Date: 2009-03-19
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dick's Creek Gap 
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Cell goodOG Notes We had a very nice night on Tray mountain. The temperature was cool but tollerable, our sleeping bags and down jackets did their jobs. We wore the jackets to mingle with the other hikers and were very comfortable as the evening cooled.Tray mountain has a ledge facing east that gave us an excellent view of the sunrise. We awoke a few minutes before the sunrise and we were able to see the sunrise as we packed up our gear.We started hiking at 8:40 am which was a little later than we would have liked. We were the first ones to leave the area and expected to be passed but that never happened, we were not passed by anyone all day.As we left the Tray Mountain Shelter site we immediatly started downhill, in fact we walked below the campsite overlook. We proceeded to hike into Wolfpen Gap then up a little and then down into Steeltrap Gap, then over Young Lick Knob and into a gap named "Swag of the Blue Ridge". Someone once wrote in a Trailjournal that the word GAP means "Big climb to follow", so far that is exactly what we've seen. A Knob is a hill or mountain. Today we hiked a killer knob named Kelly Knob. The southern base of Kelly Knob starts in Addis Gap elevation 3310 feet, the top of Kelly Knob is 4275 feet. It is one mile from Addis Gap to the top of Kelly Knob, that is one intense uphill climb. We actually did fairly well climbing the knob, C6 leads and she keeps a slow methodical pace. We didn't take many breaks during the climb due to the slow speed. Incidentally we were hiking in t-shirts as it was warm enough to do that, we did put our fleece on during lunch though. We generate a l! ot of heat when hiking sometimes with a little sweat which makes us cold when we stop.We are making pretty good time hiking now, I estimate about 1.5 mph. That isn't bad for only a week out. We did so well that we decided to not stop at Deep Gap Shelter 7.5 miles from Tray. We had a box in the mail with food in Hiawassee so we decided to go into town. we are at a Hostel called the Bluberry Patch which is run by 2 former thru hikers from 1991. They've been bringing in hikers for 17 years now and have a very nice place. We have a double bed bunk for the two of us, we'll still be using sleeping bags though. We both took a shower and our clothes are washed. Life is good on the trail.C6 Notes - It was a very nice evening last evening. We had time to visit with "The Bills," which I've been wanting to do. They are father and son (obviously, both named Bill). Very nice people. Both have been active in Boy Scouts for years. Both are very active - hiking, biking, rock climbing..... I'm glad we had some time to chat with them. I think they've been named "BB1" and "BB2," but I'm not completely sure about that yet. (1 being the dad, 2 being the son.)Today we met "Floater" (Bruce Brown) when we were hiking to Dick's Creek Gap to go into Hiawassee to get a room on the Holiday Inn. Floater told us he was heading for the "Blueberry Patch Hostel." It's a small hostel run by a Christian couple. After talking with Floater for a few minutes, we decided to see if we could stay at the hostel, too. I want to get to know other hikers better, and being in a hotel room (which was our original plan for tonight) doesn't give us the opportunity to visit with other hikers.Floater got his trail name by finding his tent floating after a very rainy night. He's a very nice man. We are enjoying getting to know him as we visit with him here at the hostel.One thing I've been meaning to write about is that for the first few days of hiking I was nervous and had to pee a lot. It felt as if I was stopping every 30-60 minutes. It was so annoying (and time consuming because I have to take off my pack and find a place that's as concealed as possible). I have finally relaxed and no longer feel the need to pee so often. What relief to not have to stop so often!Oh, I wrote about my shoulder pain yesterday. I moved some things around in my pack this morning, and today was fine. What a difference it is when the weight is distributed correctly.This hiking experience is incredible. So many blessings. Old Goat & Check Six