Day 18

Sun. Sept 14 Watauga Lake Shelter to Double Spring Shelter 22 miles Weather: hot and clear Man life is good. After worrying most of the day, I'm at a shelter all by myself with a decent spring and a hot dinner. So I got up and out of bed and ready to go pretty quick. I packed a bunch of water because I didn't know when I would be getting some next. It turned out to be a hot sweaty day so I was trying to drink plenty but also conserve as well as I could. After crossing over the Watauga Lake dam, I ran into a group of Boy Scouts just coming off the trail. Man did they get hit hard by a nest of yellow jackets. They all had about 4 stings. They let me know that the nest was about a half mile up. Now the trail goes almost straight up from the dam road up Iron Mountain. So I'm taking it nice and slow up the edge of this ridge knowing that at any second I might have to start sprinting. And the scouts got to run down to get away, I had to climb straight up. Eventually, I hike past this large hole and sure enough it was filled with little yellow and black things. I just continued on normally and not a one even came to buzz by me. Ya, I knew this was going to be a good day. I got a water update from the scouts. All the springs were dry except for at Vandeventer Shelter. They had stopped at the Iron Mountain Shelter where I was planning on spending the night, but didn't check the water source. I had already heard horror stories about the hike to the Vandeventer spring, and nobody was stretching the truth. I had already hiked 7 miles and was pretty tired. Then to get water, I hiked straight down the side of the mountain that I had just climbed. There was a puddle at the bottom with a bunch of critters swimming around in it. It amuses me that you want stuff swimming in your water hole. Its when you don't see them that you start worrying. I lug the water up the never ending slope to the shelter. Behind the shelter were perfect cliffs for relaxing over lunch and looking out to Watauga lake below. From here I knew I had another 7 miles to the next shelter. The problem was that I didn't know if there would be any water there. Carrying another full load of water was a nice workout. I was soaked in sweat. I found two older folks cooking dinner at the next shelter. This of course, is just after I discovered that the "dependable" spring at the shelter is dust. I sit down and help the pair remember how many ounces are in a cup, saving their dinner. They had half a cup of water left and were just going to bail out of their trip in the morning. So I had a big decision to make. Do I stay there and do dinner and breakfast with the quart of water I had left or do I continue on with less than an hour of daylight? The register was extremely outdated, so I had no help from any recent AT hikers. If all of this was dry, why would the next shelter be any different? So I made a plan. I decided to go on another 7.6 miles to the next shelter and if there was no water there, I would meet the couple back 3 miles at the road by 11am the next morning. So I ate a quick Cliff bar and hit the trail. I was making dang good speed because I was carrying so little weight. It started drizzling just before I hit the road so I put on my headlamp and packcover. After the road was beautiful. With the almost full moon just lightly blocked by the clouds, I turned my light off and could see nothing but rolling pastures with mountains rising behind them. I followed the trail in the dark for about half a mile until there was no more trail, just white markings every 100ft and pasture. Another half hour on I came across a bog with a spring running through it. I didn't know whether I could trust it, but I filled up anyway. Another mile up I hit the shelter. I flung off my pack and went to go check the spring. Nothing was coming out of the pipe, but the pool was full. Success! As I cooked dinner the rain steadily picked up and now its a full out downpour. I'm not too worried about how damp my sleeping bag is getting since this puts me only 18 miles out of Damascus. I can't believe this section is almost over. I think the people ask for the loudest tin possible when making shelters. I can barely hear myself think. But its a heck of a lot better than being in the rain. High: beautiful view at Vandeventer Low: 15 miles with no water