Saturday 4/9/05
Start - Hiawassee, GA
Stop - Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles traveled 11.2
I am writing this at 9:30 pm, late for a hiker but it's been a long day. Got up this morning and had the Continental Breakfast at the Hiawassee Inn and was shuttled to the trail at 9:00. By 1::00 I reached my planned stopping point Plumorchard Gap. The weather was nearly perfect but the weatherman promised only 3 good days and then more storms.
As I was sitting at Plumorchard, I was thinking about the good weather and the approaching storms. I reasoned that if I made a few more miles I would justify holing up and riding out the storm if it got too bad. So off I went and went and went. I crossed into North Carolina at 5:33
North Carolina greets the hiker rudely with 2 long steep uphill climbs followed by a moderately steep but long descent.
Aside from the fact that I got my first blister today the day was uneventful. The AT is a narrow mountain trail, with steep slopes up or down on either side. There are few places you can just stop. As I was starting down into a gap, I noticed my toes were rubbing together. By the time I found a place to stop to take care of the situation, perhaps 200 yards later, the blister had already developed. I had been feeling really smug about not having had any too.
The shelter was full and since the skies are clear I'm cowboy camping. “Cowboy camping” means finding a clearing large enough for your sleeping bag and bedding down.
The merits of zero days, days when you don't hike are debated. Without wading into the debate I will offer this observation. Unless my calculations are off, this is my 12th night out and I've taken 2 zero days. Last time, I reached this shelter on the 12th night and I didn't have any days off. It appears that a well timed rest day doesn't cost any time at all.
A few closing thoughts on Georgia. The forest changed greatly since the last time I was here. Hurricane Opal devastated much of the forest. What wasn't destroyed by the hurricane was heavily damaged by an ice storm earlier this year. Trail Maintainers have done a wonderful job keeping the trail open but saddened me to see the destroyed forest
Posted by at April 9, 2005 09:00 PM