Date: 2011-05-31
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Low Gap Cowboy Campsite
Miles today: 14.9

El Toro gets up really early, it's still dark outside, I can just make out his shadowy figure through half open eyes in the grey light of early dawn.I get up to make breakfast and am joined by the couple from NY, the guy has dragged his wife out for company, being abandoned by other friends and hiking mates, she looks none too happy about it. He's hiked a bunch of the AT, all through the whites, and scoffs at how easy it is in this area. Amazingly enough he ain't figured out to light his stove properly-and more importantly, safely. The thing practically explodes with flame and we gotta jump back to avoid being scorched. I'm just heating water for a brekkie of scrambled eggs in a foil pouch, definitely something to be said for the ease of this method.A group of backpackers on the trail, one of them has the same hat as me and we compliment each other on a fine choice of headwear. Then I see a young backpacker running down the trail, not sure why he's running, there's a group of 4 following, they must think I'm a thru-hiker as they respectfully move over to make way.Down to Rector Laurel Road and there's supposed to be a stream for water, I'm getting pretty low by this point, there's a rather ominous sound coming from a farm upstream though, cattle and/or donkeys, could mean contaminated water, I add water anyway just to make sure, forgetting that the guide says there are numerous smaller stream crossings up the mountain.Water is definitely safer the further it is from civilization, so wait several stream crossings before deciding to empty the suspect water out and refill with nice, fresh, clean mountain water, although the honest truth is don't taste no better than the low country water, maybe just a touch colder, always good. Right at the very top of the mountain is a spring, so add even more just to make sure, and the next water source at Hogback Ridge Shelter is 0.3 miles off the trail, so don't wanna stop there.Stop at Hogback Shelter for a nice, long, relaxing 75 minutes lunch, starting to feel the strain of all those miles, it's OK in the earlier part of the day, but tire out as it wears on, and your body wears out. It looks cloudy and threatening in the middle of the day, the plan was to cowboy camp in the open at the Low Gap campground, maybe not such a great idea if it's gonna rain, so I leave a note in the shelter log for Bear Bait and Speed Demon to let'em know I'd be at the next shelter if not at Low Gap.It's a long tiring afternoon, 6.1 miles an seem like a long way when legs don't wanna cooperate, and beginning to get tired of being dirty all the time and fighting off bugs, trail culture shock is setting in! Down into Sam's Gap and I can hear the traffic on I-26, there's an underpass for hikers and a local road, I see some cars parked on the other side and it looks like a gas station or convenience store, trail fatigue has definitely set in as hopes soar for a cold can of soda or maybe trail magic, alas it's a mirage in the soda-desert, nothing but a local park and a weird sign that points to the AT and says "Walking Trail".Already in need of water again and looking for the next spring, can't quite remember the distance, it turns out to be about 3/4 of a mile, it's barely a trickle and the pump is sucking a lotta air so the bladder gets full quickly and and probably almost bursts from the pressure.Treading very lightly now, trying to preserve feet and legs for the last 3 miles to the campsite, the weather has cleared nicely and it's bright and sunny, at least outa the woods, so no need to go on to the next shelter. Just keeping a nice casual pace, noting a lovely meadow along the way.The campsite doesn't look like anything special, there is a fire ring and at least one flat spot to lay out a sleeping pad, feeling a bit nervous about sleeping under the stars, it'll be the first time I've done this for many years, hope it'll be dry and not too buggy.A bit of a difficult spring to access for water, it's very muddy and slippery to get to, only a trickle of water so hard to access and pump, no bugs at least.It's starting to get late, the sun has already "gone down" behind the ridges although it's not technically sunset yet, and no sign of 2 new mates, I sit to smoke my cigar for a bit and relax with a cuppa green tea, finally hear some folks talking and there they are, Bear Bait was dreading having to go on to the next shelter if I wasn't there, they smelled cigar smoke coming down into the gap and knew I must be there, had no idea the smell would carry that far and the wind seemed to be blowing in the opposite direction.We set our pads side by side in the only really flat spot and all asleep to the sound of owls doing their call and response thing in the woods, it seems to freak Bear Bait out, I find it relaxing, at one point they seem right overhead.