Date: 2017-03-28
From: Flint Mountain Shelter, NC

To: Low Gap Camp site, NC
Miles today: 14.9

Low Gap Campsite, NCMiles hiked: 321.9, Miles to go: 1867.9Today was a leisurely day on the trail. We were only hiking 14.9 miles, so no one was in a real hurry. It's funny how our perspective is already changing - anything less than 15 miles is an "easy" day. Luckily, the crud I suffered from two days ago is a distant memory. It rained all night; but, thanks to my Zpacks Altaplex tent, I stayed warm and dry. The rain continued on and off during the day. When it wasn't actively raining, the trees were all dripping water. So, we stayed wet most of the day. At times I felt like I was back in the Smokies, with the mist and lack of views. Leisurely is a bit of a misnomer. We had all looked at the elevation profile and saw that we had to cross over just a couple of climbs. It's pretty funny how we can fool ourselves. Those climbs turned out to be pretty tough! The first one went on forever! At least we hiked next to a very pretty stream with lots of waterfalls for quite awhile. I had started out with Lumber Jill, Winter, Oz, and a guy who joined us last night named 1st Sergeant - he seems pretty cool. I stopped to post my blog and they got ahead of me. I spent the rest of the morning trying to catch up to them and was surprised how far ahead they got. After 7.5 miles, I reached the shelter and stopped for lunch. By then, the rest of the group, who had lounged around camp because of the short hike, had caught up. I was surprised that Lumber Jill and the others I started the day with weren't there. It turns out they had all stopped at a hostel we had passed along the way. I had been chasing them all morning and they were behind me!After finishing lunch, I headed back out. I reached the intersection of the AT and shelter trail just as Lumber Jill arrived. She was struggling today because she had hiked a 21 mile day yesterday since she had stopped earlier than the rest of us on Sunday. She walked behind me and let me set the pace. Sometimes when you are struggling, it's good to hike with someone else and let them set the pace. All you have to do is hike and let the conversation help the miles pass. As we hiked, the rain finally stopped and blue patches began to appear in the sky. We crossed under I-26 and began our second big climb of the day. We hiked through a couple of high mountain meadows that were really pretty. By now, the weather had cleared enough that the views were really nice. Of course, all the fast hikers that had lounged over lunch passed us again. We finally arrived at our camp site for the evening. Since it wasn't at an actual shelter, everyone had to set up tents. Unfortunately, there are more tents than flat campsites. I am on a bit of a slope, so I will be sliding down in my bag all night. Not ideal, but not totally horrible either. We all sat around after dinner and talked. I found out that Glim Glom is also a chemist and an EMT. What a cool coincidence!This little group I've fallen in with is pretty interesting. Darwin is definitely the leader. He carries himself with the confidence and grace that comes from being a former collegiate athlete. He's about 25 and looks like he stepped right out of Outside or Backpacker magazine or maybe GQ. His girlfriend Legs is a former volleyball player from CA with black hair and legs that are befitting of her trailname. They are the protons of the group. The rest of the group are the electrons swirling around them. Strider, Glim Glom, Wet Wipes and Honey Badger are all twenty something men that are like inner shell electrons that are tightly bound to the protons and will not be pulled away from the nucleus. Then there are the outer shell electrons: Lumber Jill, Oz, Winter, and me. We are not as tightly bound to the nucleus. Depending upon the chemical reaction, we may be pulled away from the nucleus. For example, I know that when I reach mile 544.0, I will be going off-trail for a couple of weeks and probably won't see any of the group again. The others are all young women who aren't as concerned about being part of the group. For example, Lumber Jill, Oz, and Winter all stopped earlier on Sunday night and camped at a different spot. However, all three hiked 21 mile days and caught back up yesterday. It will be interesting to see how little long this group stays together. Little things (some good, some bad):Waking up to sunshine. The smell of a pine forest. The way the leaves get skewered on the end of your hiking poles. The satisfaction of stepping just right on the edge of the poles to dislodge the leaves without breaking stride. The sound of voices and laughter at the end of the day that tells you you have finally reached the shelter. The constant sound of jets in the distance that reminds you the rest of the world is still out there. The sea of mountain peak after mountain peak as far as the eye can see.