Muskrat Creek to Carters Gap shelter to Long Branch shelter

   3/27/15 - The rain started sometime around midnight. It continued off and on all night, and in the morning we were still having occasional drizzle.  And fog. And cold, somewhere in the low fifties.  And we were facing a 13 mile day, and having to climb Standing Indian Mountain.  That's a climb of 1166ft from Deep Gap to the summit in 2.5 miles.  Actually not too bad on a good day, but today it was awful.  I had to pull over at Standing Indian shelter, a mile or so short, and change into dry clothes.  Still, I made the top before 2pm, and shortly afterwards the sun broke through.  The air dried out nicely, but the temperature dropped, signaling the arrival of the cold front.  It's supposed to freeze tonight into the twenties, and that forecast was for Hiawassee, down the mountain.  At 5:30 here at Carter Gap shelter, it's already below 40 with a stiff breeze and sunshine.  Brrrr!  My water filter has been placed in a ziplock bag and stuffed inside my sleeping bag for protection.

The European contingent is here tonight.  Heisenberg from Kiel, Germany, Tenspeed and several others I haven't met yet.  Ben, Kyle and Alicia (ntns) from Univ of Maine are here.  

Freeze dried spaghetti and a Snickers bar for supper never tasted so good, lol.  I was hungry!

Tomorrow will be a shorter day, only 8.6 miles.  I'll have a 400ft wake up climb, then an easy drop to Betty Creek Gap.  Then a 1000ft climb in 2.5 miles over Albert Mountain.  This year, unlike 2007, I should have a good view.

View from my tent door - Brrrr!

   3/28/15 - it was forecast to freeze, and Brother, did it ever!  As I was dropping off to sleep last night, I heard a pitter patter on my tent.  I went to sleep and woke around 3am for a bathroom break.  When I opened the tent fly door, I got a face full of.... SNOW!  I looked like about a quarter of an inch or slightly more.  Brrrr!  I crawled out at 6:30, grabbed my food bag from where I'd hung it, dragged it into the tent and wiggled back into my sleeping bag.  Finally, it got light enough about seven to take a picture out the tent door. My water bags had almost frozen, so I decided to leave camp without extra water and hope it warmed up. I ate a cold breakfast and hit the trail about 8:30.  I had on my long sleeve shirt, a wind breaker, my down parka, a buff rag around my neck, a wool cap, and my rain jacket and kilt with my liner gloves and my rain mittens.  It as still a good half hour before my fingers warmed up.

I don't think it got above 45 all day.  There's certainly plenty of snow left in shady places and at 6pm, I'm already in my sleeping bag, even though the sun hasn't set.  It's just too cold out!

We hit Trail Magic just before Albert Mountain and the old fire tower.  Shaken and Nature's Own, 2010 thruhikers, were serving hot dogs, soda, tangerines and bananas.   Sooo good!  Blackout, Emily (ntn), Tucson and I enjoyed the bounty and pressed on up the last .2 miles (and up 420 feet!) to the fire tower.  It's almost hand over hand at times.  Emily was so fast I stated she must be half mountain goat and told her she now had a trail name.  She might actually keep it.  I ran into Colt 45 and his dad Crusoe Fire coming down from the tower. They slack packed in from Winding Stair Gap and are headed back today (19.6 miles round trip) to meet family at the Gap and then drive over to the Nantahala Outdoor Center to spend the night with family.  Then back again to Winding Stair Gap to continue forward.

Tomorrow I have a 7.3 walk to Winding Stair Gap.  No hurry, in fact I don't want to get there until after 1pm since my ride doesn't get out of church until then.