Woke up from our mini-hibernation to thick fog, but no rain. Didn't have much water, so grabbed some trail mix and a few sips of water and headed down the two miles to Locust Cove Gap. That's where we were headed yesterday when the storm sidetracked us. The water was quite a hike down a side trail, but we got enough for an oatmeal breakfast and to fill the water bottles. Some hiker had tacked up a note on the sign at the gap saying, "Welcome to Pooh Corner." A quick look around at all the horse manure in the area, and we understood the note. Just a bit of ironic hiker humor…

Somewhere on the next ridge, before Stecoah Gap, I took my first spill on some slippery rocks and really tweaked my foot. It was destined to happen, because only moments earlier Brandon slipped and I had pointed out that I was the only one who hadn't fallen at all yet. Should have known better. At the time I thought it was just a little twist, but the longer I walked, the more it throbbed.

Had lunch at Brown Fork Gap Shelter after eight miles, and by then my foot was really hurting. Even the short half-hour stop had caused it to swell. I was in serious pain, but knew I had to tough it out, because the weather was too uncertain to stop and we still had six miles to go to Cable Gap Shelter. At the top of the next climb, Ronald suggested I put my leather insole back in my boot for more support. I was willing to try anything at this point. Also took a couple Aleve and hoped they would kick in soon. Ronald graciously offered to carry my food bag, and I finally swallowed my pride enough to accept. My pack was much lighter then, and that made quite a difference.

I limped along down some pretty rough trail for an hour or so, but gradually my foot started feeling a bit better. The climb out of Sweetwater Gap was the worst! But, by later in the afternoon the trail was much better graded, and the last couple miles I was almost back to a normal pace. We made it to Cable Gap Shelter by about 4:15.

The shelter is an older one, but it's in good shape, and in a pretty setting. A stream is flowing right in front of the shelter, so we'll have that to lull us to sleep. The sun finally came out late this afternoon and is filtering gently through the trees. Doesn't look like rain tonight after all. Ronald and Brand fixed dinner and cleaned up, so I'm enjoying being able to kick back and rest my foot and catch up on my journal. Tomorrow, Fontana Dam.

Except for the occasional call of nature, we spent 15 1/2 hours in our sleeping bags. Outside our tarp lay a world dark, foggy and mysterious. We knew we couldn't stay any longer. Fontana was calling and we had lost several miles to yesterday's storms. Still it was tough breaking free from our dry bubble on the mountain. When we finally got moving it was good to feel the blood pumping through our veins.

It's good we found our campsite last night when we did. It was over a mile along a narrow ridge and down a steep trail before we found another suitable campsite. For miles this morning we traveled through forest shrouded in mist. After an hour we reached Locust Cove Gap and were able to replenish our water supply. This was supposed to be our home for last night. After breakfast, we settled in for the long hike to Brown Fork Gap Shelter.

Brandon slipped on the rocks just before Stecoah Gap, landing squarely on his butt. With two of us having fallen, we knew it was only a matter of time before Linda took a dive. Sure enough, less than five minutes later, she slipped and fell, twisting her ankle in the process. It hurt, but she felt she could walk it out. She limped the next couple of miles to the shelter.

When we started back up after lunch, it was soon clear Linda was having real problems. In addition to twisting her ankle, she bruised the bottom of her foot. Now she was getting a sharp pain every time she put her foot down at an odd angle. On these trails there are no flat places to take a normal step. Down hills were particularly hard on her. This section of the trail is known for it's steep ascents and descents.

We stopped so she could pad her foot better and take some pain medication. I took the food from her pack to lighten her load a bit. With everything done we could think of, we slowly headed down the trail with Linda setting the pace. It was now up to her to decide how fast and far that we would travel today. After awhile the terrain became gentle and she was able to proceed at a steady pace. Even with her painful foot, we were able to make the remaining six miles to Cable Gap Shelter in a little under four hours.

With only a little more than six miles to Fontana Dam, we'll be able to take it easy tomorrow. She'll have the afternoon to let her foot heal.

Today we did a fourteen-mile day to make up for yesterday's eight-mile day. We started walking around 7:15. It stayed foggy most of the morning and into the rest of the day. We were hiking along this morning and I slipped in the mud. Mom mentioned she was the only one that had not slipped yet. About twenty feet later, a little before Stecoah Gap, she slipped and twisted her ankle on a slippery rock. It was hurting her most of the rest of the day. It didn't hurt as much while she kept walking. We got into camp at Cable Gap Shelter around 4:00. I made Tuna Mac for dinner and did the dishes. Afterward I listened to the radio a while before going to bed.