Date: 2006-03-21
From: Plumorchard Gap Shelter

To: Beech Gap
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Lil Easy and I were off early... after a 0 Day @ Plumorchard, we were "Jonesin" to get get out of dodge! The trail was soaked... every ridge you lost your grip with your boot... if you brushed a tree, you gave way to a few gallons down your neck Yet... there is somthing to be said for the smell of fresh rain in the forrest... it doen more than clense the woods... but your soul as well. When you are wet and cold... naturally you begin to shiver... your human instincts take over. As odd as it may sound to many of you.. its a great feeling.. just to simply know you are alive... "EVEN THE ACT OF SHIVERING IN A SNOWSTORM       IS AN EXPRESSION OF ONENESS WITH NATURE" It was just under 2 miles to the STATE LINE, and rounding the muddy bend.. there it was, the small oak with the small wooden sign that reads "NC/GA"! We arrived to find GLOW WORM there, and were quickly joined by SNAPPER (Reaching a state line on the AT is cause for celebration, and BIG celebration at that!) Lil Easy and I had been left a note on the tree by "AL" who said for us to check the rock ledge just above for something.. alas It was gone! Some Heathen! had swiped our MAGIC! Still, we celebrated! A Lovley Heinekin was DELICIOUS! We toasted our success, took some pictures... and then were off. Off on what I had been telling fellow hikers for days... North Carolina will welcome you LIKE NO ONE ELSE!          Up, Up, Up we went, over Bly & Sassafras Gaps... we could have used another beer, but the market was a 3 day walk.. THE OTHER WAY! Around noon, we arrived @ Muskrat Creek Shelter where we had lunch, took off the boots... and gladly took off the rain gear as Mr. Sun FINALLY decided to grace us with his presence after 3 1/2 days of nothing but wet stuff :P Eailer that day, we had made Standing Indian Shelter our goal, at 12.2 miles for the day... but at 430 we arrived!?! We had met the ascent up to the Shelter with the ROVING MAN TRAM! ~ LIL EASY, SOLACE, GLOW WORM, SUMA & OX ! The 5 of us kept pace for about 2 miles, and , i really enjoyed that... men, in the woods, not a woman around for once.. it was kind of nice. There was space @ the shelter, but where this shelter lies is one of the worst, sitting about 1,100 feet below the Mt. top, it has an open area, with little wind protection... by 5pm, the temp was dropping ... fast! The higest we had gotten that day was around 45, and by then, it was below freezing, I'm guessing 30, with a lite mist. I asked Lil Easy, "What do you have left in the tanks?" . . . He went for his pack.. LET'S GO I SAID... having been the 4th time I had hiked this section.. I knew it very well. I bid adieu to SNAPPER (sigh and we made the long windy ascent up Standing Indian Mountain. At 5,498 feet, it offers great views, but the only view at the top was the lite snow and hail that had found us, and it was mabye 25 degrees up there. We didn't stop, and I pushed on.. hard. I knew BEECH GAP was 2.9 miles away.. it was a little past 6pm, and we had mabye till 730 for daylight. Lil Easy, to his credit followed a blistering pace. With a very cold night ahead, and looks of more rain & possible snow coming quickly, Beech Gap was the only option, as there are several dense overgrown Roderdendrum Bushes there, providing excellent shelter! We arrived a little past 7 . . . and set up camp in no time... We had come 16.6 miles.. a GOOD day indeed, and I knew we needed hot calories... QUICKLY.. I fired up the jetBoil and let the Beef Stew cook up... I had a little reward for our day, as I had still 1 bottle of NEWCASTLE And used half the bottle for our stew... T A S T Y ! We feasted on the stew, nuts & crackers.. we gorged.         With the last of the daylight, we sat a few feet from one another, I enjoyed my pipe as we laughed about the day and watched the tiny hail beat against our tents. We settled in for what would be indeed our COLDEST night of the hike.            Cheers from the Frosty woods, SOLACE, with "the Lil Easy"