Date: 2020-06-10
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: light rain

Heavy showers battered the shelter in the morning. I didn't get up until 9, waiting it out.Had my first fruit I ever packed out for breakfast, a Georgia peach. Not fantastic, guess it needed a couple more days to ripen and bruise in the pack. Also a breakfast bar since I am now stoveless, so no oatmeal.Crazy Eyes is the male half of the young couple at the shelter. He's going for several more weeks. His girlfriend will leave at Franklin to take a job at Domino's. But is looking forward to an Ozarks trip.The pack felt too light leaving the shelter. What am I forgetting? I dropped 4 pounds of iced tea, water, and pastries. It felt very nice until the first big climb.Minutes up the trail I ran into Mr. Clean and Tenderfoot, hammockers who got an early start from the previous shelter. They've section hiked the AT from Bennington, Vermont to Pearisburg, Virginia mostly on long weekends. Georgia was to be a special trip with Mr Clean's college graduating daughter but she bailed out. They plan to eventually do every section. Last night they had storms with 20-30 mile per hour winds. Mr Clean's hammock tarp failed, his quilt and gear were soaked. He reminded me that I'd complemented him on the "nice hang" as I walked by them last evening without mentioning a storm was coming. Life lessons I guess.All day it rained on and off. Sometimes the wind would pick up as if bringing in a new shower. It would knock drops off the leaves and took a bit to see that it would do no more. The sun tried to peek out a couple times early on but gave up. All in all just a wet day to hike.Lunch was at Plumorchard Gap Shelter. I might not have turned off if I knew it was so far downhill. It's a deceptively large three-story shelter - a shelf over the main platform plus a loft in the front overhang. A sign implies it was helicoptered in wholly built by the Army 5th Ranger Training Battalion. Gave my feet a chance to dry while eating. This helps prevent blisters and chafing. Lunch was mesquite pork rinds. Hey, they have a lot of protein, carbs, and salt. Perfect trail food. I had my fruit today!The afternoon was still miserable weather wise. For the first time I put in earbuds and listened to an audio book to distract me from the long climb up to North Carolina. "I'm a Stranger Here Myself", a collection of Bill Bryson columns for a British paper on his return to America. I enjoy some of his books but these were mostly a collection of complaints about American habits. Still it passed the time. The only hikers I saw after leaving Mr. Clean and Tenderfoot at the highway at Dicks Creek Gap were two backpackers going south to the road. Went many hours without seeing another soul.I walked into North Carolina around 4 and went straight up Courthouse Bald to the highest elevation yet, over 4700 feet, but of course no views today with the rain and fog. Took another break at Muskrat Creek Shelter then tackled the last five miles. Should have aired out the feet again. Felt hot spots forming on the heels. At Deep Gap a threesome was car camping behind a "No Camping" sign. Their campfire sent smoke mingling with the fog. I was happy to climb above it. Finally reached Standing Indian Shelter close to 8. David (Sheldon) was there along with a thruhiker named Sunrise who started June 5th. He also plans to go straight to Katahdin. Having hiked the PCT last year he's already doing twenty mile days so I will likely see more of him.Had a good dinner of off-the-bone ham and blueberry cobbler cheddar. Supermarket paid off. Wind is still blowing and knocking drops on the shelter. Tomorrow I'm shooting to reach Franklin and dry out.