Date: 2003-03-10
From: bly gap

To: big spring shelter
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: clear sky

day 9woke up at the crack of dawn on a pretty brisk morning. had a good night's sleep and, yes, dean got to live another day. he didn't make any sudden movements. got up, didn't bother to wake dean up figuring there was no way in hell he was gonna get started at this hour, so packed up and headed out. decided to do breakfast a few miles up the trail.started climbing right off the bat and sooner than later began to feel the old stomach a-churning. pulled over and started whipping up some hot oatmeal. took off some of my clothing, ate, and right as i was about to leave old journeyman pulled up. we chatted a bit and i took off.a couple hours later i arrived at muskrat creek shelter. pulled in to check out the register and was surprised to find someone still in the shelter. the time must've been somewhere around 9am and i'm thinking, dag, this guy puts dean to shame. started shooting it with the guy and it turned out to be "gizmo," the second southbounder that i'd meet. pretty cool guy that had been on the trail for 9 months. said he'd done a lot of side trails, including the long trail if i'm not mistaken, oh, and he wasn't really the "early-rising type." soon after i parted with gizmo, still in his sleeping bag naturally, and re-commenced my hike.not too long after i arrived at standing indian shelter. a really nice shelter with a really nice water source to match. it was a shallow stream about 6-8 feet across, but it looked so picturesque among its surroundings. i got some water, had some lunch at the shelter, checked out the register, left a note for dean and brendan, and within a half-hour was back on the trail.i know i went over 5,498-foot standing indian mountain shortly after, and that it must've been one hell of an experience, whether because of its beauty or the beating that it game me, but i can't remember it. and this folks is one of the drawbacks to righting a journal post. so, unfortunately we're gonna have to move right along.7.6 miles later i got to carter gap shelter. the first 2-shelter deal that you come across: the old, built in 1959, which i remember to be this small piece-of you know what; and the new, built in 1998, which was really nice with a covered picnic table and all. i met a few weekend warriors and i checked out there topo-map. i was thinking about moving another 6 miles or so to big spring shelter. i was feeling good and it was only about 4pm. i decided to go ahead with it. i had a snack. shot it with the fellas for a bit, wrote another entry in the register telling brendan and dean my plans and headed out.at this point i'd already gone about 15 miles or so and after a couple more i started feeling a little tired, but not enough to call it a day. i had big spring shelter in my heart and that's where i was gonna go to. besides, the day was gorgeous. sunny, yet not hot, and nothing but blue skies, and the trail was just absolutely beautiful, especially beginning a couple miles south of albert mountain. i remember skirting the side of a mountain and looking down to my right where a slip would've caused me to fall down quite a distance. but all around it was just gorgeous. i remember seeing healthy green plants all around me and lots of water flowing from all directions.i finally made it to the base of albert mountain, looked up and got shook. i was pretty dead-beat at this point and just looking at this thing made me want to lay out my pad right then-and-there and hit the sack. the climb is really steep with plenty of spots where your hands are necessary. i clenched my teeth, gave a big grrrrr, and headed right up. i was dying. i remember at one point i stepped up and didn't put quite enough momentum in my step and nearly fell backwards. i decided to take a little rest.soon enough i was at the top and got treated to a fantastic view. it was gorgeous. you could see layers upon layers of green ridges. i hung out for a bit and headed out towards the shelter. shortly after i started to hear the laughter and conversation that mostly always welcomes you home to a nicely occupied shelter. i got in and was greeted by a few familiar faces and a whole lot of new ones. spacemonkey and java were there as well as grunt, the guy who i hiked out of springer mountain shelter with on my second day on the trail. the new faces included a-train, the pretty dimples, hot poles, and many more.java asked me how far i'd come today and i could hardly believe what i replied with. 22.5 miles. i had broken the 20-mile barrier. it's no big deal looking at it now a days, but i felt damn proud that day. it absolutely beat the crap out of me and that night my legs hurt like they'd never hurt again. hell, i was just praying that i'd feel better the following morning and would be able to walk, but i busted a 20-mile day! i felt good. dying, but good. tommorrow, the town of franklin, nc.