(Uncle Johnny's Hostel (mile 344.2) - Beauty Spot (mile 355))

I woke up at a little before 8am to find that a bird had pooped on my tent. This is the kind of thing I expect to find on trail, not during my overnight in “civilization.” What a lovely way to start the morning😂

After cleaning off my tent, I ate two of my leftover doughnuts and left my stuff in my tent just in time to catch me and Katie’s 8:45am shuttle to Walmart for our vaccine appointment. Our shuttle driver was named Doug and we learned that he was a snake breeding hobbyist and avid herper (someone who enjoys seeking out reptiles and amphibians). We chatted about rattlesnakes and he quizzed me with a challenge to ID a pine snake - which I did.

Doug dropped us at Walmart and we had no trouble checking in for vaccine appointment. Everything was surprisingly casual, and the pharmacy accepted a picture of my insurance info on my phone. As far as I could tell, the vaccine was free and they just wanted the insurance info to help them keep track of who was getting vaccinated.

Last night I was unexpectedly able to book a COVID vaccine appointment at the Walmart in Erwin, Tennessee!

I got stabbed by a guy named Chuck who explained that I could just show my vaccination card for the second dose in 28 days. I was relieved to know that I wasn’t expected to get my follow up dose at the same pharmacy. Hell, in 28 days I’ll be somewhere in Virginia. Katie and I waited in the “make sure you don’t have an allergic reaction” chairs while I ate my last doughnut, an avocado, and a tangerine. Neither of our throats swelled after about 10 minutes, so we figured we were good to go.

Doug shuttled us back to the hostel and I packed my things while charging my phone and camera. I then sat around for a bit while eating extra food from Katie and Jasmine's resupply that they didn’t need. After eating my fill, I started hiking around 12:45pm. The afternoon sun was intense, so I applied my suncreen and crossed my fingers hoping to avoid a crazy sunburn. After crossing the Nolichucky River and some railroad tracks, the trail followed the river for about a mile. Things cooled off as the trail followed a creek for next 2 miles, then heated up again as I really began the climb from Erwin and the Nolichucky River.

The climb was intense. Rocky, hot, and dry. I’ve mostly been hiking in pants, but this afternoon, I was grateful for my shorts. I stopped for a late lunch at Curly Maple Gap Shelter where I met two thru-hikers from Pennsylvania. One of them, a bearded gentleman named “Mose,” carried a big mirrorless camera, which he said he was happy with. Maybe some day I’ll upgrade my trusty Panasonic point-and-shoot for a mirrorless design. Probably the Panasonic G7, because I’ve been super happy with my last two Panasonic cameras.

I left Curly Maple Gap Shelter around 3pm with about 6.5 miles to go until Beauty Spot, an apparently beautiful bald where I was hoping to camp depending on my water situation. There were a number of water sources in the next mile, then none until after Beauty Spot. I loaded up on water at the last stream after the shelter and hoped it would get me through the evening at Beauty Spot. If not, I would just hike on to the water source a little past Beauty Spot.

The rest of the afternoon involved a lot of climbing. The trail was wide and well-tread. For about 30 minutes I experienced some pretty intense gastrointestinal discomfort, which may have to do with the insane amount of fruit, berries, and dried fruit I consumed over the last two days. Fortunately, I was able to keep hiking and eventually the discomfort passed.

The soundtrack of my afternoon was Johanna Warren’s 2020 album “Chaotic Good,” which Anna Claire introduced me to after listening to her interview on the Mushroom Revival podcast. I enjoyed the album a lot and it set a mysterious, slightly ominous tone that made for good hiking. The weather had really mellowed out, and I expected a nice sunset from Beauty Spot.

Made it to Beauty Spot around 6:15pm. The views were incredible and I immediately knew I would be spending the evening on the bald. I was a bit disappointed to see a parking lot maybe 100 yards from the summit, but I had the bald to myself at the moment. The summit wasn’t too windy, so I set up my tent nearby the summit with the short end oriented toward the wind. As I was setting up my tent, I noticed black flies for the first time since I’ve been on trail. They mostly buzzed around me annoyingly, but a couple also had the audacity to bite. I pulled on my rain racket and pants for a little extra bug protection and hung my bear bag near the parking lot. I then ate my pad Thai ramen dinner while breathing in the views. Lots of cars started arriving with folks eager to watch the sunset. There was even a couple taking engagement photos with a professional photographer. I took a time lapse of the sunset, and crawled into my tent. Today was a good day.

Set up my tent on Beauty Spot, a really gorgeous bald that is popular with day hikers