Dates ........ Monday, September 17, 2001
Miles ........ 10.4 miles, climb 2150 feet
From ........ Tent Camp at Spivey Gap, US 19W
To ............. "Uncle Johnny's" Nolichucky Hostel, Irwin Tenn.
Weather ... Cool , clear 40 DegF morning, Sunny, warm 70 degF afternoon

Monday, September 17, 2001

No Business Knob, Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel, Nolichucky River and gorge, Temple Ridge, Irwin Tenn.

I got up and broke camp. It was a crisp, clear morning with the temperature at 40 degrees. I crossed highway 19W, climbed the bank on the other side and began my ascent of the Oglesby Branch stream valley. On my way up I met a bow hunter, all decked out in camouflage clothing, face paint and the fanciest gear I had ever seen. Our conversation indicated he owned a specialty archery shop and was out field testing the latest in hunting gear. A nice friendly guy with a southern accent you could cut with a knife, he certainly was dressed to kill, though I doubted his probability of success along the Appalachian Trail. It has been my experience that enough hikers traipse through the AT on a regular basis that most wildlife, especially the timid whitetail deer, are smart enough to avoid it.

Looking at the elevation profile on the map, I had a 600 foot climb out of Spivey Gap and a 500 foot climb out of Temple gap up to Temple ridge, then a sharp descent of 1500 feet over a mile and a half into the Nolichucky River Gorge near Irwin. It was a very jagged line between those points. There were many switchbacks along the rims of steep gorges and gullies and many little knobs to climb as I made my way downhill to the river valley. That's why I had to climb a total of 2150 feet to accomplish a net descent of 1600 feet. That's the way the trail goes in these mountains.

I was motivated to get to the hostel by a desire to call home and take a long, refreshing hot shower. I also figured there would be some people there and that it would be nice to have some human interaction for a change. The switchbacks along the gorges weren't really difficult, unless you stepped off the trail and fell into one of them. The gorges and gullies were steep and beautiful. Often you could look straight across a gorge and see the trail traversing the opposite side hill. The footpath itself was well graded and marked.

I took a late morning break at No Business Knob shelter. It was, like many of the other shelters in the area, lacking a register. No Business Knob (and shelter) got its name from an early hiker that tried to climb to the summit of the knob through its thick underbrush and heavy forest growth after a major forest fire and before the AT was cut through it. He concluded that he had "no business" on that knob. Ironically, it was much the same area that was burned again with a significant forest fire this spring. This time, though, firefighters had the AT from which to take a stand, hold the fire line, and set backfires, preventing a disastrous conflagration. They were successful in their efforts and only 400-500 acres burned.

After dropping into and climbing out of Temple Gap, the trail follows a high, treacherously precipitous ridge in a snake-like fashion before its final twisting, treacherous and steep (1600 foot) switchback descent into the Nolichucky Gorge. There are several places along this portion of the trail where the trail is narrow and covered with loose shale. One shoulder is brushing a tree or rock face while the other hangs off in space 500 feet or more straight down. A missed step, slip or stumble could send a hiker hurtling down the hillside into the gorge below. Certainly the quick way down, but dubiously survivable. The view was spectacular, thrilling and scary. If it were not for my anxiety to get cleaned up an call home, I would have enjoyed staying and savoring the incredible view.

Looking straight down into Nolichucky Gorge from the AT

 

From the same spot, looking ahead into Irwin, TN. Hostel is at left end of bridge, below.

At 1:45 PM I stepped onto the paved highway a few hundred feet from Uncle Johnny's hostel and the Nolichucky River Bridge. I went onto the porch and found no one there except Hillary, a very friendly black & white cat. Self-service instructions and a pay phone got me what I needed. I called home and took a hot shower. Johnny Shores, the proprietor, came along and took me into Irwin to get my mail drop re-supply, some beer and groceries.

I had a nice experience at the post office. Lamenting over the lack of a flag to display my patriotism, a postal worker gave me her red-white-blue ribbon right off her chest. I was touched. The other postal clerk gave me tape and a box to send stuff back home in, instead of making me buy a box and tape as other's had. It was one of the very best post office experiences yet! Thank you, postal employees at Irwin Tennessee.

When I returned to the hostel, a nice trail bum* from Ireland, named "Belfast" was there, along with a man named Bob that was searching his soul along the AT, and a drifter whose name I did not catch. Two other sets of hiker couples with road support (vehicles) came along during my stay, one a nice older couple celebrating their 45th anniversary on the trail. I had a pizza delivered to the hostel. Bob made salmon patties and cooked them over an open fire. I traded him a few slices of pizza for a couple salmon patties - boy - what a meal! Pizza, beer, and salmon patties. I do know how to survive on the trail, Yes, sireee, I do! After supper I put my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches together and arranged my gear for the resumption of the trek tomorrow.

*Trailbum loosely defines a person hiking and working to earn his way along the trail, getting by as best he can, more or less living that way, sometimes for long periods over a year. It is not a derogatory term. Trailbums often hang around hostels and trail towns, working to earn their stay between hikes. I've met several fine gentlemen trail bums over the course of my trekking the AT. I admire their spirit of independence and ingenuity.

It was just after 9:30 PM when the hostel door opened and a shuttle driver from some other outfitter deposited another soul and his gear at the hostel. We greeted him and his voluminous pack while eyeing him with a tad of suspicion. Real hikers and backpackers do not arrive late in a hostel by way of a shuttle from another town. (Yellow-blazers, those that hitchhike or otherwise ride along the trail from road point to road point, and then claim they are "hiking", often do.) Of greater concern was his dress and demeanor.

He was wearing full cut military combat boots (highly unsuited for serious backpacking), military camouflage fatigues and camo backpack, and a huge belt knife. Definitely not the chosen dress or gear for any real backpacker I ever saw. He made it clear in his conversation that he was a long distance hiker and had to do 28 miles by tomorrow evening. He wondered what the trail was like southbound and was thinking of getting a head start by hiking south at night. As much as I did not relish the idea of sharing a bunkroom with this questionable character, I could not mislead him about the dangers on the trail section just south of the hostel. (The trail section I had just hiked to get here). I told him of its treachery, its high cliff edges, its loose shale, its steep drops, twists and turns. He asked me if I'd consider hiking it at night. My reply: NO, not even for a thousand dollars - not for any amount of money. It was too dangerous and not worth the risk. With that, he shouldered his pack and bid us farewell, slipping off into the night. Everyone must make their own hike.

I did not lose any sleep wondering how he was doing. I had a great afternoon, evening and night at Uncle Johnny's.

 

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