Date: 2010-04-22
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

I awake this morning refreshed after my zero and a good night¢s sleep. As I get my pack together a peanut clatters to the ground from my trail mix bag. I'm certain I sealed the Ziploc but as I pull it out to double check more peanuts and raisins fall out. Incredulous, I turn the bag over and am given to the sight of a small nickel size hole in the bottom of my trail mix -- someone...or something has crept into the bunk room during the night and executed a stealth raid on my trail mix. Telltale bag shards confirm that a mouse has paid a visit during the night and though he has probably only pilfered 1 or 2 nuts from the bottom the knowledge that a mouse has co-mingled with my food makes tossing the whole thing a no-brainer. I'm otherwise well-stocked though and will replenish this loss in a couple days at my next resupply.I'm on the trail by 7:30a stepping lively with fresh legs. The elevation profile shows that 7 of the first 8 miles climb up from my starting point by the Nantahala River and once again I'm glad I took the zero. There is a noticeable contrast in the foliage at the beginning of my hike at the relatively lower altitude of the Nantahala compared to the higher elevations. At lower elevations the trees are leafing out, the under growth is much denser and greener, and there are a greater number and variety of wildflowers. Most of my hiking so far has taken place in 3k to 4k altitude range and at this higher level the trees are showing only the smallest leaf buds and the understory is much more sparse. The day's hike is moderately challenging until the 13 mile mark. In the Tour de France they categorize climbs as Cat 1, Cat 2, etc., but for the hardest climbs they use a term called 'Hors Categorie' which means the hill difficulty rates beyond any of the classifications. The final 3 miles of the today's climb would fall into the 'Hors' categorization, a seemingly near vertical pitch with barely a switchback. Each step is grind with my fully loaded pack and I add to my suffering by finishing my water with 2 miles still to go. Finally, at 3:30p, I arrive at the shelter, 16.5 miles from the day¢s start, dead man walking. Hot, tired, and thirsty I pick the best available spot to pitch my tent, a sad little patch of leaves and dirt that unfortunately lies on a slight slope. There is no ideal tent site at this shelter, everything falling on some degree of slope, so I position my tent as best I can to ensure that my feet are pointing downhill, set up my sleeping pad and bag inside, head down the stream to pump water and slake my thirst before passing out inside my tent for one of those out-of-body naps.By 8:00p there are at least 20 hikers at this shelter, about par (or slightly over par) for shelter occupancy, but a lot of familiar faces. I meet a new couple, 'Yukon Cornelius' and his wife (no trail name). His sights are on Maine while she is only joining for a couple weeks. Nice couple, they sleep in hammocks, and he wears a smart hunter green kilt on the trail. We chat for a bit and I mention my lack of wildlife sightings, me limited to a few squirrels and chipmunks, and a variety of fleeting birds. In fact if I want to see squirrels and chipmunks the viewing is significantly better and more relaxed in my front yard! Yukon Cornelius mentions that they've seen either a wild boar or a feral pig, tusks and all, with 6 or 8 little piglets running across the trail. He's also seen deer in the mornings. I relate this story around the campfire and find that only 1 other hiker has seen a deer and the rest fall into the same lowly squirrel/chipmunk category as me. I talk with another hiker, Peru, who I've seen the last few nights at camp. Peru is a botanist so I ask her about some of the wildflowers I've seen and she's happy and eager to comment on my sightings and photos. The problem though with discussing the flora with a botanist is that she¢s more familiar with Latin genus name rather than the common name so to me they all sound like 'herbivorous something-I-can't-rememberus' instead of say, a Bloodroot or Common Violet.