Date: 2018-10-09
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today is a very special day.  Today my daughter, Sophia, turns 19.  I still remember carrying her down the hospital hall introducing her to her grandparents. Seems like just a short time ago.  Happy Birthday Sophia.  I love you with all my heart. I know some of you may be worried about me being on the trail with Hurricane Michael looming.  I¢m currently off the trail and am in a hotel in Franklin North Carolina. I slept pretty well in the Muskrat Creek Shelter.  I slept late and wasn¢t ready to hit the trail till 8:30.  Saint and I agreed to meet at the next shelter, Standing Indian.  He had better cell service than I did and he was going to arrange a shuttle for us for Wednesday morning. We¢d spend the night at Standing Indian and then return to Deep Gap to be picked up.  It was a pretty easy and quick hike to Standing Indian.  I was there around noon.  I was wrestling with the idea of going on to the next shelter, Carter Gap, which was another 7.6 miles onward.  This would only be a little longer than I did on Monday.  But it would mean I¢d be riding out the storm on the trail.  I met a previous thru hiker who was spending the day hanging out at Standing Indian.  His name was Nacho Jim and he had a precocious lab/pit mix, whose trail name was Bear Bait.  Bear Bait hiked most of the AT with Nacho Jim. All places except those where dogs where prohibited. BB was very happy on the trail. I talked to NJ while I cooked a hot meal, and realized continuing on was a terrible idea. I had to summit Standing Indian mountain.  At over 5,500¢ it was by far the highest peak I¢d yet summitted.  It was also going to be a bit of a steep rock scramble over boulder fields and is difficult in the best of conditions.  It would be the toughest terrain I¢d faced. The conditions I was facing were ugly. It was very windy (outer squalls from the hurricane), and very wet and slippery.  There might well be thunderstorms while I was trying to summit and I felt I¢d be a great if unwilling lightning rod. If I wasn¢t hiking, I was also quite chilled.  It sounded like the summit was going to be slow going and risky.  And then I¢d be at risk at not getting to the next shelter before dark and I didn¢t know if it was better situated than Standing Indian  So it was clear I wasn¢t going on. But I didn¢t want to stay at the Standing Indian Shelter either.  It was very exposed, with winds blowing rain directly into the shelter. I¢d have to set up a tent in the shelter and hope that would protect me from the wind and chilly rain.  NJ offered to take me into Franklin, and I took him up on his offer. While he was packing up, Saint arrived at Standing Indian and agreed that heading to Franklin early was best. So we backtracked 0.8 mile back to Deep Gap where NJ was parked and headed to Franklin. BB slept in my lap on the way down the mountain and into town.  She was very happy, and let loose some stinky expulsions on the way forcing us to open the windows.   It was much warmer, with calmer winds in Franklin.  I¢d planned to stay at Gooder Groves Hiker Hostel, but Zen the proprietor was stressed and short handed.  It made me uncomfortable and NJ dropped me off at the Carolina Motel, where I¢ll stay the next few days. So Wednesday and Thursday will be zeroes. And I¢ll have to decide whether to get back on the trail Friday for a few days or to stop early.  I¢m due to come off the trail on Sunday. So for the time being I¢m just relaxing and waiting to see what happens.  I do seem to have picked up a cold so it¢s a good time to have downtime.