Date: 2008-03-20
From: Liss Gap, GA

To: Fish Gap, GA
Miles today: 9.1

Happy Spring, everyone! Today was a beautiful day for the first day of Spring, especially after yesterday's rain. Once the rain finally stopped yesterday, I moved my tent to a more level spot and wrung out and hung my clothes to dry. Then the sky turned blue and the sun came out to mock me. Jerk. I was camped right next to the trail, so someone walking by this morning yelled over to me in my tent to make sure I was okay. I brought my clothes in my tent before nightfall in case it started raining again during the night. They were still wet when I put them back on when it was 30 degrees at my campsite this morning. That was fun. And my boots were frozen when I put them on because they had been completely soaked through during yesterday's hike. I couldn't even lace them tight enough because the laces were frozen. I'm pretty sure Tara's gonna be glad she didn't join me on this trip.My clothes dried pretty quickly after I started hiking, and my boots were dry by the end of today's hike, so all is well. I won't hike in rain like that again, especially when it's cold. I called Tara last night and she found my good (but heavier) rain pants, so she'll send them with some other stuff to Fontana Dam, NC.As I was breaking camp this morning, two older gentlemen were hiking by and introduced themselves as Stinger (so named because he once accidentally put his trekking pole in a hole on the side of the trail that turned out to be a yellowjackets nest...great, one more thing to watch out for) and Swampdog (named for living in swamp country). Stinger took my picture to put in his trail journal. I saw both of them a few times throughout the day. Great guys. They've section hiked a different part of the AT each year until they completed the whole of it in 2006. They're hiking from Springer to Fontana Dam to prepare for another section of the trail (not sure which one) this year.I ate lunch with Stinger and Swampdog in Woody Gap (our first road crossing) and I saw something interesting. I had seen a couple of guys slackpacking (hiking without a pack while someone else drives your pack to your next destination) just before Woody Gap. When I got to Woody Gap, one of the guys took his pack out of the shuttle car, posed for a picture, then put his pack back in the shuttle car and continued hiking without it. They say "hike your own hike" and that's cool, but I was just surprised to see anyone slacking already and the fraudulent picture kind of threw me.Today seemed like a long day, but it was a really beautiful hike. The weather was low-mid 50s and it was clear and sunny all day. I chose to camp in Fish Gap instead of going to the Woods Hole shelter because the shelter is almost a half mile from the trail. My campsite is right next to the side trail to the shelter and I just figured this is better...no extra walking, no shelter mice, and there's a spring nearby on the way up the trail in the morning. It's a bit chilly, but I felt a lot better after eating a hot dinner (Lipton Thai Noodles). It's kind of windy, too, so I set my tent up next to a big fallen tree that will help block the wind.My left foot started bothering me a bit today. The back of my heel is a little swollen and sore when it rubs against my boot. I'll take some ibuprofen and see if it helps. I may have a short day tomorrow, so that could help. If I can get to Mountain Crossings in Neels Gap (3.6 miles) before the hostel fills up, I can get a bunk and shower for $15. Not bad.I've started taking longer breaks with my boots off and that seems to help keep me going. I took two 20 minute breaks today and it was better. I felt my stamina getting better today.Did M+Ms stop being the candy that melts in your mouth, not in your hand?Wildlife sightings: I saw a group of (I think) turkey vultures flying around looking for food. The cool part was that I was on a mountain, so I was level with them and watched them soaring around within 30-50 feet of me. I also saw a bear. Wait...no, that was a woodpecker, about 10 feet away, doing it's thing on a tree. I mention it because it was a cool woodpecker and they kind of amaze me. They're so methodical and determined. I took a picture of a tree with woodpecker holes that are in a neat little row.