Date: 2007-02-23
From: Bly Gap

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: scattered clouds

The morning temperature today was 32 degrees, with the morning mild, but the afternoon colder and somewhat windy throughout. We got our welcome to the hills of North Carolina with what is called a Billy Goat Climb, straight up Sharp Top, and no switchbacks. We only saw two section hikers today, and were alone at the shelter, so we set up our tent for warmth. We are falling into a steady routine now. We arise at about 5 am, leave the warm sleeing bag to pee in the woods, then take our hiking clothes into the bag with us to warm them up. Then we dress, stuff our sleeping clothes, sleeping bag, pad and other gear each into its individual compresion sack. If we are tenting, it comes down and gets stuffed in a compresion sack. We then take down the bear rope from which our food was hung and get out of it our food. We light the stove, boil water and prepare breakfast, which usually includes oatmeal or grits, dried fruit, a protein bar, hot chocolate and finally a coffee bag. The later serves as a cleaning method for the cup, by the way. We then disassemble the stove and pack it, brush our teeth and do other personal hygiene practices. We are ready to hike after a process which takes us about 2 to 3 hours. In the evening, there is a similar process. We find a soft, somewhat level, dry if possible, spot to set up a tent. We look to see if any overhangs present a danger of falling. If in a shelter, we pick the side which seems drier and more protected from the wind. We next inflate our air mattresses, never blowing into them because then they could frost up. We lay out our various compresion sacks, dress into warmer, dry clothes, assemble the stove and heat water for a hot supper. This is often a dehydated meal from Mountain Home, or perhaps Ramen Noodles with a pack of chicken or tuna added. Often we drink hot gatorade or hot herbal tea. We then climb into our sacks anywhere from 6 to 7 pm, because it is quite dark by then, depending on weather conditions and the position of the site on the mountain. Lower is darker. If freezing is threatened, we take our water pump and at least one bottle of water into the sleeping bag with us. We have a cooking pot of water in a posey outside - if it freezes, we can heat it in the pot. Since we have 20 degree bags, and very thin Alabama blood, we layer the bag, placing our Marmot Windstopper jackets under our back area, placing our army surplus windstopper hoods under our heels at the bottom of the bag, lining the bag with a silk bag liner, and, on really cold nights, placing a plastic bag over the toe of our sleeping bags. The plastic bag should be removed after an hour, because condensation will form on the sleeping bag. We also use solar blankets under the tent and under the sleeping pad. On occasion, we have boiled water and put a bottle of it in the toe of the bag. We wear polypropalene long johns, and 300 weight polartec pants and jackets, a silk balacave, a wool balacave, and two pairs of socks. We look like the Michelin Doughboy. This process of setting up camp takes us from two to three hours. We are sure we will streamline this process as other hikers seem much faster at it. In summary, then, 3 hours to break camp, 8 hours to hike, 3 hours to set up camp - this still allows for some 10 hours to lie in the dark of tent or shelter and think about bears. Which reminds me of the old cartoon showing two polar bears looking down on an Eskimo igloo. One exclaims to the other, "I just love these things! Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside!" Well, goodnight, and - sweet dreams.