Date: 2016-02-25
From: Plumorchard Gap Shelter

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light snow

The wind gusts were strong during the night. An inch of snow fell but it was a manageable cold as we headed out. Tyler noticed that Subman and I were hiking in shorts in this thirty-degreeish weather. Shorts are able to be worn because of the heat generated while hiking. It quickly gets cold as soon as a short break is taken but I'm otherwise comfortable and the shorts help me regulate my body which is important to not be sweaty with no assurance of being able to get dry. Wet clothing combined with cold temperatures can result in hypothermia that can cause death if not recognized and overcome. The first highlight today was the Georgia / North Carolina border. Yes, I've made it; one state down! My understanding is that approximately 25% of those who start a thru-hike don't make it out of Georgia so I am happy to have gotten this far. Out here the little things like this mean a lot. So "Thank you Georgia" the weather was so much nicer than I ever could've expected and the trail was easy to follow. But that was the end of the nice weather. Literally just a few hundred feet into North Carolina the weather changed to blustery winds and sleet. Subman and I were definitely not comfortable. The picture at the gnarly oak was taken quickly to minimize how uncomfortable we were. Recent rain created numerous puddles of ice-cold slush and mud. Guess it was inevitable that I stepped in those puddles and I had to keep hiking to air-dry my soaked socks and trailrunners. My lunch break was fast because of the cold and my decision to not change into warmer clothing. Hikers routinely change clothing during the day but it takes time and I chose to hike on today. Standing Indian Shelter, our destination for today, was crowded. The "Two Peas" from Florida are here as are Tyler and 3 hikers I've never met before. These 3 hikers decide to hike to the next shelter after they hear how many more hikers are likely coming to this shelter tonight. Whereas the Plumorchard Gap Shelter has a stated capacity for 16 hikers, Standing Indian Shelter is listed as being able to shelter 8. Two Peas had their tent up inside the shelter as they were trying to get warm to overcome the drenching rain of the previous day. A tent typically is 4-5 degrees warmer than a three-sided shelter like the Standing Indian Shelter. We all understood the reason for Two Peas having their tent up but it made for tight sleeping for the six of us inside the shelter and there was no room for James and another hiker who arrived after 5:00 when all of us had already burrowed in for the night. Tonight it is supposed to get down to 19 degrees with winds of 15 miles per hour being the norm and gusts up to 40 miles per hour. Georgia shelters have bear cables that are provided to suspend each hiker's food bag out of reach of bears. It is important to prevent bears from thinking the shelters are their fast-food locations. This shelter doesn't have bear cables so each hiker has to determine how to protect their food from bears and shelter mice. I decided to "hang a bear bag" which means that I toss parachord over a tree limb. The parachord has a little bag attached to it that is filled with rocks or something that provides weight to enable it to be slung over the tree limb. Hikers often laugh at each other's attempts to toss these bear bag lines. Given the cold, nobody is out watching me but I'm pleased to have found a suitable tree nearby and manage to get a successful toss on my fifth attempt. Once the line is set over the limb, a carabiner is affixed to the little bag and the hiker's moisture-proof food bag is attached to the line and pulled up to hang10 feet off the ground and 10 feet away from the tree trunk. Distances less than those can be overcome by a bear's reach or their climbing up the tree. A knot around the tree is used to keep the bear bag line hung and I walked away hoping I'd properly hung my food bag. I haven't seen any signs of bears since mistaking a dog's footprint for a bear cub's footprint. Earlier today I asked Subman and Suds about a footprint I'd seen after a prolonged puddle area. They hadn't noticed it and I later realized it was nothing more than the remnant of a partially filled-in hiker pole. I'm too embarrassed to reveal this latest example of my foolishness so they'll have to read this to get a laugh on me on this one. Internet access wasn't available in this shelter either but as I wrote this journal underneath my sleeping bag a field mouse slithered under my arm probably searching for something of interest among the varied containers and gear we have around us in our attempts to not have these items freeze overnight. Freezing cold, sleeping tightly next to other hikers, and field mice - living large on the AT. I'm happy to be here, just let my 0-degree sleeping bag keep me adequately warm to get some sleep tonight.