Date: 2017-03-06
From: Plumorchard Gap Shelter

To: Beech Gap Tenting Area
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: scattered clouds

3/6/17 Beech Gap Tenting Area, NCMiles hiked: 90.4, Miles to go: 2099.4I awoke to rain on my tent at 4:30 am. I had actually slept much better last night with the warmer sleeping bag. Everything with backpacking is a trade-off: weight vs comfort. Some people come out here with tiny ultralight packs that weigh under 20 lbs and some come out with 60 lb monster packs. I fall in the middle at about 30-35 lbs. It was another blustery day with rain on and off until about 2:00 pm. The highlight of the day was crossing the NC/GA border. We can now mark one state off the list. North Carolina wanted to make sure us punk thru hikers who were feeling all high and mighty because we'd defeated Georgia knew who the real boss was. So, she threw 4708 ft Courthouse Bald at us as soon as we crossed the border. It was probably the hardest thing I've climbed since Blood Mt. Speaking of Blood Mt (the man, not the mountain), I got a text from him saying that he was taking a zero day at Top of Georgia hostel due to swelling in his ankles. I also got a text from Antman saying he was at Franklin, NC. I don't know where either of the girls are. I assume that Courtney is somewhere behind me and Alexa is probably in Harpers Ferry by now. It's probably safe to say that our little group from Blood Mt Cabins is done.I have begun to see some of the characters that the hiker Not Fade Away was talking about. I hiked for awhile with Beatin' Mice and Tippy Toes, a couple from Atlanta. Beatin' Mice (the man) hikes in a pagoda and has a large caliber pistol in a shoulder harness for "protection". I met Polaroid, a young woman who carries a full sized Polaroid camera and takes one picture a day with it. I have also met several stoners out here. It appears the stoner lifestyle and the hiker trash lifestyle mesh pretty well. One thing I will say for the stoners is that they are generous. I have been offered a toke several times. I always graciously decline (the last thing I need is residual THC in my blood when I apply for a paramedic job in the Fall). They always look confused and a little hurt when I decline. Sorta like, "I thought you were one of us." I guess I look enough like a stoner that they just assume. I've been surprised by the number of women I have seen on the trail. Traditionally, the ratio has been something like 80:20 men to women. This year it appears to be more like 60:40. I assume it's the effect of the book and movie "Wild". I have also s a n a large number of veterans. A veteran I talked to (see below) attributes it to the trail working as a good transition from military to civilian life. I had planned to stop at Standing Indian Mt Shelter for the evening; however, the talk is that bad weather will be moving in overnight. So, I decided to cross the 5435 ft mountain today rather than risk crossing it in bad weather tomorrow. Besides the sun was out and perhaps I would actually get a view from the summit. It turns out that the climb was a breeze! The treadway was mostly smooth, soft dirt and it was nicely graded. It appears to have been an old logging or fire road at one time. And it had switchbacks! It must be very expensive to ship switchbacks out from the Rockies because we've seen precious few of them in the Southern Appalachians. Generally, it's a frontal assault straight up the mountain. Of course, as I climbed Standing Indian Mt, the clouds moved back in and visibility dropped to just a few feet. As I neared the summit, I heard a crow caw and imagined the spirit of the old Indian himself was laughing at my folly for have the audacity to think that I might steal a view from his summit. We have moved into the area that was so devastated by forest fires last Fall. The standing trees appear to be OK, with scorch marks on the lower 12 - 18 inches of their trunks. However, the undergrowth is completely gone. It looks like some kind of strange war zone. I finally reached Beech Gap tenting area after a long day of hiking. There was a young couple and a man that I had seen earlier in the day standing by a fire. They welcomed me and I immediately set up my tent so it could dry from this morning's rain. After we ate and the young couple retired to their tent to do whatever young couples do in their tent, the other hiker, Baloo, and I sat by the fire and talked for a couple of hours. He is a recently retired 46 year old US Army Lt Colonel and oozes integrity from every pore. I really enjoyed his company. It is amazing to me still how easy it is to strike up conversation with complete strangers on the AT.