Date: 2018-03-07
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Mooney Gap
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light snow

It is 6:30PM and Which Way and I are in our tent, layered up with nearly every article of clothing we have. When the sun sets behind the mountains we anticipate the temperature will drop to below 20 degrees. Our day began at Standing Indian Shelter, where we survived our first night actually sleeping in the shelter, rather than our tent. We shared the shelter floor with Gazelle, Willow, Nomad, and Tom (just Tom). The youngest of the group is Willow, at 19. Gazelle and Tom looked to be in their 20¢s . Nomad was the older one of the four, pushing 40. Collectively, they are a nice group of young adults. The four of them have been putting in big miles, with Gazelle out front. It is my humble assessment that the others are laboring to keep up with Gazelle. The three lumbered into camp last night a good 90 minutes after she arrived. It was apparent that Tom was especially bedraggled from the hike and dismayed with the weather conditions. He commented about his clothes and gear being wet, so I suggested that he hang his stuff out to dry before the temperatures dropped.  The wind picked up in intensity throughout the night, rushing in a blast of much colder air. The shelter was drafty and cold. As day broke, Mother Nature rung out what little moisture was in the air and light snow quickly covered the frozen ground. Gazelle was up quickly and informing the rest of the group that the today¢s target was Long Branch Shelter, over 14 miles up the trail. As the others packed their gear, following Gazelle¢s lead, Tom was harping on the direness of the situation. As the others bolted out, Tom lingered and languished. By now, Close Call and Spirit Man had made their way from their tent site to the shelter. Close Call asked us our plan and I told him we would try to make it to Betty¢s Creek Campsite, a distance of 11 miles. However, we would assess the situation at Carter¢s Shelter, approximately 7 miles into the hike. He and Spirit Man said they would do the same. Tom, now 30 minutes behind his group, continued to obsess on the severity of the weather and what a bad idea it was to be out here. Although, he was from Colorado, he was clearly surprised by, and unprepared for the weather. Realizing that we were the last one¢s remaining at the site and concerned about Tom¢s mental well-being and safety, our attention turned to him. We tried to encourage him to start moving and that he would warm up with the 1,000¢ ascent up Standing Indian Mountain. ¢But my hands are cold,¢ replied Tom. We had crossed a fire road less than a mile before hitting camp last night, so I asked Tom if he wanted us to get him a ride out of there. His timid response was¢ yes.¢ Close Call quickly got Ron Brown on the phone. Ron, a shuttle driver and AT guru from Georgia, informed him the Forest Road was closed for the winter, with a gate blocking the entrance. The only option from the egress point would be to call 911. Tom did not want to do that. We told him that we were not going to leave him at the shelter alone, hypothermia being our biggest concern. As he stood there in the cold, ringing his pasty white hands, I asked him where his gloves were. He nodded to the opening of the shelter, where his only pair of gloves, still soaked from yesterday¢s hike, lay next to his skimpy pack. Which Way grabbed his hands in hers and tried to warm them. I had just put on a pair of Marmot gloves, that I was wearing for the first time since starting at Springer. ¢Here, take these,¢ I said to Tom. He slipped the warm gloves on and said, ¢Oh, these feel good.¢ We pointed him the way to the trail and told him to get moving before we all froze to death. Close Call headed out next, followed by Which Way, me and then Spirit Man. About half way up the mountain, one foot began to thaw under our still frozen shoes. A little further, the numbness subsided in the other foot. Before long we were shedding layers on this blustery day. My fingertips remained numb the rest of the morning under my Smartwool liners and REI nylon mittens. The skies eventually cleared, but the temperature remained below freezing the remainder of the day. The hoses on our hydration system were frozen solid, so we had to pause frequently to drink from our 500ml Nalgene bottle, which we refilled from our hydration system bladder. The bottles would quickly ice up too, so we stored them upside down in our packs to keep the lids from freezing. Which Way and I hiked alone all morning, not seeing any other hikers until we stopped for lunch in the vicinity of Carter Gap Shelter. Close Call came out of the shelter and handed me my Marmots. He said that Tom was doing better and was pressing on to Rock Gap, where he would end his hike. I wonder if Tom¢s hike would have ended today if he had simply hiked his own hike (lower miles) and been a little more prepared¢gear and psyche.The remainder of the hike was great. My hands were warm inside my Marmots, the terrain was relatively easy, and the scenery was gorgeous. We arrived at Betty¢s Creek at 3:30, where we found Close Call sitting on a log, pack on his back. ¢Bad news, the site is closed to campers due to land restoration,¢ he said as he motioned to a sign posted on a tree. We ended up hiking another mile before we found a ¢not so stealth¢ site just off the trail. Spirit Man lumbered in about 45 mins later.Hunkering down for another cold and snowy night. 7.5 mile hike out to Rock Gap in the morning¢NERO!Next Step Elevation Data:Ascent ~ 2,015Descent ~ 2,330Grade ¢ 6.9  Weather:Day ¢ 30 degrees / AM Snow/Wind Night ¢ 19 degrees / Clear  Over the Horizon: The NOC Anything worth doing, is better done TOGETHER--Which Way and Next Step!