START TIME: 5:05 AM 
END TIME: 8:35 PM
Today Jen had more miles, more visits, and—at long last—rain.
I dropped her off early at Uncle Johnny’s Hostel and the Nolichucky River then I went back to the hotel to get some more sleep.
When Hampton and I eventually hit the road, it took us a few extra minutes to find the trail crossing at Spivey Gap. I’d like to blame it on the rain and the semi-darkness, but every once in a while, I just miss the trail. We eventually spotted it and for the first time in over 6 weeks, Jen and I were back in North Carolina. Woohoo!
After we convinced Hampton NOT to take his can of lima beans, (apparently, he has a lima bean fixation. Which is fine. I’m not judging. But on the trail, they’re a bad idea because they’re too heavy) the two of them struck out on a 13.4-mile stretch to Sam’s Gap. They managed to avoid the rain on top of Little Bald and Big Bald, which were the only exposed sections on the trail today. So that was good.
I went back to Erwin to check e-mail, make some calls, pick up a map from Uncle Johnny’s and a few other things from the grocery store. Then I made one of the best decisions of the entire trip: I stopped at the Dari Ace. (I have no idea why it’s spelled that way. I meant to ask but I forgot.).
I ordered a bacon double cheeseburger for Jen and bacon cheeseburgers for Hampton and me. It took a while but, wow, were those burgers worth the wait. Next time you’re in Erwin, do yourself a favor and stop by the Dari Ace.
From there, I headed down to Sam’s Gap to wait for Jen and Hampton and to meet Jen’s Samford friend, Mark Catlin, and our Asheville friends, Matthew and Erica Johnson, and their one-year-old, Eliza.
Matthew and Erica brought Jen homemade cookies and a milkshake from an Asheville joint called French Fryz. And Mark brought a video of his toddler son blowing Jen kisses and wishing her good luck.
Matthew and Erica hiked in with Eliza to meet Jen and Hampton. Eventually, they all came down the trail and Jen took a short break. Then Mark hiked the next 8.2 miles with her to Devils Fork Gap while Hampton and I drove the cars around and the Johnsons went to Erwin to play in the Nolichucky River.
Mark hadn’t planned on hiking with Jen. He’d just driven all the way from Raleigh because he’s a great guy and he wanted to encourage her. But Jen managed to rope him into hiking a stretch. Before they set out, Mark said, “I may not be able to keep up.” Jen smiled and said, “That’s ok. I’ll drop you if you’re slow.”
I didn’t really think she would drop him. But she did. She came plowing down a cow pasture during another rain shower without Mark. He did make it down to the car before she finished her break, so they were able to say goodbye.
Mark gushed about what a freak Jen was. I tried to make him feel better by explaining that lots of folks have had trouble keeping up with her. He told me that in college, he and another guy would say, “How far could Jen Pharr go if Jen Pharr could go far?” This afternoon, he said, “I guess she could go the length of the Appalachian Trail.”
Hampton hiked the final 14 miles of the day with Jen to Camp Creek Bald. I managed to find the road and made it to the trail with her dinner as they walked up, so it was perfect timing.
We’re looking forward to tomorrow when Jen will hike more miles and have more visitors. We’re kind of hoping, though, that she won’t have more rain.