Date: 2004-04-24
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Change in Scenery
Miles today: 12.5

There was a visitor to my teepee tarp last night. It was not a wild animal. It was Mr. Sandman. Hallelujah! I finally got a decent sleep. The impact from this restful night was felt on the trail during the day, where the spring has returned to my steps. No more hiking in a drowsy fog.Since crossing into North Carolina, the natural surroundings have changed. The mountains are higher. The forest is greener, sometimes bordering on jungle-like where the trail passes under stands of rhododendron shrubs. In some places there is moss, something rarely seen in Georgia. There are more streams and drips, enabling me to fill my water bottle more frequently.Best of all, there were fewer steep inclines to deal with. Those frequent and steep gaps that characterize the landscape in Georgia have disappeared. Since crossing into North Carolina, the gaps have been less steep and easier to contend with.During the morning I hiked alone, giddy with relief over having slept well for the first time. Last night's sleep meant more to me than having crossed the border.During the hike, I recalled with humor something which Eric had told me about. Yesterday, he and Chris had abruptly stopped hiking when they encountered a rattle snake in the middle of the trail. The reptile was coiled to strike. Under most circumstances, a pair of hikers would give the snake a wide berth and move on. Instead, Chris and Eric discussed whether or not their detouring around the snake would mean they were not hiking the "entire" Appalachian Trail. In the end, they detoured around the animal. Only on the Appalachian Trail would such a discussion occur. At one of the road crossings in a rural area called Deep Gap, a cooler had been placed beside the trail by an anonymous person who wanted to provide some refreshments to passing hikers. There was nothing inside of it for me when I opened it. The hikers ahead of me had consumed the contents and placed thank you notes on top of it. A stone held the notes in place. I was not disappointed for having come by the cooler too late. The fact that someone¢a trail angel as described by hikers¢had performed this deliberate act of generosity impressed me.On the other side of the crossing was a sign which stated: "Bear reported to have taken packs from Deep Gap to Wayah Gap. The bear displayed no fear of humans. Exercise extreme caution."I don't worry much about bears while I am hiking. At night, however, it can sometimes get a little spooky, especially since I prefer camping further out in the woods rather then inside or close to the shelters. In the woods further out, the earth is softer for sleeping than on the hardened dirt surfaces in the immediate vicinity of the shelters.I met up with Chris at a stream where we had lunch. For the remainder of the afternoon we hiked together.The muscles on the right side of my back started to get sore after lunch. I suspect that I put a kink into them while leaning down and placing my water bottle into a stream. Sometimes it becomes necessary to assume weird positions beside streams to avoid kneeling in the mud.The trail took us up the slope of Standing Indian Mountain. At 5,498 feet, it represented our highest elevation so far. The view on the summit was impressive.A man and a woman¢-day hikers I think¢were also on the summit. We chatted with them. Then the woman lay back to soak up some rays. It seemed humorous that while she was sunbathing, I was carrying an umbrella to avoid the sun.For the rest of the afternoon we remained in high elevations, even when we descended into gaps. The umbrella became unnecessary because the forest was becoming denser with vegetation with less penetration by the sun.At one wild gap in the mountains, we rested in a particularly beautiful spot. The surroundings were characterized by large rhododendron shrubs with their big green leaves and twisted branches. But in this area, the shrubs were not dense. There were open spots. The area reminded of the novel, The Lord of the Rings, by Tolkein.At 5:30 p.m. we reached Carter Gap Shelter. Chris chose to push on for a few more miles in order to lessen the distance of tomorrow's hike to a re-supply location. I opted to stay, mindful of my determination to set up camps earlier.This evening, I performed my usual chores at a leisurely pace, then ate supper at the shelter with John {from the first night} and thru hikers Arnie from New Hampshire and Alexis from Maine. We were joined by a weekend hiker and a section hiker.I am making this journal entry inside of my tarp which is situated among a stand of rhododendron shrubs. The elevation is above 4,600 feet. A wind is blowing against the mountain, but the shrubs are protecting me from it.A moth has flown into the tarp, attracted by the light of my head lamp. The little critter is dive bombing repeatedly into my face. Time for lights out.