Date: 2013-03-27
From: Deep Gap

To: Beech Gap campsite
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: light rain

Good evening dear readers,I had this absolutely fantastic journal entry written out, composed in the crisp air of a crystal clear evening at the beautiful Beech Gap campsite with the full moon lighting the sky so much I didn't need my headlamp when going out to water the leaves at 3:30am! Alas, tomorrow I will lose the ziplock with my guide book pages for this section, including my map and more importantly my little "right in the rain" journals. A second attempt to recreate is rarely as good as the original, but I will give it my best shot. Today began at the lovely Henson Cove Place Cabin & B&B, with a fantastic breakfast of French toast croissants and fresh fruit - yum! Aren't you jealous?! After a great zero day yesterday waiting for the snowy weather to clear, I woke up quite anxious for the weather report and getting back on the trail. I had all of these anxiety-provoked scenarios running through my head, but in the end talking with Dave and Mariah calmed me right down. Due to a black ice warning on mountain roads until noon, I spent the morning fiddling with my pack straps and trying to relax and enjoy my last moments at this great place. Dave and I left about noon, all of us half expecting the forest service road to still be impassable back up to Deep Gap. The car ride to NC was a lovely vista of mountains I had already hiked and those yet to come, and I found myself most thankful yet again for this experience, the views of which I was not in any way shape or form able to appreciate on Monday's drive off he mountain when I was freezing cold. Despite a few "akk!" Moments - I'm such a front seat driver, Dave was in complete control the entire time, he got me safely to the Deep Gap parking area soon after 1pm. Amazing how much of that forest service road we had actually walked on Monday! At least 2 miles, probably more like 3. Hiking through the snow and ice capped trees was absolutely incredible going up Standing Indian Mountain. I had told myself with the late start that if the climb was brutal that I would just stay at the shelter. The switchbacks were great, much to my surprise! I heard that several hikers were aiming for the Beech Gap campsite area, and I knew I could make the 4+ miles there easily in what remained of the day. At a lovely sun soaked outcropping I met Couch, another thru hiker who hiked 600+ miles last year. We hiked together the rest of the way down to Beech Gap, chatting happily and with me admittedly grilling him about living in Colorado. I had just boasted that I hadn't yet fallen on the trail (the first night at camp hanging the bear bag wasn't technically ON the trail!) when I totally slipped in a bunch of mud and went down. Couch was nice enough not to laugh! Other than being mildly muddy, I was perfectly fine, though more than a touch chagrined. Beech Gap had great camp sites - interspersed in between the pockets of snow was actual soft grass! Colin, another thru hiker, was so nice and got water for all, and we enjoyed the setting sun and our dinners. A not so quick bear bag throw later and I curled up in my cozy bag. An end to a great night on the trail!