Uncle Johnny's Again...

After getting back so late last night, I set an alarm to get me up at 6 so we could get an early start back on the Trail North. As we were getting ready, I realized that Forest's new leash ($50 from REI just purchased when I was home last) was broken. I was able to take the string from my tent stakes and loop it around to make a temporary fix, but there was no way it would hold up on the Trail. So, another difficult decision...to spend another day here at Uncle Johnny's and take the evening shuttle back to town to try to find a new leash that will work for us. It's so frustrating, but just another stumbling block that the Trail has thrown at me. It will slow me down a bit and add more unexpected expenses, but it won't stop me!

We took advantage of the slow morning to fix one of my favorite morning treats. Bacon and cinnamon rolls fried in bacon grease.

One of the things that I'm preparing for as the weather gets warmer is keeping Forest cool and hydrated. I'm already having to reign him in when he tries to grab a drink from standing water, so I have to be careful that he doesn't get exposed to one of the parasites that can be found in streams and creeks. About the only solution will be to carry more filtered water and make sure that he takes frequent breaks to drink. Fortunately, as I shed some of my winter weight and send it home, I'll be able to take on more water in exchange. I may also try to get a prescription for the medicine commonly used to treat a parasite infection so that I can fill it if he develops sudden vomiting and diarrhea.

I've reserved a bunk room for tonight, as we are expecting 50 mph winds. A major risk on the Trail is falling debris from dead trees. Since this already happened here at Uncle Johnny's before we arrived, I thought I'd rather be safe than sorry tonight and sleep indoors. But first, dinner. If you look closely at the picture below, you'll see Forest sleeping behind my feet while I eat. He doesn't move for the entire meal.

I spent the day planning the next section of Trail. I plan up to 7 days between resupply boxes; if I went longer, I'd be carrying too much weight. Right now, we are about 125 miles from Damascus, VA. Tomorrow morning, I'll be facing a long stretch of Trail with few opportunities to recharge my phone and backup charger. First, we will head to Mountain Harbour B&B/Hiker Hostel, where I'll grab my next resupply box, and then we will push straight on to Black Bear Resort, our last hostel and resupply stop in Tennessee. I'll apologize in advance if you don't hear too much from me over the next week.

Oh, and in case some of you are wondering why I didn't fish the Nolichucky River since I ended up staying here so long: unfortunately, I didn't have a permit, and they don't sell state permits in the hostels. That's something we fisherman need to start pushing for--either for states to sell the permits in the hostels, or come up with some type of Trail fishing permit, that would allow us to fish across state lines.