Date: 2009-04-17
From: Deep Gap, NC/TN 

To: Clyde Smith Shelter, NC/TN
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

Cell none (one bar was showing when we got here...no bars when we went to call our children)OG notesAnother nice day to be hiking, sunny and warm. We were able to hike in our t-shirts and even work up a sweat. We also were able to take real breaks when we needed them. We topped for lunch and sat in the sun while we ate.As we hiked we realized that we didn't have to rush to get into the shelter tonight. The evening is beautiful and we are not expecting rain until Sunday. We have a big day tomorrow so I'm going to say goodnight. I mentioned that we would be going to a hostel tonight. We changed our minds and continued on to this shelter. The weather was fantastic all day and we figured it would be a perfect night to sleep in the tent. So here we are sitting under a beautiful sky in our tent.C6 notes Wow, two sunny days in a row, and tomorrow is supposed to be sunny, too! That makes 16 sunny days and 21 bad weather days since we started hiking. Rain is supposed to be back with us on Sunday...oh well.We came upon some trail magic today. A cooler that had soda in it when the trail angels put the cooler in place. By the time we got to it, there was just one can of soda left. It was nice that someone left sodas for hikers, even if it was gone by the time other hikers got there.First come, first served is the normal practice along the trail. That's especially important when it comes to shelter space. Those who arrive first can take a space in the shelter if they want to (until it's full), no matter what the weather is like. We were behind 3 guys who took the last 3 spaces in a shelter on a rainy, cold night, so we had to set up our tent. Another night we came upon a shelter (in bad weather again) where a man was holding two spaces for two of his friends. That made a lot of people angry. Thru-hikers respect the first come, first served practice; non-thru-hikers don't seem to. Yesterday I said I'd write about some of the trail names of the folks we were with last night (and many of them are here at this shelter tonight, too). So here they are:First, let me go back and start with Jodie and John, the folks who took us to church with them. Jodie was "Free at last" when she thru-hiked, but preferred to go by "FAL," and pronounced it "Fall." John was "Hercules" because he flew C-130s (Hercules aircraft) when he was in the Navy.Now...last night..."1 Pint" (Laura) - She likes beer and used to have a dog named Half Pint."Half Moon" (Shane) - His fiance, Angie, says you have to hike behind him to understand. Apparently he needs a smaller pair of pants so they don't ride down."Sunbeam" (Angie) - I'm not sure about her trail name."Squeegie"(Rebecca) - She sweats a lot, so she used a twig to squeegie the sweat off her face one time and someone said she needs a squeegie."Newt" (Jennifer) - She had a newt (some kind of bug) in her water one day and almost drank it."Miss Scarlet" (Newt's twin sister, by the way) (Sarah) - Was with Colonel Mustard (who got his trail name because he loves mustard). The Clue game came up, and she was talking about looking for a prom dress. She wanted one that Scarlett O'Hara would have worn, and she really likes the name, Scarlett."Long Haul" (Dick) - He claims he is in it for the long haul when he does things. One example he gave was being married....he said he's been married for 32 years. But then he finished with the statement that it included 3 wives. (That doesn't fit my definition of being in it for the long haul.)"Doc" - He's a paramedic and has helped people with problems since he's been out here."Hammock" (Ray) - He sleeps in a hammock when he doesn't sleep in a shelter."Rapunzel" (Jennifer) - She has very long hair."Mr T" - Because his name is Mat (with just one "T" in his name. (But I think his trail name changed to something else recently, and I don't know what it is now.)It's such fun to hear how folks get their trail names, and the thru-hiker community is wonderful. As I type this, I'm hearing a lot of laughter at the shelter. My feet are hurting a lot today, so I chose to get in my sleeping bag and write this journal entry. I have to admit that I'm wondering what I'm missing, but I need to take care of my feet. Tomorrow is going to be one of the hardest days yet from what I understand. The book shows us hiking from 4,040 ft to 6,285 ft in elevation in only six miles at one point! About 1,000 ft of that is in just under one mile alone. That's going to be an extremely hard hike. I'm dreading tomorrow, and looking forward to it being behind us!!Old Goat & Check Six