Date: 2007-02-01
From: Plumborchard Gap Shelter, GA

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter, NC
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: light snow

As I awoke, I thought to my self that the rain must have passed south as the section hikers mentioned. When I looked out of the sky light I was surprised with a sea of white. I guess it had snowed about 2-3 inches. This made me very excited. Being from Texas, I think of snow days off from school. There was also no wind and the temp was only around 31 degrees. I knew that the weather up @ 4500 feet would be much different than here around 2900 feet. I got a really late start around 2:15pm. Had to meet my deadline; so, I had to move on. The hike up As Knob was awesome. There was snow everywhere and no wind. I went over the knob with the descent akin to mogul snow skiing. As I approached Blue Ridge Gap, I heard the voices of some "good ole boys". When I got to the gap, there were 6 four wheel drive pickups with guys standing around smoking and 1 girl. When they saw me, their eyes popped out of their heads. When they figured out that I was an AT hiker and not an apparition from the snowy fog; one of the guys said that I had "bigger balls than him!" I thought in depth about my response because I knew that the movie DELIVERENCE was filmed about 20 miles away on the Chatuga River. I said that hiking in this weather was really not bad if you keep moving. With that segue, I waived and started walking. I smelt one of the cigs that one of the guys was smoking. It sure smelled good. The climb out of PlumbOrchard to Muskrat Creek is one of the epic climbs going north on the southern AT. It does not get as much play as other climbs. It is basically a 7.5 mile climb. There are some dips; but you quickly gain back the elevation that is lost. The climb into North Carolina begins another chapter in my hike(chapter 2). It is on average 500-2000 feet higher. Where it rains in GA, it snows in NC. The climb to Bly Gap, NC was fun. It reminded me of being a Kid again and playing in the snow. Well, that changed immediately at the NC border. At the sign that denotes the border, I ate a snack and the wind picked up to around 5-10 mph. The climb up Courthouse Bald was very steep and very cold. the snow went from 2-3 inches to 4-6 inches. I was glad to have my first state behind me. I thought of Willie Nelson's/Ray Charles's song GEORGIA.....of "I'd be better off in a pine box on a slow train back to georgia"....of "that's the night that the lights went out in Georgia"....of "love them Georgia peaches" Lynard Skynard...... Anyway, after I finally got over Courthouse bald and slid down and up and over Sharps(something or another) Mtn; I was exhausted. It started to freezing rain and I was drenched from head to toe. I kept plugging. I know your thinking: Zero it is just 7.3 miles. Yeah, I know. Come and do it in these conditions and then talk to me, "hot shot". I finally got to the shelter right at dusk. I thought I may have missed it and it was 5 miles to the Standing Indian Shelter. Mentally, I never waivered as this could have effected my physically and I could die. Anyway, I entered the shelter and the "lab mix" dog greeted me with a bark and growl as well as "Whiz Kid" and Tim. They could not believe that I had hiked this day. They had spent all day here. They had called their families and let them know they were OK. I quickly got out of all my clothes and ate the soup in my thermos. I then made some tea and a hot water bottle. I set up the REI Roadster tent that "Mr Happy" let me use inside the shelter along with the other two guys. I actually got warm very quickly and as my body has adjusted to these temps: I slept naked. I found that if I do not, I wake up in a sweaty hot panic trying to get out of my clothes and sleeping bags. I could not get to sleep until around 2-3 am.....