Date: 2007-03-20
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: scattered clouds

We started hiking at 8 this morning and hiked until 4:45. We had pushed on past the last shelter about 4 miles so we could get into Franklin for a zero day tomorrow. It clouded up a bit this afternoon and it felt and looked like it might rain either tonight or tomorrow and we did not want to have to walk in the rain. Besides, Toto was thinking about this great buffet close to this motel and that drove him to get here. The trail today took us up over Albert Mountain. I had forgotten how difficult it was. It is only .3 mile at the steepest part but it was tough. I was breathing pretty hard when I got to the top but I think Toto did pretty well. Going down the other side was a piece of cake. We met a woman named Grambo and her little dog, Sammy, before Albert Mountain and met her again coming out from an alternate trail that goes around the base of the mountain so she did not have to climb over it. It was a good choice for her because she looked to be around 70ish and not able to do a climb like that. I got the impression she was going all the way to Maine.When we got to Winding Stair Gap on US 64, Buckles, a hiker that had hiked down with us, called and left a message with Ron, the owner of this motel, to let him know there were 3 hikers waiting for a shuttle in to his motel. Soon a van pulled up and a young man introduced himself as KTR and said that he is helping Ron with shuttles, etc. I recognized the name from 2005 and when we asked him he said he had indeed walked in 2005. He seemed so excited to talk to someone from the Class of 2005 that he was asking if we had known or met many of the hikers he was familiar with and most of them we knew or had met somewhere along the trail. It was so great talking to him! Bucket decided to stay at the last shelter before Winding Stair Gap. She had done a long day yesterday and has some knee problems and did not want to push. She figured if she came in early tomorrow to town she would have most of the day to do her laundry, any shopping, shower, etc., that she needed to do and would only have to spend money for one night in town. KTR had been at the shelter just before picking us up--a young lady that was in the van with him had wanted to see what a shelter looked like so they drove up to a road where the AT is close and walked up to the shelter. They saw Bucket there and Zubie, another female hiker we first met at Muskrat Creek Shelter and who had tented last night at Carter Gap Shelter. Pilot, who we first met at Low Gap Shelter had hiked 19 miles yesterday to get close enough to the gap to get into town early in the day. So he has been here most of the day and is slack-packing tomorrow for 20 miles. Mississippi Mule is also here and will also be slacking the same section with Pilot.We met Granny Franny, a hiker from last year, when we got here at the motel. She came to hike a section she had missed due to an infection when she was through here last year. She lives in Savannah, GA and works as a neonatal nurse. She goes home tomorrow because she has to go back to work. Our feet are in need of a rest. Toto needs to rest his foot--the hot spot on his heel is still not feeling good so a rest from wearing boots and hiking will hopefully help. My hot spots are still there but I am hoping they will start getting calloused soon. I wore 2 pair of socks the day we slack-packed for 16 miles and they didn't start hurting until later in the hike. But 2 pair of socks seemed to be too much so I started wearing 2 pair of liners along with socks. I may go back to 2 pair of socks and see what that does again. The whole botttoms of my feet feel bruised but there are really only a couple of hot spots on each foot. It definitely could be worse. I found a bruise on my left elbow this evening. I must have bruised it when I fell the second day out. Anyway, last night when I would lay on my left side my elbow was hurting but I didn't know why. The top of my left foot is still sore and a little swollen. If I lace my boot loosely it doesn't hurt while hiking. I'm guessing all these injuries, small as they are, occurred when I fell. It has been another great day and we feel we are doing good miles. Certainly better than in '05. We can't help but compare the 2 hikes. I guess we know more about what to expect but at the same time we don't remember a lot until we are there and then it is like---"Hey, we remember this part", or, "We remember seeing that."Tomorrow we will do laundry, go to the post office, buy some snacks for the trail, write down what is on our camera memory card so that whoever posts our pictures knows what they are. Most important is rest, rest, rest, so our feet will be ready for hiking on Thursday.