Date: 2004-04-08
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Wood's Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: light rain

Top six signs that Ryan has left the building:   6. The bathroom window remains closed.   5. Don't hear his phone ringing at 6 a.m. every morning calling him to   substitue teach.   4. When I turn on the T.V. it doesn't come up on Cartoon Network or Emeril's Cooking show.   3. When I go out to eat and take home leftovers, they are still there the next day when I get home from school.   2. Mustard and Pickles (Ryan's cats) are sad and lonely.   AND THE NUMBER ONE SIGN THAT RYAN HAS LEFT THE BUILDING:.......DRUMROLL   1. Opie (my cat) is very happy!!!!!Oh well, he's the only one! I got a phone call from Sean (the driver) today! My car and the happy hikers made it to their beginning destination. Sean said that he left them at the walk to the trail head at Springer Mountain at about 2p.m. I would imagine that they might be hiking some in the dark if they make the first shelter. My car will be returned later in the evening, clean and topped of with a full tank of gas.......what a nice guy! Thanks Sean! I'll write more when I hear from Ryan. Ryan's Trail Notes: 4/8/04 Day 03--Today we went about 10 miles. Yesterday and the day before were about 10 miles as well. I think 10 is the magic number for us at the moment and will become the minimum for a day not to be considered a 'throw away' day in the future. We got out of bed at 8:15 a.m. and I was on the trail by 9:15 a.m. We hiked Mt. Sasafras first thing in the morning with fresh feet. I went hard fast as I had less than 1/3 liter of water to last the next 4.5 miles. Sasafras was over well before I tired and we were at Justus Creek before noon. After filling our bottles and eating a quick Ramen noodle meal, Patrick and I left for Woody Gap, where I now sit inside my tent writing in my journal. On our way here, Patrick and I found a rock outcropping that overlooked much of the North Georgia Hills. We basked for 1/2 hour and ate Snickers while Mike and Dan caught up to us. My last/first journal entry, I thought I was experiencing some pain. I know now that that was but a prelude to the real pain. The blisters on my heels and the chaffing on the dark side of my balls have had two days to mature and take my word for it, it's not getting prettier with age. Add to that, general achey soreness in every joint of my body, and top it off with overstressed foot and hip bones. I think I've got it pretty good though with my youth and level of fitness. My body wears out long before I get really tired so all it will take is a little hardening up and I should be able to fly up the trail. Yesterday, (Day 02), We left the shelter as a group and decided to make for Horse Gap where we would camp for the night on the side of the trail. We have gotten ourselves into a hiking schedule where sunset finds us between shelters. We have camped twice away from shelters and only once at a shelter. Yesterday as the four of us walked in a column with many miles to go and a little too little water, Dan, at the front saw a squirrel jump onto the path directly ahead of him. As we approached it, it ran quickly off to the side of the trail where it stopped suddenly, rolled over onto its back and died. I'm sure it died because I stayed to see the nerve endings and the evacuation of bowels and bladder. None of us could figure out what might have happened to the squirrel and it was a very unsettling experience. Tomorrow we have an 11 mile hike ahead of us that ends with Blood Mt., the highest peak in Georgia, and then a night in town. Tonight we've camped on the side of HWY 60 in a scenic overlook with some picnic tables, a privy, and a spring. Every now and then a car or mototcycle passes as people come and go between the nearby town of Suchez and the rest of the world. I have to sign out now as I've a huge day ahead of me; that, and I'd like to play a little Gameboy before I pass-out.