Date: 2006-03-18
From: Dicks Creek Gap (Blueberry Patch Hostel)

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Sometimes seemingly small events become large due to the efforts made to get to the point where the small event could take place. That was the case with the first step out of Dicks Creek Gap. One small step, but a step that was a year in the making.I woke up in the Blueberry Patch after a good night's sleep. Breakfast was awesome, with scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup and cheese biscuits. Wow.We loaded our packs in the van, and Gary drove us up to the trailhead. After a moment of good-byes and fumbling with gear, I took the magic step. Dicks Creek Gap was as far as I got last year. Whatever happens, I made it past there at least.So I took the step, then another, then passed the first white blaze. It felt almost as good as stepping through the arch at Amicalola.My wind was decent, which was fortunate because the trail had a lot of uphill today. I made Cowart Gap and took off my pack for a short break. I walked down a side trail/woods road for a bathroom break and was surprised to see a man dressed in camo carrying a black shotgun emerge from the woods.It was turkey hunter Craig, who lives at the bottom of the trail. He was mostly getting his legs in shape for turkey hunting season. He is retired but has started a second career building cabins. Vacation resort home business is booming in northern Georgia.He leaned his gun against a tree out of sight of some approaching hikers. I have found hunters to be very polite on the trail, which always reminds me that both hunters and hikers are basically outdoors people who enjoy being in the woods. I remember when sectioning northern VA, I passed two hunters who were walking south. There had been a freezing rain the night before and every tree branch was covered in ice. The morning was sunny and bright, and the trail was glittering as the sun hit the icy branches. The hunters evidently found it too pretty to hunt that day, and were simply walking and chatting. Their guns were in the crook of their arms. I passed them on the right, which happened to be the direction the guns were pointed. Both hunters shifted their guns to the crook of their other arm so that the barrels faced away from me. Simple hunter etiquette, I guess, but it was a nice gesture nevertheless.Craig and I talked a bit, and then I walked on. Just before the first peak after Cowart Gap was a large outcropping of quartz. Brilliant white with lots of orange and pink. Quite pretty when the sun struck it. I was running out of gas again, though, and mostly was just happy to be almost ready to go downhill again. Being sick takes a lot of the fun out of hiking.I met up with Team NH at Plumorchard Gap for a snack break. I had some peanuts and Gatorade. We didn't go to the shelter because it was far enough off the trail that we couldn't see it, and the gap was pretty enough as it was.As we left, a few older Scouts showed up. They were part of Troop 350 (or 352) and had a lot of younger Scouts with them. Their plan was to camp at Bly Gap, which removed Bly Gap and my fallback spot if I got too tired. Not that I have a problem with Scouts - I don't. But I was a Scoutmaster for a few years and I know how excited boys get in the woods. The first night out they talk until early morning hours. So it was Muskrat Creek for me, 7.3 miles ahead. Whew, it was going to be a long day.On the trail I passed Flatfoot, who thruhiked, as he put it, "a few years ago." He gave me a couple mini-Snickers bars for a treat and I trudged on up the hill, hopelessly behind everyone. A few minutes later I met a couple coming down from Bly Gap. They said I was the 31st person they'd passed so far. Yikes.I reached the shelter to see a lot of tents set up, but there was still space in the shelter. Smile and Ketchup had tents set up there. TybeePete was in the shelter, as were Jacob (Dash) and CT, whose coach back home tried to give him a trail name of Pondwater, because he said CT was as slow moving as pond water. Very funny story as CT tells it. I took a spot in the shelter, being way too tired to set up a tent. I rested, tried to cook dinner, but couldn't get my lighter to work. Jacob lit my stove for me. I made a two ounce portion of mashed potatoes but could eat almost none of it. I forced down a Snickers bar and nearly threw it up afterwards.Steve had set up a bag on the ground near the picnic table and I wondered if I had taken his spot in the shelter. I hope not, but I couldn't even think about setting up the tent now.After dark, I packed my bear bag and went to look for a tree, there being no bear cables at this shelter. Steve, a young thru- hiker from Texas, saw me and asked if I wanted to just attach my bag to his line. Wow, thanks, Steve. He lowered his bag and tied mine to it, and then raised the two bags. I was so grateful