Cumberland Gap, KY/TN/VA
Stayed a few nights at the Wilderness Road Campground in Cumberland Gap. Nicest campground I've ever been to, they even have showers the size of most people's bedrooms and each site is well stocked with split firewood. Met lots of nice folks there and got to enjoy some music at a dulcimer gathering. Took a side trip into the backcountry to do some hiking and primitive camping, which ended up being some of the most brutal trails I've ever accomplished. Visited the Hensley Settlement, an old moonshining settlement on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere, which was the highlight of the backcountry trip because of an awesome volunteer ranger. The long and short of it: absolutely visit Cumberland Gap and stay at the campground, take the guided tour of Hensley if you get a chance, but don't ever hike there unless you like pain.
A farm in BFE, VA
Met a couple on the road that let us stay on their farm for a night. This was one of my favorites so far, I got to ride in the back of an old F250 as it rock-crawled up a mountain to where they'd built a cabin in the middle of the woods. Then I slept on the porch of the cabin and woke up surrounded by cows mooing and roosters crowing. It's a good life.
Backbone Rock Tunnel, TN
After leaving Johnny's, did some walking and caught a ride to get as far as Backbone Rock in Cherokee National Forest, about 5 miles south of Damascus, VA. It was another instance of camping under a picnic shelter which had carvings as far back as the 1940s and a huge fireplace, so that made for a nice couple of days. To get any supplies I had to walk the 10 miles into town and back but it wasn't so bad. Missed getting directly in the path of tornadoes by staying there an extra day...always trust your gut and timing works out. Altogether a beautiful area and a pleasant stay there.
Erwin, TN
Stayed at Johnny's Hostel for a couple of days in Erwin. Fantastic little place that's also an outfitter and shuttle service into town for dinner and beer runs. Met some more great people and saw a few thru-hikers I'd met in Hot Springs. They have cabins and places to set up tents all over the lawn but I slept comfortably on my Thermarest on the ground, which I found out is known as "cowboying". More trail magic burgers were provided, I have a great appreciation for all these people who've dedicated their time to helping hungry hikers.
Appalachian Trail
Spent a night camping on the AT after we left Hot Springs. Walked down the road to fill up water bottles and ended up being invited into the home of some very nice ladies for a delicious dinner of tilapia, butternut squash, and mixed vegetables. After carrying a 60-pound pack uphill all day, that was exactly what I needed! I love southern hospitality...
Hot Springs, NC
The trip got off to a fantastic start when I arrived in Hot Springs to find a trail festival for Appalachian Trail thru-hikers...almost like a welcoming party! After enjoying the food and festivities, it was off to find a place to camp for the night, and I lucked out for sure with that. Silvermine Campground was right down the road and although technically it wasn't open for the season, the bathrooms were unlocked and the forest rangers that came to check the area didn't seem to mind us being there. Spent about 6 days at the campground because it was such a fantastic little town and an easy transition into homelessness. Since Hot Springs lies right on the AT, it is very hiker-friendly and I found everyone to be most hospitable, including a trail magic event where some kind ladies provided all the burgers and sides the hikers could eat. I met lots of AT-ers who were all wonderful people and they seemed equally reluctant to move on from that town, but eventually we did, heading north toward Erwin, TN.
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