Date: 2018-03-05
From: DickÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Creek Gap

To: Bly Gap, NC
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Sweet Caroline Sweet Caroline, ba ba ba, good times never seemed so good! I¢m a classic rock fan, but today I was digging me some Neill Diamond. ¢Sweet Caroline¢ seemed the perfect song to sing as we reached the GA / NC border at Bly Gap. The day started with all-you-can-eat cold cereal at the TOG. That was a bit of a letdown after all of the journal entries I had read over the years touting the amazing breakfast in the TOG. We caught the first shuttle back to Dick¢s Creek Gap and started our hike out of Georgia at 8:45AM. The temperature hovered around 50 all day, there was little to no wind, and the sun cast a soft yellow glow though a thin layer of clouds. There is something calming about hiking through the forest and only hearing the sound of your feet striking the ground keeping cadence with your heavy breathing. Terrain wise, we picked up today where left off yesterday, on the Georgia roller coaster. Although the grade was not as steep, Which Way¢s pinky toe was screaming for her to stop after the first descent. We stopped to diagnose and try to remedy the little nuisance before it became a big problem. She removed her shoes and socks and we quickly assessed where the friction was originating. The rub (pun intended) appeared to be that her little toe folds under the adjacent digit, creating contact and friction with every step. It appears that Which Way wears her name from her head to her feet, as her toes point in every which direction. We taped the two toes together with leukeo tape and applied a big glob of Vaseline to the area. This field remedy procedure would get her through the day. As we were taking care of the weakest link, Doug and then Spirit Man passed us by. We leapfrogged with them throughout the morning. We came upon the two of them sharing a log and eating their lunch. Doug informed us that he finally had a trail name, Near Miss. Apparently a few days back, as he worked his way up Tray Mtn., he paused for a second, bending over his hiking poles to catch his breath. Just as he did, a huge branch fell 20¢ from a tree and crashed onto the trail 10 yards from where he stopped¢Near Miss! After listening to his frightful story, we continued up the trail. We did not see Spirit Man or Near Miss on the trail for the rest of the day. Shortly after passing our new trail friends we found a log of our own to picnic on. After scarfing down a tuna wrap and a snack we knocked out a couple of mini-trail coasters. Then we crossed a small fire road at Blue Ridge Gap. As we re-entered the woods, a sign welcomed us to the Southern Nantahala Wilderness Area of the Chattahoochee National Forest. Another sign indicated that we were 3.1 miles from Bly Gap (and NC). There was a visible change to the surrounding forest as soon as we entered the Nantahala Wilderness Area. We were in an old growth forest with an assortment of trees, each with a good amount of real estate between trees allowing for plenty of room to survive and thrive. Small fir trees now mixed in with the Rhododendrons and Mountain Laurels to add splashes of green to the scenery. The forest floor (and the trail) also softened, with less rocks to navigate over. Although we climbed 1,000¢ from Blue Ridge Gap to Bly Gap, it was not a difficult hike. The trail gained 200-300 feet in elevation and then came down a 100 feet or so, giving our legs and lungs a break between climbs.We were ready to have our first of fourteen states behind us and the anticipation built as we drew closer to Bly Gap. If Which Way had not been leading the way, I probably would have sprinted the last half mile. When we finally hit the state line, a faded marker posted on a tree marked the event. What, no welcome center?! You might say that the crossing of state lines was a little anti-climactic. But, that didn¢t stop us from celebrating. We shot a little video that I will try to add to our journal later.Less than 100 meters from the state line was a small campsite. We were the first to arrive, followed by Near Miss, Spirit Man and 6-8 other hikers. Among the group was Smoking Joe (he rolled his own) who started his thru hike on 13 February. We passed him and his buddy laying in the middle of the trail earlier in the day. He said he was in no hurry. That¢s an understatement. He seemed happy just to be here and that is what matters.Near Miss pitched his tent right next to ours and we ate dinner together. I kept calling him ¢Close Call¢ instead of Near Miss. He must have liked Close Call better, because, as we were retiring to our tents, he announced, ¢Close Call it is.¢ He then texted his wife, apparently making it official.It is sweet to be in NC, but I have fond memories of the A.T. in Georgia¢Springer, Blood, Tray, Mountain Crossings, Blairsville, Hiawassee, the TOG Hostel, and of course, all our new friends. A big shout out to the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club and host of other volunteers who manage the trail in Georgia. GO DAWGS!It is starting to rain now. More of the liquid sunshine and much colder temps in the forecast. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we work our way towards Franklin; and a much needed ZERO! Elevation Data:Ascent ~ 3,000Descent ~ 1,830Grade ¢ 10.2  Weather:Day ¢ 55 degrees / CloudyNight ¢ 40 degrees / Rainy  Over the Horizon: The NOC Anything worth doing, is better done TOGETHER--Which Way and Next Step!