Date: 2019-04-11
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 15.8

Day 10 North CarolinaThe goal for today was to achieve a significant milestone in my through hike. I was to complete the first state of the AT: Georgia and pass into North Carolina.The day started when I heard what I thought was someone¢s digital alarm going off at 6:00am. It was a bird chirp sounding perfectly regular every 4 seconds. In reality it was actually a bird outside the open window singing in a digital manner.I¢m in a room with 3 occupied bunk beds and the sound was a signal for us all to start packing. We had to be ready for a shuttle that would take us back to the trailhead where we¢d left off.Top of Georgia Hostel, where I¢m staying provided breakfast of coffee and cereal. The cereal was way to sweet for my taste so I had leftover salad that I¢d saved from my trip to the salad bar in the grocery store yesterday. That filled me up which was a good thing because the day was going to be a very strenuous vertical challenge.The call went out that our shuttle was about to leave. 9 plucky hikers, plus yours truly, piled in for the 5 minute ride back up the hill to Dicks Creek.One hiker on board was ¢Music Man¢ who is doing the hike whilst being supported by ¢Magic Mike¢ who provides beer,donuts and pizza for him at every trailhead. He laughed about how more folks than him seem to get the beers! I did say thankyou to ¢Music Man¢ for the treats I¢d had a couple of days back courtesy of his support system.Once back at our start point for the day, Dicks Creek, our walking pecking order fell into a familiar pattern. The fast young ones sped on ahead, then there were the older regular walkers and then there was me, right at the back. Within 5 mins I was on my own and it was to be that way for most of the day.Along the way I met fresh faces resting at the mountain springs that provide a water source and are a common meeting point. I also met others I hadn¢t seen in 4-5 days. It seems we are all hiking at our own speed on the day but in the overall scheme of things we  are all at about the same pace.The border is announced by a simple timber board nailed to a tree. It¢s easy to miss but as I had seen pictures of it many times on YouTube I knew what to look for. Nearby is an iconic gnarled oak tree that I took the chance to sketch. What stories it could tell.After the border I was in for a savage treat (?). Up until now the path did gentle switch backs. North Carolina had different ideas.It was straight up! Before too long I was at elevations higher than Blood Mountain which up until now had been our highest peak.I ended my day around 5:30pm at Deep Gap Camping Area. I¢d walked a little under 16 miles and was close to 5,000 feet of combined ascent. Tiring work.There were pleasant camping sites near a stream and I found a leafy dry spot perfect for my tent. I spent a fair bit of time inspecting sites as I knew that tonight there was going to be a lot of rain and I wanted to stay dry.Next chore was to hang my bear bag. Many of the tree limbs have the remnants of bear bag cords. Throwing a bear bag is not easy and mishaps are commonplace. That being done I settled in for the night. I was tired and it had been a long day.