Date: 2006-03-19
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Deep Gap (Franklin)
Miles today: 4.0

I had a horrible night¢s sleep again. Coughing and hacking most of the night. Got up and swilled down cough syrup - the Rite Aid stuff, as I was out of the prescription stuff. I took a couple Sudafeds and finally fell asleep. I must have snored badly as I woke up twice with a very dry mouth. When I breathe through my mouth and sleep, I almost always snore. My nose was plugged though, and I couldn't help it.I started off without breakfast as even the thought of eating made me nauseous. After an hour, I sat down and forced myself to eat a Quaker Oatmeal breakfast bar. It took over fifteen minutes. I started hiking again. The trail was mostly level but I was having a tough go of it. It was going to be a long haul to get over Standing Indian Mountain (5500 feet).As I rounded the ridge and turned back west toward Deep Gap, I could see a forest service road below through the trees. I checked the map and saw that it went down about 8 miles to US 64. So I had a choice when I hit Deep Gap. Hike eight miles over Standing Indian Mountain to Carter Gap Shelter, or hike 8 miles down to US 64 and hitch to Franklin. Hiking to Carter Gap was more logical, as the eight miles were at least on the AT. But I was so beat. On the other hand, it was downhill to US 64, and last night in the shelter Mike from Duke had his weather radio on. The weather forecast was for freezing rain and sleet. Did I want to wake up in the mountains in my condition and face hiking in that tomorrow?I made it to Deep Gap. Smile was there, and Ketchup, and Mike from Duke, and Sir Hawk and John. Also, one hiker who looked at my map was horrified at the big loop the AT made here. It swung south about ten miles, then back north, and reached a point only a few miles from here after a two day hike. He said, "Why can't I just take a short cut on this trail and go straight there?" Everyone agreed he could do whatever he wanted to do, and he headed down the Kimsey Creek Trail.I checked my cell phone and son of a gun! I had two bars! I called the Haven Motel and asked about a shuttle. The desk guy said someone would be out shortly. Wow. Is life that easy?After a few minutes, I got antsy. Did I say Deep Gap? Will they go to the right place? I called back to give my cell number. The guy said someone would be leaving in five minutes. I tried to give him my cell number in case something went wrong, but he said nothing will go wrong and hung up. Once again, I had to distrust myself because of my grogginess and trust another.Good trust, as an hour later, up pulled a van. The ride down the forest road took quite a while, as the road was narrow with a steep drop off on the side. We hit Route 64 and headed for Franklin. The driver, Al, stopped for a minute at Winding Stair Gap to see if any hikers needed a ride in, but no one was there except a rock climber (there is a huge - maybe 100 foot - cliff where a road cut split the gap).Smile had decided to take the shuttle with me, and to share the expense. She said she would skip the part from Deep Gap to Winding Stair Gap and do it after she finished the hike. Splitting the shuttle worked out just fine as the shuttle was forty dollars for one or two people. I could not believe that I had just been taken out of the woods and transported to a motel for only TWENTY DOLLARS.Smile wanted to go elsewhere - she mentioned a Marriott or a Four Seasons, but I wanted to stay right here. Within minutes I was in a warm room.At the hotel was the group from Deep Gap Shelter (not the Deep Gap I had just left, but the Deep Gap in Georgia where I spent the night of March 16). It seems they succeeded in their dash across the ridge to beat the weather. I wish I had been feeling okay. I would have loved to have done it with them.Restless was there, who instigated the dash idea, and Two Shoes, Burrey, Redneck - what a fun guy - and who else? Ryan, who generously gave me some Emergen-C packets. A bit later, I met Ron Haven, who owns the motel. He drove me to a Wal-Mart where I could get some medicine and a thermometer. He dropped me off so I could also go to Ingles and said to call him when I needed a ride back. It took me almost 45 minutes, as I was completely whacked. But when I called, he showed right up and drove me back to the motel.Dave, who mans the front desk, called me once to say Ron was taking some hikers to a restaurant if I wanted to go along, but I felt like I was going to die any minute, and preferred to die in bed with dignity, rather than falling face first into a buffet line.