Date: 2010-04-03
From: Neels Gap

To: Hog Pen Gap
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: broken clouds

Day 6 ReportStart Location: Neels GapEnd Location: Hog Pen GapDay Miles: 6.4Total Miles: 37.1 (+8.8)Distance to go: 2142Trip Report:Change of plans, I decided to go hiking today afterall. I want to get to Franklin, N.C. by next Friday. That's 77 miles from Neels Gap or an average of almost 13 miles a day. That was going to be a stretch. By knocking out 6.4 today I will have to average just under 12 miles a day. That will still be a stretch for six days straight, especially because of the weight of six days of food, but now I will start tomorrow believing that I have a chance of making it. I had pulled most of my gear out of my pack and guess it weighed about 10 pounds. With just a 10 pound pack I was flying (well flying for me--at 2.5 miles an hour). So I became a slackpacker today.As I was hiking today I was recalling what walking pace my dad's doctor had recommended when he had a heart attack years ago. I think it was 2 miles in 35 minutes. I suppose it is those pesky mountains making me so much slower.Had a little snafu on the rendevous today. By the by in case it isn't clear here is what we did. Neels gap is on U.S. Highway 19 and Hog Pen Gap is on GA 348. So I hiked the 6.4 miles and Debbie drove around, picked me up, and brought me back to the cabin. Tommorow morning she will drive me back to Hog Pen Gap and I will be on my way again. Back to the snafu: GA 348 is closed. But Debbie was able to get past the baracade to pick me up. We will have to sneak past the baracade for the drop off in the morning.A day in the life. I have a watch attached to the belt of my pack. Two alarms are set. One for 6:30 am and the other for noon. 6:30 is probably still a little early as the sky is just starting to lighten, but give it a week and it will be perfect. The noon alarm is a nag to get me to stop and eat lunch.So up at dawn. Turn sleeping bag inside out and hang it over a branch to dry out. Make breakfast--I have been having oatmeal and hot chocolate so far. I am using a Caldera Cone alcohol stove with an MSR .85 liter pot. There are several cooking options available including the more common butain/propane stoves you have probably seen and a product called esbit. The butain/propane stoves are much heavier. Esbit looks like a black sugar cube and burns very hot once lit. Esbit and alcohol have similar weight profiles but alcohol is easier to obtain. The Caldera is heavier than necessary mostly because of the plastic storage container, but I made the tradeoff because it was easier to use than the ultra lites I tried. It takes about an ounce of alcohol to just barely boil my cup and a half of water. After breakfast clean pot and mug, make like a bear, tear down tent, pack up gear, and hike up to the trail. The shelters are generally 2 or 3 tenth of a mile off the trail. So far this morning routine is taking about an hour and forty-five minutes. I need to improve that.Lunch has been peanut butter and a bagle. For this next stretch I am taking peanut butter, crackers, tuna fish, and precooked bacon for lunch.When I reach the camp site for the evening the first step is to find a open flat spot and set up my tent, unstuff my sleeping bag to let it start expanding, and resist the urge to lay down. Next step is to grab my water bladders and water filter, hike down to the spring/creek (generally about one or two tenth away) and pump water. I am carrying two bladders, one for gatoraid (half strength) and the other for plain cooking water. My habit has been to pump 3 liters of drinking water--enough for the evening and to start hiking in the morning. Then I pump another 1.5 liters for cooking dinner and breakfast, cleaning pot and cup, and brushing teeth. Next we fire up our stoves and boil water to make dinner. So far I have been eating a freeze dried delight from Mountain House. They all have different names like sweet and sour pork or turkey tetrazini, but so far I haven't detected much taste difference--they are consistently disgusting. After dinner, we hang our food bags to protect them from bears and rodents. Finally it is bed time. Hiker midnight is dusk which right now is about 8:00 PM and everyone is in their bag. It is already clearly rude to talk or otherwise disturb the quiet after sunset.In between the above activities we hike.In response to my desription of my layering system yesterday, someone asked what kind of boots I am wearing. Boots? This is a religeous issue for some, so I need to be careful, but here is where I stand. Boots are for big strong manly men. I am a bit of a wus, afterall my trail name is twinkles, so I wear trail runners. I am currently wearing Solomon XT Wings. Here is the proof in the pudding. Those wearing boots immediately take them off when they get to camp and put on their camp shoes. I haven't even thought about my shoes until it is time to get into my sleeping bag. In fact, I am sitting here in the cabin typing this and I just looked down at my feet--hmm my trail runners are still there and I hadn't even thought about them or my feet until this moment, and its been four hours since I finished hiking today. I haven't worn my camp shoes yet, so they are going home with Debbie.Lastly for completeness, I wear a Tilly Airflo Hat.