April 10, 2009
It looks like Mother Nature is throwing everything she's got at me. A couple days ago we had a freak April snowstorm. Today, we will be having a severe thunder and lightning storm. The day sure started off nice when Lynn dropped me off at Deep Gap. The sun was shining, but I knew better. A half hour into my hike the clouds rolled in. Then it started to rain. And then the thunder and lightning. Given the weather, I chose to bring my old camera today.
Junction with Chunky Gal Trail
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I was able to get out of the rain for a while and sought refuge at Muskrat Creek Shelter.
The shelter was still full of thru hikers waiting to start there day.
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I met a hiker named Dale as I closed in on the North Carolina/Georgia state line. He is a lieutenant in the fire department and is out with six of his buddies doing a 50 mile stretch of the trail.
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Section hiker named Baltimore Jack.
He said he's not from Baltimore and that the name comes from an old song.
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Famous gnarly tree just before the state line.
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Here's a better picture from a nicer day when Runtrails (Sue Norwood) was here.
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I passed a couple more of the firemen in Bly Gap. I then reached the state line. All right! I was entering Georgia, my last state. I was hoping to catch a thru hiker here so that I could congratulate them on finishing their first state. I delayed by eating a snack, but still no thru hikers. I was about to leave when another of the firemen showed up.
"Is that a fireman suit?" I asked.
"Coast Guard," he replied.
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He took a photo of me on the NC/GA line.
For kicks I checked my GPS which was showing the state line a few hundred feet further down the trail.
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I continued on my way. I saw three hikers coming.
"Are you thru hikers?" I asked.
"Nope"
I knew what to ask next.
"Firemen?"
"Yep"
"Are there any more of you?"
"We're the last in our group."
"I guess you don't need to worry about fires today."
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As I walked, I thought of a fun little joke to play if I was a thru hiker. It is a tradition for thru hikers to take a tiny rock from Springer Mountain and carry it all the way to Katahdin. If I was a thru hiker, when I reached one of the shelters for the night I would slip a ten pound rock in my pack when no one was looking. Then later when every was around, I'd pull it out and say, "I guess I should have brought a smaller rock from Springer." I bet that would get everyone's attention.
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I've still got 5.6 miles to go.
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My sore knee has been holding its own today. I really need to rest it a day, but Springer is to close to stop now. The rain had finally stopped so I saw no need to stop at the shelter at Plum Orchard Gap which was .2 miles off the trail.
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I met Calamity Cate and Just Jen.
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I then met Ten Sticks from Florida.
I've been showing many of the thru hikers a rock that I brought from Katahdin so they could see and touch a piece of their goal. I showed him.
"I'm from Florida and I brought a stone from there," he said. "Actually, it is from someone's driveway. We don't have stones in Florida."
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Finally, Dicks Creek Gap.
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Picnic Area
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Large stone at the trailhead.
I don't think anyone will try carrying this one from Georgia to Maine.
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Lynn and I met a couple thru hikers at the trailhead. We gave Vanessa and Mike a ride to Hiawassee.
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Miles to go: 67
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