(Spivey Gap (mile 333.1) - Uncle Johnny's Hostel (mile 344.2) *overnight at Uncle Johnny's*)

I left Spivey Gap at 7:00am with the goal of reaching Uncle Johnny’s by noon. The hostel offers shuttles into Erwin three times a day, so I assumed one of those times must be noon. I felt confident I could make it ~11 miles in five hours. My pace usually falls between two and three miles per hour, so the timing should be pretty perfect.

I hoped that I would be able to spend as much time in town as possible because I had some errands to run. My first priority was to make it to the outfitter for a new pair of shoes. At this point, both of my current shoes (Altra Lone Peak 4.5s) have giant blown out holes where the fabric meets the sole on the inner side of each shoe. After nearly 350 miles, plus probably about 100 miles pre-trail, I’d say I’m happy with how long my they’ve lasted. Frankly, the holes haven’t been a major inconvenience. I haven’t noticed rocks or sticks invading my shoes, but it would still probably still be best to grab a new pair. If the damage gets worse (like a sole suddenly detaches), I wouldn’t want to be three days from the next town. Plus, the new Altra Lone Peak 5s are out, so maybe Altra has made some durability improvements.

I also wanted to make stops at Taco Bell and Dunkin Doughnuts, so thoughts of beefy Fritos burritos and strawberry sprinkles motivated me through a fairly uneventful 11 miles. As I got closer to Uncle Johnny’s, I was treated to a couple nice views of what turned out to be the Nolichucky River. Now I know what a “Nolichucky” is😅

View of the Nolichucky River while climbing down towards Erwin

I arrived at Uncle Johnny’s around 11:30am during what must have been a staff lunch break. The front office was closed, so I sat around worrying that I may have already missed the shuttle. I chatted with a couple thru-hikers who showed up including a young lady named “fun-fact” who had taken a strange road walk detour to get to Uncle Johnny’s this morning. Eventually the office was opened and I secured my $15 tentsite, which really meant I could set up my tent wherever there was space on the back lawn. I was also told that the shuttle should be arriving shortly.

Uncle Johnny's offered a $15 tenting option which included shower access, laundry, and a shuttle to town

The shuttle driver turned out to be Uncle Johnny’s wife. Uncle Johnny passed away a few years back, but his wife still runs the hostel, which hosts thru-hikers as well as rafters and kayakers. She was very nice and suggested I swing by the town pharmacy to get a COVID vaccine, which they were now offering to thru-hikers. She dropped us off in downtown Erwin and I made my way to the pharmacy where I was disappointed to learn that they don’t offer COVID vaccines on Tuesdays. Why? I have no idea.

Next, I made my way to Erwin Outdoor Supply. I knew what I needed, so I expected this to be a quick stop. I asked for Altra Lone Peaks in a size 11.5 and was disappointed to learn they were sold out of my size. I asked if they had any similar sizes and the shoe guy asked if I’d like to try a size 10.5 wide. I figured “why not?” My hopes were low. Feet tend to widen over the course of a thru-hike, so if anything, I should probably size up. To my surprise, the 10.5 wide shoes fit perfectly. I held the soles up against my old 11.5 and they appeared to be the same size. I am not usually one to make accusations, but it felt like the 10.5 wide shoes were just relabeled 11.5s🤔

New shoes from the outfitter in Erwin! The first pair was looking a bit ragged after 344 miles😅

With new shoes glistening, I made my way to Taco Bell. I have a pretty standard order at Taco Bell. It usually involves some combination of cheesy bean and rice burritos and beefy Fritos burritos in varying quantities depending on my level of hunger. This time I ordered two of each. As I sat down and dug into my order, I was devastated to discover that I had received two cheese burritos instead of two cheesy bean and rice burritos. I didn’t feel like making a big deal about it, so I ate my food and made my way across the parking lot to Food City for my resupply.

My last stop in town was Dunkin Doughnuts where I bought a half-dozen doughnuts. I ate three while waiting for the shuttle back to Uncle Johnny’s.

Later that evening at the hostel I ran into Excel. She told me that her, Puddin, and Jasmine had been at Walmart when they were approached by a pharmacy worker who asked if they wanted to get a COVID vaccine. Apparently, there had been a few no-show vaccine appointments, and the pharmacy staff didn’t want the thawed vaccines to go to waste. There weren’t enough vaccines for Katie to get one, so she had scheduled an appointment first thing in the morning as well as a private shuttle. All I had to do was schedule my own early morning vaccine appointment on the Walmart website and I could tag along with Katie to get vaxxed. I scheduled my appointment, took a shower, did laundry, and worked on some Hiker’s Log entries before bed.