Days 30-32

May 2-4

Cosby Knob Shelter to 

Groundhog Creek Shelter

Day 30

Cosby Knob Shelter to Pigeon River Bridge

Today was a great day on the trail.  The skies were clear, and the temperature was in the 80s.  There was one three-mile climb, and the remaining seven miles were downhill.

   

A large black snake crossed the trail.  The snake didn't seem to have any interest in me, but it seemed fascinated with my phone.  I decided to name this photogenic gal Shannon after a friend of mine.

Rocky keeping Commando company

We met Bright Eyes on the way down.  She is on her last 250 miles of the International Appalachian Trail (IAT), which she started in May of 2023.  The IAT is 3300 miles and starts in Newfoundland.  She was in need of some dog therapy, and Rocky was happy to oblige.  Bright Eyes had been hiking with her dog Sadie.  Her dog came up missing about 50 miles ago.  She has been searching for Sadie unsuccessfully for the last six weeks.

Bright Eyes with Rocky

Sadie

Day 30 Trail Profile

We continued on past Davenport Gap (1,953 miles to go) to our planned meeting spot.  Sally made a slight navigational error in meeting us.  Did I mention that Sally's nickname is "Wrong Way Sally"?  Rocky, Commando, and I waited for her in the shade under an overpass.  We eventually met Sally near the Pigeon River Bridge by Interstate 40.  We're taking a zero day in Waynesville, North Carolina tomorrow.

Note from Sally:  Zap, Rosie, and I were waiting patiently at the "Pigeon River Crossing" (another bridge) a few miles down until I realized that there were no hikers and no AT signs or white blazes anywhere nearby.  Titanium (Dan) and I connected via phone a few minutes later, and a scratched note I had made during planning told me that the right underpass was about a mile from the "Standing Bear Hostel," which my GPS was able to locate as the one and only Standing Bear Hostel.  Whew!  I may go the wrong way, but I get there eventually. 😀

Day 31

Zero Day in Waynesville, NC

Sally here -- Dan (Titanium) asked that I write the blog for the zero day in Waynesville.  The above photo was taken at The Scotsman, a Scottish restaurant housed in an historic building in downtown Waynesville.  

We had lunch there with Commando and joined him in the drink he had been dreaming of while sleeping under a rainy sky in his tent in the Smokies.

The hikers had definitely earned their lunches.  Titanium asked me to bring a bathroom scale.  When he weighed himself fresh off the trail, he had lost 19 pounds since beginning the AT a month ago.  After showering off the dirt, he had lost 20 pounds.

The zero-day resupply shopping included trips to Ingles and WalMart, where Commando and Titanium decided on lightweight in-town shirts.  Although they bought the shirts, both left them behind in the end -- too much weight added to the backpacks after the food resupply!

The Scotsman happened to be across the street from Smoky Mountain Dog Bakery, and we just happened to have three dogs with us.

Dog Treat Bar -- Free Samples!

For the hikers, the rest of the day was spent doing laundry, packing and repacking the backpacks, and catching up on blog material (Titanium) and video material (Commando).  I was able to work remotely during this quiet time.  For those of you anxiously awaiting the next episode in Commando's video log, I understand it is almost through the editing process and will be posted soon.  

Titanium and I had made reservations in a dog-friendly motel that turned out to be another easy-going, eclectic place to stay.  The Grandview Lodge was originally an 1890 farmhouse that then had other rooms and features added to it in the 1940s, 1950s, 1970s, and 2000s.  In the meantime, a neighborhood sprang up around it.  We heard the history from the co-owner/cook/housekeeper, who made an incredible breakfast that was included in the reasonable room rate.  

The hotel rooms are each named for a different historical figure from North Carolina, and this one was ours.  Wikipedia says that Chief William Holland Thomas was a white man who was adopted by a small band of Cherokee and eventually became its chief.  He was also a colonel in the confederate army and seems to have quite the complicated life with many varied (and maybe conflicting) roles.

Rocky, Zap, and Rosie were very comfortable there.  Next morning it would be time for Rocky to hit the trail again with the hikers.

Day 32

Green Corner Road to Groundhog Creek Shelter

After our zero day in Waynesville, Sally dropped us off in the rain, at the AT, on Green Corner Road just below Standing Bear Hostel.  Because we got a late start, we planned to hike seven miles.

Rocky thinking the warm, dry car might be preferable to the rain,
but he cheered up soon!

  

The first five miles was uphill.  Other than being steep, there were no technical challenges.  When I got to the top of the climb, Commando was kicked back and taking a break.

At the top of the climb there was an operating VOR (Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range Station).  VORs are used as aviation location beacons but are being replaced by GPS.  

The last two miles consisted of a steady downhill.  The rain cleared off and on throughout the day, revealing a lot of wildflowers.

We made camp at the Groundhog Creek Shelter at about mile 249 on the AT.

Day 32 Trail Profile

Groundhog Creek Shelter

Note from Sally:  

After I dropped off the hikers, I took Zap and Rosie to the trailhead the hikers had come down from two days before to explore the waterfall there.  Someone had left trail magic at the end of the trail for hungry hikers coming down.  I added a cold Vitamin Water and Fritos to the trail magic, and then Zap, Rosie, and I enjoyed a beautiful sample of the AT before heading home.

Rosie REALLY enjoyed the waterfall!