Date: 2018-03-06
From: Bly Gap, NC

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: light rain

Standing Indian Shelter It never rains in Carolina. Wait, wrong song, wrong State! Showers persisted through the night, but the steady rain waited until daybreak to rear its ugly head. Perfect! It¢s one thing to hike in the rain. Rolling out of the tent, preparing breakfast, and packing wet gear substantially cranks up the degree of difficulty. We thought we could wait the wet stuff out, or at least catch a break so that we could eat and pack up our gear. We finally submitted and did all of the morning chores in the rain. Finally departing at 10AM, we were the second and third hikers out of the tent site. Only Spirit Man made it out sooner. Other than Close Call, who was packing up his tent when I took off, no one else remaining at camp appeared to be going anywhere anytime soon.Which Way took off a few minutes before me while I stowed the rain-drenched tent. Of course, I pointed her in the right direction first. Passing the iconic Gnarled Tree within 50 meters of hitting the trail (sorry no pics in the heavy rain) we immediately started an 800¢ climb to an elevation of 4,600¢. This was the first climb on the AT that made my calves moo! After climbing in the pouring rain for several minutes, I still did not have Which Way in sight. At the top of the first peak I came upon a blue blaze trail. Still no sign of Which Way, so I gave the whistle on my chest strap one hard blow. A second later came the return whistle from Which Way¢music to my ears. A minute later I caught a glimpse of her through the mist and would soon take up my hiking position just behind her. It wasn¢t too much later that we passed by Spirit Man.About 2.5 miles into our hike we came to Muskrat Shelter. We stopped at a stream just before the shelter and filtered water. Muskrat is a very nice shelter with two picnic tables under awning, and out of the rain. When we arrived there was one hiker (Storage Unit) sitting up in his sleeping bag in one corner of the shelter. I asked if he had just showed up or had been there all morning. He replied, ¢I don¢t hike in the rain anymore. ¢  As it turned out, he started the trail on 12 February. We must be doing something wrong.Out of the rain, but still wet and cold, we decided to have our hot dinner for lunch. Spirit Man and Close Call showed up a little later and did the same. We hit the privy and did some stretching while we waited for our dehydrated meal to be ready to eat. In the meantime, a father-son pair rolled in. They would be staying at Muskrat for the night. Soon after, Zoltan came in out of the rain. He told us that he had been hiking with Heartburn. We departed the Muskrat around 1PM, making a run for Standing Indian Shelter, another 5 miles up the trail. The rain was still coming down when we left. To further dampen the mood, Which Way¢s right knee started acting up again. We needed a ray of sunshine, and fast. The trail does provide--we got what we needed! By 2PM the rain stopped and the sun soon began to peek through the waning clouds¢a Godsend! Over the two miles remaining in our hike, our rain gear and shirts dried out for the most part. WW¢s knee also stopped hurting with that dose of sunshine.We arrived at Standing Indian Shelter around 3:30PM. Only one hiker (Gazelle) was there when we arrived. She had passed us on the trail shortly after we departed Muskrat Shelter. Yes, she was moving like a Gazelle.We decided to claim two spots in the seven person shelter. We then went about our normal post-hike routine, with the added tasks of hanging our sopping wet tent and other gear out to dry. That will drop my pack weight by about 5 pounds.Close Call, followed by Spirit Man, showed up a bit later and pitched their tents. Three or four other hikers from Gazelle¢s bubble would eventually show, including Willow (from Germany) and Nomad (an Aussie). They indicated that the hike wasn¢t anything like the one depicted in the brochure. I guess they should have read Model-T¢s book.Another half dozen or so hikers showed up and scattered to the tent sites surrounding the shelter. Which Way and I are sleeping inside the shelter for the first time. We are currently packed in like sardines, warm and DRY!Although it rained today and we were presented with our share of daily challenges, the scenery was beautiful and there is no place I¢d rather be than on the A.T. with my Sheesh (Which Way). Elevation Data:Ascent ~ 2,320Descent ~ 1,420Grade ¢ 9.0  Weather:Day ¢ 42 degrees / CloudyNight ¢ 30 degrees / Rainy  Over the Horizon: The NOCP.S. We have received several guest book entries offering concern and advice for Which Way¢s toe blister. The most common recommendation is Injjinji liners/socks. She has a pair of each, but had to remove them on the problem foot when we taped the toes together. Once it heals she will likely go back to toe socks with some lukueo tape around the pinky toe for good measure. Thank you for your concern. It means a lot to us. Anything worth doing, is better done TOGETHER--Which Way and Next Step!