

I checked into my room and was it reliving to be in a controlled climate. It’s the small things in everyday life that you never think of normally. You’re almost always in a controlled climate in day to day life.

After unpacking and getting a shower I ate some lunch and settled in. I’ve got all my stuff out thawing and drying.

I’ve got a little headache, pretty sure it’s from the loud whipping of my tent all through the night. Took some ibuprofen when I got into town – this would only be the second time I’ve taken ibuprofen my whole hike. The first time it was also for a headache.

For dinner I walked over to Bojangles. Never had it before – reminded me of the few times I’ve had Canes.

Going to get some good sleep tonight hopefully. Got a 9am shuttle with Unicoi shuttle tomorrow. In our text thread he said he’s been following my FarOut comments and looking forward to talking with me. I think I’m the only crazy sobo forcing through the blowdowns. He’s the shuttle driver making the long drive to get hikers past the blowdowns.