We got up at 7:30 AM, and started to pack up. Our plan was to get back on the trail by 9. After we finished packing up, we went to the hostel store, and bought Snickers, gatorade powder, and one extra meal for the hike. After that we went back to the cabin and I watched SpongeBob while my dad got cleaned up. Then we left the hostel and started our hike at 9 AM. We crossed the Nolichucky River and train tracks, and then started hiking. (pics below)

From the city we had a big gradual 5.5 mile climb up to Curley Maple Gap Shelter. On the way there was a humongous fallen tree which took a while to get past. (pic below)

Once we reached the shelter, we took rest, and ate tuna with roti and a cookie. The food was not a lot, but it was filling. The shelter had been recently maintained and looked nice. There was also a hiker graffiti board where we signed our names, Trouper and Trail Guru. (pic below)

From there it was a gradual up with some short downs and flats to Beauty Spot which was 6.4 miles away. There were many water sources along the way but we didn’t need to fill any water. At Indian Grave Gap, about 2.3 miles to the top, we stopped to take some rest and munch on a Snickers Bar. The hike up Beauty Spot took a while and it was also very sunny outside, so we were sweating a lot. There were a bunch of blackberry and blueberry bushes, so we decided to pick and eat some. We reached the top by about 4:40 PM, and the view was amazing. (pics below)

We walked another 1.6 miles down to Beauty Spot Gap, where we stopped and ate chicken and rice for dinner. We decided to keep going and to try and reach the top of Unaka Mountain and camp there since it was still early. After we finished eating, we cleaned all of our dishes with the soap we bought at Uncle Johnny’s at a piped spring. We filled water and hiked up 1.6 more miles to the top of Unaka Mt. The top was covered in trees and gave off a very mystical forest vibe, like something out of a movie. We unpacked our stuff and set up our tent and then went to bed.