Date: 2008-06-24
From: Big Spring Shelter

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

I have suspected it for the last few days but today it was confirmed.We got up early, put on our ankle and knee braces and did our stretching exercises. With our courage screwed up we headed up Albert Mountain. Easy up and a nice view at the top. Then we headed down. The dreaded down of Albert Mountain. We'd been told by multiple NOBOs of the North Carolina mountains and this one in particular. We expected to have to scoot down it on our butts...the words of one NOBO, not mine.Soaring lead the way with Owl, Roo and myself following. After a short distance Soaring said 'This is it?' Well, the elevation chart does show the steeper part is lower down the mountain. So we went on. As she turned a curve Soaring stopped and said 'Oh this is steeper.' I came up behind her to look down at...stairs? Really?! We were amazed. All this fuss over stairs. And they were nice stairs too. Not too steep, not to high. Just well laid out steps. Not once on the descent of the entire mountain did I have the urge to scoot down on my butt. It was easy. It was ridiculously easy.For weeks all along the trail we have heard NOBOs tell us of the horrors of North Carolina mountains. 'As soon as you leave Georgia all switchbacks end. The trails go straight up and straight down the mountains. It's such a hard trail.'Since we entered North Carolina we have found nothing but beautiful trails, mountains with well graded switchbacks and a well-maintained trail. So our suspicion has been... NOBOs are wimps. I've held off on saying that, but Albert Mountain confirmed it. Of course in their defense I realize at this point they only have about a hundred miles under their belts. Tomorrow Owl and I will go over nine hundred. But still to magnify all of NC as big steep hills... I think that's whining. For what it's worth.The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. We did run into several youth groups. The first one was camping up the hill from us at the shelter last night. As we walked out past them Tigger asked one of the boys if they were the boy scouts we had heard about. One kid said 'we're not boy scouts' (said with snotty teenage attitude). They were really well dressed in nice clothes, all clean cut looking and wearing Lyon's Club T-Shirts. A little further down the trail we ran into the boy scouts. They were appropriately grimy looking for real campers with gear that looked like it was really used¢¦and they were friendly.Then we passed three church youth groups. One from Florida, one from Alabama and a third from Indiana. We stopped and chatted with each. They were all very nice. I worked with our youth group back in Maryland for a couple years and it never occurred to me to take them backpacking in North Carolina, but apparently it's a popular thing to do. Actually I think this week I would have been taking them to Creationfest...just as exhausting but it a whole different way.That brings us up to tonight. We managed to hike an extra four miles past our planned stop putting us at the last shelter in North Carolina. In three miles we will enter Georgia. In just eleven miles we have a shuttle arranged to take us into Hiawassee for a quick overnight and resupply. Georgia. Finally!Oh, and for those who are wondering, Roo did much better today. The trail manners are coming back. She/s very smart and a great trail companion.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9