Date: 2013-03-28
From: Blueberry Patch Hostel

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: broken clouds

Gary from the Blueberry Patch Hostel promised breakfast at 8:30 a.m. He said he'd ring the dinner bell and that would be our cue to enter their house.There were only five guests in the hostel despite it having been full the past several days. In addition to CookIN and me, there was Wrongway, who apparently went the wrong way twice on her first day, and Nick and Jennifer, a couple most recently from Alaska. Gary came into the hostel around 7:00 a.m. to stoke the fire. We all got up shortly after and started packing. I slept well in my bunk and stayed warm. Around 8:20, the breakfast bell rang, and we joined the Poteats for breakfast. They said grace, then we dug into the scrambled eggs, pancakes with blueberry syrup, homemade biscuits, potato cakes, pork sausage, OJ and coffee, all served family style. During breakfast, we talked about Gary's thru-hike, some 22 years ago, and how equipment and social acceptance of hiking the trail have changed since then.I asked the group whether they had noticed, while hiking, the upturned leaves and soil amongst the piles of snow. I found it a strange sight and couldn't see any footprints to indicate what may have done it or even what it was. Gary said that if it was just upturned leaves, it would have been turkeys. If it was leaves and soil, then it was wild hogs. He said, though, we're more likely to see a bear than the wild hogs.After breakfast, we all finished packing, and Gary drove Nick, Jennifer, CookIN, and me back to Dicks Creek Gap. Wrongway stayed behind to heal her blisters and wait for her friends to catch up.At Dicks Creek Gap, there were about seven hikers playing, of course, hacky sack. Two of them, to my surprise, were Morris and Stupid. They had apparently hiked all 17 miles from Unicoi to Dicks Creek Gap the day before. They finished at 7:00 p.m. but couldn't get a cell signal so spent the night out. After we unloaded, they got in Gary's Jeep to get their mail drop at the hostel. They hadn't yet decided whether to take a zero or come back out on the trail. As Gary pulled away, Captain Dan showed up. He spent the night at the Holiday Inn and was coming back out on the trail. The five of us started hiking around 9:40 a.m.The day was sunnier and warmer than it has been, and we all quickly stopped to shed some layers. I hiked ahead of CookIN and Captain Dan all day and periodically hop-scotched with Nick and Jennifer. The terrain was difficult but not strenuous, and we all looked forward to the GA/NC line. That's right. We'd be leaving Georgia! Around 3:00 p.m., I made it to the sign marking the border and had Sparky snap my picture.A few steps down the trail, was Bly Gap, the minimum hike I was willing to do for the day. Soon, Nick and Jennifer showed up and deiced to spend the night, the first to set up camp. I was tired and achy but wanted to put in more miles in the remaining daylight. I asked Nick and Jennifer to tell CookIN I was pushing ahead to Muskrat Creek Shelter. That would add another 2.8 miles to my day, most of which would be steep uphills. Just above Bly Gap, I stopped to take a picture of the twisted tree and to add more layers because the wind at the gap was fierce and cold! Sparky and I started our ascents, hop-scotching a few times before camp.I made it to the shelter at 5:30 p.m. and decided to grab a spot in the shelter. The ground here is partially snow-covered and damp elsewhere, and I didn't want my tent to get wet on my first night out. Soon I was greeted by Nick (GusGus). His hiking partner, Bartender, had pushed ahead, hoping to do two 16-mile days to Franklin. We had a friendly conversation and filtered H2O together.Next, I made dinner, and others joined us at the shelter's table. Most everyone set up their tents because they thought it would be warmer than the shelter, since it's expected to reach 20 degrees tonight. In the end, only Two Stix and me are staying in the shelter.After dinner, I asked Two Stix whether he was journaling on the trail, and he said just a little. I asked if he might have a few spare sheets of paper, since I've been writing a lot. To my delight and surprise, he pulled out a whole notebook and gave it to me. He said he had two and was going to put the extra in a hiker box anyway. I sincerely thanked him and gave him a king-size KitKat bar in return.In the end, neither CookIN, Stupid, or Morris showed up at camp. It was certainly not my intent to leave them behind, since I've really enjoyed their company. I hope they catch up.Now it's time for bed. I hope I stay warm!Days without meat: 1.