Date: 2009-03-25
From: Hiawassee, GA

To: Trey Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

so today was my first 15 miler. i broke it up into 9 and 6miles. it was going alright for the most part, except my shoulder was really really starting to give me problems. my left one that is. i had to stop using my hiking poles at times so i could put my hands under the straps and take some pressure off my shoulders. any ways, i arrived at Unicou Gap (a road crossing) when Richard (who i was hiking with) saw people with a grill and cooler and he said "it looks like we might be getting rail magic" and sure enough, we were! the couple were sooooo nice!!! Dwayne and Linda Lehigh were they're names. they had goolash, fruit, cookers and ice tea. i couldnt eat the goolash cause of the meet, but the apple i had may have been the best apple ive ever tasted!! we all hung out with them for a little while, signed there sign in sheet and talked a bit. i was about getting ready to leave when they overheard me say how much my shoulder has been hurting me. so they suggested they drive me back 20 miles to Neels Gap (where i just was) so they people at the hiker store could take a look at my pack, that maybe its not fitted properly for me. i declined 2-3 timse and then finlaly realized i need to take advantage of a good oportunity and know my body can only take so much. i mean, i did still have over 2,000 miles to go. so the two wonderful trail angels (is what we call people who take you places you need to go) took me to the store at Neels Gap. they shook me down (went through everything in my pack and took out unnessisary things). they but my hiker complanion book in half and said to have the other half mialed to me, got rid of cloths, extra bags, pills, and all sorts of stuff. they took 12 lbs outa my bag!!! i went from 38lbs to 26lbs! Jen was the name of the girl from the outfitter store who helped me out so much. so i put my pack on and they looked at it on me and realized that it didnt fit me. it didnt fit me at all. i actually had a boys backpack. i had a childrens backpack for a boy!!! so... i dropped a lotta cash and got myself and new pack. a womans pack that actually fits me! see, with my other one the its didnt fit me so all my weight was being put on my shoulders, but with this new one, since its for woman, most fo the weight goes on the hips rather then the shoulders like it does for a man. so after i put it on i was like "are you kidding me?!?!?! this is how is was sopposed to be feeling the entire time?? this is how everyone else feels!!" it was amazing! I felt like a bran new woman!so by the time i got back to Unicou Gap it was 6:20pm. the Lehigh's waited around for me for 2 1/2 hours!!! my god they were the nicest damn people i had ever met!!! (thank you so much you guys!!!)so i started hiking again at 6:20pm and had another 6 miles to go. and, the rain clouds were coming in so i really wanted to get to Trey Mountain Shelter before it started coming down. so with that in mind and a new pack 12 lbs lighter, i was FLYING! i have never hiked so fast in my life, it was crazy! but i didnt make it there before sun down. so i went to look for my head lamp and i couldnt find it. i didnt know where Jen (from the store) had put it. i didnt wanna take everything out in the dark just so i wouldnt leave anything behind. so... i walked in the dark. i could barley see anything, i had to use my hiking poles like a blind person so i could feel where the large rocks were and where it went up and down! i finally started hearing voieces so i knew i had to be getting close. then i saw the fire! i just cut through the trees and went staight towards them and they all yelled "snuggles!!! you made it!" at this time it was 8:30pm. i had hiked 6 miles in only two hours. they couldnt believe it! they helped me put my tent up since the shelter was full and lent me a head lamp to get settled. i wasnt about to cook dinner at that time so i just ate a snickers bar and pop tart for dinner. light weight and mr ed were so cute, they said they had started to worry abnout me and hoped everything was alright. no one could believe i had hiked that fast and in the dark like that. (i found my head lamp later, it was in a hidden pocket i didnt even know exsisted on my new pack) oh well. and i beaet the rain!!! so i was really happy about that. hearing their voices was the best damn thing i had ever heard. i was soo happy to be there you can not even imagin!