Stecoah Gap (mile 150.4) to Cable gap shelter (mile 158.8)

We had French toast, bacon, maple syrup, bananas, coffee and juice for breakfast. It was great. The Cabins in the wood was a really great place to stay. Highly recommended.

An older gentleman with the trail name Ulysses was talking about the difficulty of the trail and how it just gets more difficult as we go on. The belief is that if we started over at Springer again tomorrow we would find it a lot easier then we did he first time. I found this comforting.

The sun was out and it had finally stopped snowing so hiking was back on the menu for the day. Happiness, myself, and another hiker we met yesterday called Duck, got dropped off at Stecoah Gap at 10am. Our goal was a Cable gap shelter, which was only about 8.5 miles away. But Jacobs ladder was in the way. Jacobs ladder is an infamous, extremely steep 0.6 miles of the trail.

We started at a good pace and the first mile passed by really quickly. Then we got to the ladder. It was steep, and challenging. But I felt great, the wonders of a big breakfast, and was able to power up it without to much trouble. Happiness reached the top first and I heard her let out a whoop of joy. When I got there I meant to do the same thing, but I slipped just as I started so it came out sounding like “WooAAAARGH!”

That was the theme for the day. I slipped constantly and Happiness started referring to me as Slick.

The snow at the top of Jacobs ladder was deep, almost up to my knees in places, and it was really hard going. I had been fooled by the sun and had worn my kilt. It was not the best decision. On a positive note, the constant immersion in snow settled my ankle and knee down. Or at the very least I couldn’t feel them. Or most of my legs for that matter.

Aside from the snow, the trail was pretty uneventful, though we did get some stellar views of Fontana lake and the Smokies.

We reached Cable gap shelter at 3pm and decided that was that for the day.

Another hiker was already at the shelter, Pigweed, an older fellow in his sixties. He was good company. Duck managed to make a fire from a fire pit that was covered in snow, using only what I can assume was dark magic. And we ate dinner, then second dinner, then desert.

Happiness discovered the wonder that is spam. I knew I was with a good bunch of folks when I started singing “spam, spam, spam, spam, spammity spam, spammity spam” and Pigweed and Duck started singing along.

After that we sat around the fire and chatted. Pigweed surprised us all by pulling out a corn cob pipe and some oregano? I think it was oregano. Whatever it was it was very pleasant. I need to get me a corn cob pipe. And oregano.

The shelter was pretty old, but it was cosy and we were protected from the worst of the wind. All in all it was a really pleasant night.