Sunday April 9th - Thursday April 14th On Sunday, around 2pm, my cousin Mike and I parted ways at Unicoi Gap. Mike made sure to weigh me down by filling my belly full of pizza for lunch.
After a brief conversation and a few encouraging words from Mike, I was back on the trail!
To get out of Unicoi Gap, I walked straight up about a thousand feet or so, just for it to level off a bit, and then go straight back down again. Then repeat! Up, down, repeat.
I got on top of Tray Mountain (about 6 miles from Unicoi). The effort was justified. That night I stayed in the Tray Mountain Shelter (picture to left) and it was spectacular! It's a great place to view both the mountains’ sunrises and sunsets, and at night you could see what I think are the city lights from the little town of Helen, GA where I spent the night before. For the first time, I actually decided to camp in the shelter for the night. Even though I’ve heard the horror stories about little hungry rodents, I didn't have any problems.
The next morning I started hiking around 8am, and in a very relaxed form hiked to Dicks Creek Gap (near Hiawassee, GA). I hiked at a slower pace because I knew that my Mother was going to pick me up in Hiawassee around 6pm. She lives in Cullowhee only a few hours away. I finished my 12 mile hike to Dicks Creek around 2pm and ended up paying this sketchy local guy named Mike to take me in his little red truck to Hiawassee.
This guy is well known for giving thru-hikers a ride into Hiawassee for $5 a person. But I didn’t care, I just wanted some food. I traveled with two brothers and we all were dropped off at a local steak buffet for a late lunch. Between my 4 trips to the buffet and 87 degree weather, I was ready for a nap. I walked back with the hiking brothers to the Hiawassee Inn where they were staying for the night. There I found a comfortable shade tree and took a nap until my parents arrived. I figured that I better take full advantage of having my parents close by while I still can.
The next morning I was dropped back at Dicks Creek Gap around 10pm. This day's weather was opposite of the day before. Unlike the weather that put sunburns on my arms, it was now cold, rainy, and extremely windy. As I hiked higher in elevation, this dense blanket of fog masked all that surrounded me. But I didn't let this slow me down. I cranked up my iPod and began another 12 mile day. I kept saying to myself, "only 8 more miles to North Carolina!".
Once I finally got to the shelter, the place was completely full. Packed like a sardine can, everyone was already snuggled in their sleeping bags chatting away and trying to stay warm. I made the decision the night before to bring my 2 person tent and was very happy about this at this point! My 1 person tent, which is half of the weight, was beginning to feel a little tight for my 6’3’’ frame. I quickly set-up my tent, made my dinner, and was passed out in my cocoon of a sleeping bag by 6:30pm. Despite the 40 mph wind and 35 degree temperature, I slept like a baby!
When I finally got to North Carolina,I was a little disappointed with the welcoming comittee. It was just a little wooden sign on a tree. I might have missed it if it wasn’t for the random American Flag stuck in it. But non-the-less, I had planned to document this occasion. I used a little tri-pod that Mike gave me and attached it to one of my hiking poles stuck deep in the ground. I snapped a few photos then quickly continued towards Muskrat Creek Shelter. This was a very tough part of the trail, with dense fog limiting my view to only 40 feet. I felt like I was on the 'Trailway to Heaven'! It just kept going up and up. I was just waiting for a big gust of wind to lay me and my heavy pack on my side. Luckily I had great rain gear and the backpack cover Mike gave me worked great!
When I finally got to North Carolina,I was a little disappointed with the welcoming comittee. It was just a little wooden sign on a tree. I might have missed it if it wasn’t for the random American Flag stuck in it. But non-the-less, I had planned to document this occasion. I used a little tri-pod that Mike gave me and attached it to one of my hiking poles stuck deep in the ground. I snapped a few photos then quickly continued towards Muskrat Creek Shelter. This was a very tough part of the trail, with dense fog limiting my view to only 40 feet. I felt like I was on the 'Trailway to Heaven'! It just kept going up and up. I was just waiting for a big gust of wind to lay me and my heavy pack on my side. Luckily I had great rain gear and the backpack cover Mike gave me worked great!
The next morning I was slow to rise, due to the fact that I could feel the bitter pinch of the cold morning air aching for a chance to shake me down of any heat my body had collected. I finally hit trail around 9:30am and was looking at another 12.5 mile hike to Carter Gap Shelter. The storm and rain had passed and this new day brought promise of blue skies and sunlight. This hike was a breeze in comparison and almost felt like a day off. The weather was great, I was in no rush, and the terrain was fairly flat even though I had to cross Standing Indian Mountain. According to Cherokee Legend, a giant winged monster once lived on this mountain, and during the monster’s reign, warriors were posted on the mountain as lookouts. But as the story goes, a tremendous bolt of lightning struck the mountain and killed the monster. During the strike it also turned a lone Cherokee sentinel into Stone. This blast created a rock structure that resembled that lone Indian, thus given it the name “Standing Indian”. To me, it felt more like a big hill without any good views to enjoy along the way, and I didn’t notice any Indian either.
I arrived at Carter Gap Shelter just after 2pm and was one of the first people to arrive for the day. Having that privilege, meant that I got first dibs on where I wanted to lay my head for the night. Knowing that I had a long day ahead of me tomorrow, I decided to claim my place inside the shelter. This way I didn't have to deal with packing up my tent and bag. As more people arrived to the shelter the area became alive with activity as we began our daily after hike rituals. Unpacking, setting up camp, collecting and filtering water, making food, using the privy, etc...
This night was nice because it was the first time I got to share a campfire with a group of complete strangers. This crowd was from all over the globe: 2 guys from Germany (each here solo), A woman from Poland, Two female best friends from France who were in their mid 60s, A Canadian guy who made all of his gear himself, and the American hikers were from Florida, Chicago, and Texas. We talked of several interesting topics by the fire, before I decided to retire to my corner of the shelter.
The next morning, I hiked 16 miles from Carter Gap Shelter to Winding Stair Gap (right outside of Franklin, NC). This was a fairly intense day and my feet and knees kept reminding me of it. Eager to get an early start, I decided to skip making breakfast and opted for the power bar instead. This decision allowed me to start my day's hike by 7:45am. I hiked for about 6 miles before coming to Albert Mtn. Scaling this mountain was more of a climb than a hike. I believe it climbed something like 750 feet in 3/10th of a mile. But it was completely worth it at the top. There is a fire tower on top of the mountain, which is used by Park Rangers to see if there are any forrest fires in the near by area. The view from the top felt like you could see for 50 miles in every direction.
As soon as I continued on from the tower, I ran across snake #3. This time I was hiking with two other guys, which is about the best way to discover a snake. The guy who found it, just about jumped out of his skin when he saw it. It turned out to be a 3 foot Garder Snake, which is nothing major to worry about.
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I finished the 16 mile day. My Brooks shoes are working out well. Brooks sent me 3 pairs of Cascadia 6 trail running shoes as a promotion and for me to rate on my hike. These have been rated the top trail shoe. I made my decision to wear shoes instead of boots due to the blister factor. These shoes are much lighter than boots, which was another big factor in my decision. So far no blisters. They have a stiff rock plate on the bottom to help support your feet. I feel I made the right choice. I am also coating my feet with Shea Butter to help heal them each day and to moisten them for the next day. Feet problems are the number one reason that causes thru hikers to leave the trail. My feet are sore, but I am ready to go again tomorrow.
I came to a road access point at Winding Stair Gap right before 4pm. The timing turned out to be great. My Mother (who lives 35 miles from here) was available to pick me up and let me set-up camp at her house for the night. As soon as she arrived, I loaded into her car and we went directly to Hardee’s for a big juicy Cheeseburger! It was amazing! :)
I came to a road access point at Winding Stair Gap right before 4pm. The timing turned out to be great. My Mother (who lives 35 miles from here) was available to pick me up and let me set-up camp at her house for the night. As soon as she arrived, I loaded into her car and we went directly to Hardee’s for a big juicy Cheeseburger! It was amazing! :)
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