Cay Man
05-26-2011, 01:20
So I was hiking from Hot Springs to Erwin a couple of weeks ago. Stayed at the Little Laurel Shelter. Met some other hikers staying there and the next day got up and going and 1 of them tells me about this yellow blaze about 2 miles up the trail that might be worth taking. It was the Jerry Miller trail that cut off 1/10 mile from the AT but was said to be easier on the knees. Whoa. Count me in.
So we take this trail. Suppose to be on it for 1.5 miles and after awhile I think we have gone too far. We missed the cutoff. And by a lot. We just kept going. Turns out we went about 5.5 miles. The Jerry Miller trail dumped out into a "gap" with a parking area.
We crossed a bridge over a big creek. I saw one of those glass plated information centers, 2 cars, a pickup truck, a motor home, a hanging tarp, a golf cart, and 2 guys about 50-55 years old dressed in full camo outfits. So I asked one of them "excuse me sir, but could you tell me where in the heck I am".
He said "Where do you want to be". I told him I was looking for the AT.
"Well h**l man, that about 7 miles that way and there is no way you can there from here".
"Well according to that map over there in that little information center, there is a trail leading up to the AT from the next parking area".
They looked at each other, argued a bit and finally agreed there was a trail nearby leading up to the AT. I personally lost motivation for the day. It rained all friggin day and looked like more on the way. I inquired into a ride possibility up to Sam's Gap which adjoined the AT and was about 10 miles away.
"No, not today. We have been drinking all day and I am not going to jail for you or anyone else".
Sure. That made sense to me.
"You are welcome to setup camp and someone can take you tomorrow. Our boys are off fishin and they'll be back shortly. It’s going to be rainin anyway. The women will be here later today.
Not sure what that meant, but I decided to hang out for awhile. The other guy I was with wanted to push on. He was suppose to go out of the parking area and turn left to pick up the side trail back up to the AT. He turned right. These guys saw his goof and we yelled at him, but he kept going.
These guys offered me a Sprite. I declined. They asked if I wanted a stronger drink and they pull out a mason jar from the back of the pickup. Whoa. That stuff was strong, but pretty good actually.
Turns out the women that was coming was one of these guys wives and his daughter. I asked if his wife could give me a ride up to Sam’s Gap. He explained he didn’t know me and cell phones don’t work out here and he was not going to put his smoking hot wife in that kind of danger.
Sure. That made sense to me, too.
Then it started pouring raining. I went to stand under the overhang of the Information Center. His wife arrived with a brand new gas grill and about 10 minutes later one of the sons came over and invited me under their tarp.
I told the guy I didn’t mean to impose. He said “If you were imposing, I would ask you to leave.”
Well we stood there for about 2 hours just chit chatting under the tarp in the pouring rain sipping from his mason jar and keeping warm with the gas grill a blazin. He finally asked if I liked “stripers”. “Huh?”. “White stripers?” That’s what we are having for dinner and I was welcome to join them.
By that time it was about 5pm. I needed a plan to get to the trail. I told him I wasn’t staying and was going to walk out to the road about 1.5 miles away and hitch a ride. He said his wife was leaving and she would give me a ride. Obviously grateful, I said I would sit the back and be quiet as a door mouse.
He said “ The h**l you will. You sit in the front”. He turned to his daughter and said “get my gun out of the glovebox and if he tries anything, just shoot him.”
OOOk. The ride was fine. They actually took me Hot Springs because Sam’s Gap was out of the way and she has heading to Marshall. I took the ride and then a shuttle the next day up to Sam’s Gap.
Despite everything that happened, they truly were very nice people. I tried to pay the wife for the ride to Hot Springs, but she would not take a dime. That is just the kind of people they were.
CayMan
So we take this trail. Suppose to be on it for 1.5 miles and after awhile I think we have gone too far. We missed the cutoff. And by a lot. We just kept going. Turns out we went about 5.5 miles. The Jerry Miller trail dumped out into a "gap" with a parking area.
We crossed a bridge over a big creek. I saw one of those glass plated information centers, 2 cars, a pickup truck, a motor home, a hanging tarp, a golf cart, and 2 guys about 50-55 years old dressed in full camo outfits. So I asked one of them "excuse me sir, but could you tell me where in the heck I am".
He said "Where do you want to be". I told him I was looking for the AT.
"Well h**l man, that about 7 miles that way and there is no way you can there from here".
"Well according to that map over there in that little information center, there is a trail leading up to the AT from the next parking area".
They looked at each other, argued a bit and finally agreed there was a trail nearby leading up to the AT. I personally lost motivation for the day. It rained all friggin day and looked like more on the way. I inquired into a ride possibility up to Sam's Gap which adjoined the AT and was about 10 miles away.
"No, not today. We have been drinking all day and I am not going to jail for you or anyone else".
Sure. That made sense to me.
"You are welcome to setup camp and someone can take you tomorrow. Our boys are off fishin and they'll be back shortly. It’s going to be rainin anyway. The women will be here later today.
Not sure what that meant, but I decided to hang out for awhile. The other guy I was with wanted to push on. He was suppose to go out of the parking area and turn left to pick up the side trail back up to the AT. He turned right. These guys saw his goof and we yelled at him, but he kept going.
These guys offered me a Sprite. I declined. They asked if I wanted a stronger drink and they pull out a mason jar from the back of the pickup. Whoa. That stuff was strong, but pretty good actually.
Turns out the women that was coming was one of these guys wives and his daughter. I asked if his wife could give me a ride up to Sam’s Gap. He explained he didn’t know me and cell phones don’t work out here and he was not going to put his smoking hot wife in that kind of danger.
Sure. That made sense to me, too.
Then it started pouring raining. I went to stand under the overhang of the Information Center. His wife arrived with a brand new gas grill and about 10 minutes later one of the sons came over and invited me under their tarp.
I told the guy I didn’t mean to impose. He said “If you were imposing, I would ask you to leave.”
Well we stood there for about 2 hours just chit chatting under the tarp in the pouring rain sipping from his mason jar and keeping warm with the gas grill a blazin. He finally asked if I liked “stripers”. “Huh?”. “White stripers?” That’s what we are having for dinner and I was welcome to join them.
By that time it was about 5pm. I needed a plan to get to the trail. I told him I wasn’t staying and was going to walk out to the road about 1.5 miles away and hitch a ride. He said his wife was leaving and she would give me a ride. Obviously grateful, I said I would sit the back and be quiet as a door mouse.
He said “ The h**l you will. You sit in the front”. He turned to his daughter and said “get my gun out of the glovebox and if he tries anything, just shoot him.”
OOOk. The ride was fine. They actually took me Hot Springs because Sam’s Gap was out of the way and she has heading to Marshall. I took the ride and then a shuttle the next day up to Sam’s Gap.
Despite everything that happened, they truly were very nice people. I tried to pay the wife for the ride to Hot Springs, but she would not take a dime. That is just the kind of people they were.
CayMan