Date: 2015-04-08
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Betty Creek Gap, NC
Miles today: 16.2

ay 9, Muskrat Creek Shelter, NC to Betty Creek Gap, NC - 16.2 miles:We were rewarded with a nice sunny morning after going to sleep expecting rain that never produced. Rock Boat and I exchanged our usual plans with fellow hikers and were off with the usual "Happy hiking." The phrase held true today as most of my local group were able to put in 16 miles by 3:30pm. A few may be out still trekking this way and will be rolling in within the next hour of so. The biggest difference so far between NC and GA is that NC believes in using many cutbacks up and down a mountain where GA seemed to go straight up and over. While it takes longer to traverse mountains, it's much easier on the legs. Today was another good day for my knees due to this fact.Soon after we began, Star Crunch caught up in her silent assassin style and we covered the next couple miles exchanging comments on serious topics such as our favorite foods, etc. The only challenge today came in the form of Standing Indian Mountain - our first 5,000-footer of the hike - topping out at just under 5,500ft. We met up with Moosehead on the summit who was busy journaling and contributing lyrics to his song. General Burnsides would make a quick appearance as well, but was riding a hiker's high and was soon in the distance until later in the day.Back at it, Star Crunch and I gradually pulled ahead of Rock Boat and I was able to get to know her a little bit. Born and raised in the 'burbs of ATL, she is as graceful a sight to see as she flows silently and effortlessly across the mountains. Not a wasted motion. A real Southern Belle turned bad ass, known for her speed, strength, and passion for Star Crunch bars.I would eventually need to pull off to take care of blister on my foot. This would lead to me falling in between waves of hikers and give me a little over an hour of solo hiking - in which I took advtange of music and getting lost in meaningless thought after meaningless thought. Mainly centered around food, but not always.I caught up with General Burnsides a mile from Carter Gap Shelter and we huffed it in together. There we met two families consisting of 14 members - majority being young children - thru-hiking together. It was refreshing to see young children genuinely enjoying hiking and living in the woods. Some of their names included: Lollypop, Simple Man, and Mud Magnet. I also met a man named Chester who, as well as already completing the triple crown of thru-hikers, is now hiking the AT again and filming as he goes along for a future video. After sitting for 30 minutes and allowing our muscles to tighten up, we decided to move another 3.6 miles north to our current campsite since it was so early in the day and good hiking was there for the taking.Moosehead, General Burnsides, and myself set off for the last few miles. The talking was kept to a minimum as our aching muscles did enough talking as it is. We attempted to pass the time by playing the subject guessing game again, but during an intense round of movies Ben Affleck stars in, General Burnsides got lost trying to come up with an answer, slipped on a wet rock, and did a face plant. Luckily only his ego was bruised, as well as being covered in mud for the remaining couple of miles. During the last couple of miles we were treated to our first vista overlooking NC. Big, beautiful mountains in all directions await. Only one direction matters though - north.We arrived at camp just after 3pm and was greeted by Rock Boat who took advantage of the good day as well. We quickly dropped our gear, peeled off our boots, gathered our water bottles, and limped our way to a rewarding creek a couple hundred yards away. Feet soaked, bodies scrubbed, and clothes washed, we now feel human again as we sit in a large group eating dinner - Rock Boat, General Burnsides, Jeopardy, Moosehead, Star Crunch, Double Back, Spice, Cap, and Goose.Tomorrow's plans are to reach Winding Stair Gap - 12.2 miles away - and possibly stay in town for the night. I have a day's worth of rasions and the next resupply point is another 2-3 days away so it'll be a must. Tomorrow morning we will also hit a small milestone, the 100-mile mark, now only 2.5 miles away. The mark lies at the summit of Albert Mountain which stands 1,000 vertical feet above my camp so it'll be yet another milestone that will have been earned.Time to wrap this update up. The stomach is grumbling which means it's time to go dig my hole. Cheers for now