Date: 2010-04-06
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 40.2
Weather: clear sky

We are off this morning from Hiawassee to start at Dick's Creek gap. Tonight we are hiking to Plum Orchard Shelter. Ms PMS will drop us off at the gap with 5 days of food. So just 4.5 miles today, then continuing on for 4 days in the mountains. Updates when possible but maybe not until Friday or Saturday.Ms. PMS aka Paula will head home to Jacksonville in our truck with all our prize posesssions we got to use while in town. Now just what we have on our backs and what we have bumped forward. Thanks so much Ms. PMS for joining us on the first part of our long journey. Drive safe and we will see you and Brent at Trail Days in Damascus, VA May 14-15.See you on the trail...4/6/10We left Dick's Creek Gap about 12:00. We already knew it was a steep uphill for quite a few miles and then another steep incline, with that in mind we decided to stay the first night at Plumorchard Gap Shelter. It was a 4 1/2 mile hike, 80 degrees and very exhausting after being lazy in town. Plumorchard is a great 3 tier shelter with a firepit, bear cables (to hang our food, which draws the bears away from the shelter) and a stream right in front of the shelter. We were glad to limit our day! We got to the shelter about 2:30, ready to enjoy a nice evening, joining us were Fig, Laurel & Chris, a High School group from Etowah High and Chainsaw joined us. After dinner we all enjoyed some nice conversation, although one of the highschoolers they nicknamed "UpChuck" got sick all evening. Chainsaw showed up about 8:00pm (hiker's midnight, this is when it gets dark, hikers go to bed) he exclaims "My name is Chainsaw, I am tenting right over there for your benefit". He mozied on over to his spot and tented. As we all went to sleep we heard his tune, a brilliant snore a mom would be proud of.4/7/10We woke up early, at daybreak, made breakfast and packed for our 7.3 mile hike to Muskrat Creek Shelter. Wild Poodle and Cahoda took off like usual up ahead. Half Left and I stolled, enjoying the beautiful sunny day, 4.5 miles into the day was the end of our first state, the GA-NC line. We danced with glee as passing the mark. Right beyond the border .2 miles farther was Wild Poodle and Cahoda, we did the "Woo, Woo, Woo" to see if they would respond and they did. They were perched at Bly Gap, both leaning on their backpacks enjoying lunch. Half Left and I joined them for a nice 30 minute break. Tuna sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly, chips and nice conversation about the trail so far filled the time. Packing all of our stuff and beginning our 2.8 miles remaining, we climbed the cliff to see the most photographed tree on the trail. It is an unusual bent over oak tree, right in the middle of the trail marked with the "white blaze" we all follow. Photos were taken and then up the mountain we go. I looked up to see the steepest climb imaginable. Stairs climbed forever and ever straight up. 1.9 miles up and over the ridiculously steep incline. Then I thought it was over for the day, no another steep climb amost as steep as the first, already tired from the first, we climbed and climbed and climbed, and said a few words under the breath. The view was spectacular, the wind blowing the heat of the sun away, very worth every step (even though I didn't think so then). We got into Muskrat Shelter early about 2:30 but choose to make it a day. We were joined by about 5 other hikers for a nice evening by the fire, a stream rippling right behind the shelter. At sunset, we hiked just over the hill to see an amazing sunset, pictures to follow when we can download them.4/8/10We woke up to a beautiful morning, expecting some rain later in the day, we got our raingear ready and headed off for a 7.6 mile hike to Carter Gap Shelter. Little known to us was a huge thunderstorm brewing in the distance. Amazingly, Half Left and I got an early start an easy hike for a change. About an hour into the hike we noticed the sky turning grey and rainy, we stopped and put on our raingear and packcovers. Thank God we did, within minutes, thunder and lightning, mud, water, rain covered us for miles. We raced as fast as we could to get to the closet shelter, Standing Indian 4.9 miles. We got there with no time to spare, Cahoda and Wild Poodle showed up 10 minutes later. It was noon and we were already in a shelter, lightning and thunder, torrid rain fell, the wind blew sideways. We all climbed in our sleeping bags as the temperatures fell, all snuggled in like little school children. It was cold, wet, & misty. We heard more hikers appear in the shelter, Chainsaw shows up in shorts and a muscle t-shirt, drenched and cold, "Do you mind if I join you?" Of course not, we will move over and you can have the last spot in the shelter, we exclaimed.Not minutes later, 2 other hikers arrived, cold, wet and wanting warmth, we couldn't provide. Shelters generally have 3 sides with an open front. This one has a big overhang with a table in the middle, but the wind and rain were going sideways into the open area. The poor girl (buttercup) a nice Japanese girl was shivering. We felt sorry for her and her companion but couldn't really help but to offer part of the platform where our bags were laying. Not long after a man and his son came through the storm. They were in jeans and raincoats, soaked to the brim! The rain stopped, and they hurried to start a fire with would Doug and Peaches had left in the shelter (they had seen them up the trail and told them of the wood). Half Left, Chainsaw and John (the son) gathered wood while the dad (David) started the fire. What a warm, welcoming fire! We all needed it to dry our wet clothes, socks, boots, you name it, it was wet. After a few hours of dinner, fire and conversation, it began to rain again. All in the shelter and tents we go. Over the night, the temperature dropped to 24 degrees. Everyones clothes were frozen, tents had frost, boots frozen stiff. John picked up his jeans, stiff as a board, funny but real. Half Left picked up his towel he had hung on his pack, a hole eaten right out of it, by the mice. They made a bed in the other girls backpack and brought nuts to boot. A little nest in her backpack, funny! Well with all our frozen gear, wet clothes, we were hoping for a way to town. David and his son John called his cousin Bob for a ride. They asked did anyone else need a ride, we all raised our hands! Thanks to them we are all dry in Franklin, NC. Sushi for dinner, groceries had, clean dry clothes and clear skies we are ready for tomorrow. Thanks so much to David and John from Flemming Island, FL and Bob from Franklin for the ride. Also thanks to Bob's wife, I think her name is Sally for the wonderful zucchini bread and hot coffee!!!!Tomorrow is another day, to be continued.See you on the trail...