Campsite Near Blue Ridge Gap to Winding Stair Gap---April 18th

Early on this morning I passed my first state line.
Goodbye to northern Georgia, hello to Caroline.

Coming out of Bearpen Gap a big laborious climb.
No problem getting to the top, just took a good long time.

Peanuts, Starbursts, jelly beans are all that now remain.
High time to go into a town and resupply again.

With an early rise, I arrived at the Georgia/North Carolina border at 8 this morning.  Perfect excuse to drop the pack, take a few pics and snarf on breakfast tortillas.  Although I was on the AT in Georgia for only three days before crossing the state line, the memory of these mountains will linger for a long time.  Why?  As Sade sings, "it's never as good as the first time".  Georgia was my first experience on the AT, first climb, first descent, first storm, first trail magic, first meeting with other would-be thru-hikers, and though I didn't stay in one, my first time seeing what a shelter looked like.  I suppose it can also be attributed to the thrill at the start of the journey before the familiarity of routine has set in.
A tenth of a mile later at Bly Gap, hikers were just getting a start to the day, some still crawling out of their tents while others were standing around rubbing sleep out of their eyes.  Early mornings on the trail are a favourite time for me as I can generally be assured of walking undisturbed.  Most of my best animal sightings occur during this time or during the waning hours of the day around dusk.  It always makes my heart leap to surprise deer drinking from the small mountain streams.
One thing I like about the Appalachian Trail are the small wooden signs indicating the placename of where you're at.  There's something very comforting about knowing where you are and how far it is to where you want to wind up.  In my Thru-Hiker's Companion, I always look to see what names I should be looking for and try to calculate in my head approximately how long it will take me to get there.  The strangest name so far was a side path called Chunky Gal Trail.  How or why it earned this name is unknown to me, but I'm guessing there's a story there somewhere.
The steepest climb of the day was coming out of Bearpen Gap, one of those straight up the mountain kind that get the heart beating like a big bass drum, leave you winded in no time flat, and cause your calves to burn with the strain.  Keep on pushing higher for with each passing step I know I'm getting closer to the top.  Once at the top, I climb the stairs of an observation tower and marvel at the stunning views of rolling Appalachia all around me.  As with any extraordinary spot along the trail, a great time to rest a bit while snapping photos and snacking.
The last of today's beauty spots was the area below Rock Gap that contains the Wasilik Poplar, the second largest poplar tree in the United States.  It's well worth the half-mile trek down a side trail to see even though it is now dead.  On the descent you pass a lovely patch of greenery with a bubbling mini-cascade convenient for topping off any empty water bottles.  Once in the grove it doesn't take much imagination to envision what the tree looked like in its leafy grandeur.  One of the forest's silent sentinels completing its long-time watch.
By the time I got back on the AT it was growing late and in my efforts to race the sun, I blew past Wallace Gap where I had hoped to find a place to camp.  As the light grew dimmer and dimmer, I was literally jogging down the trail and with the tiniest flicker of remaining light I pulled into Winding Stair Gap, the site of tomorrow's hitch.  Finding a nice flat spot tucked away in some rhododendron bushes on the side hill above the trail, I donned my headlamp and proceeded to make camp.  Up at 7 a.m. in camp at 9 p.m., a mondo day of long miles, a few climbs, but mostly gentle grade.  Snug in my sleeping bag, I reviewed the day's events in my mind.  As I grew sleepier, approaching the boundary of unconsciousness, I recalled the guy who passed me on the trail today like I was standing still.  Who was that masked man?!

Georgia/North Carolina Border
Gentle Terrain
Steeper Grade
Viewpoint
Rolling Hills of Appalachia
Babbling Brook
The Wasilik Poplar
Racing the Sun






 

Big Flat to Curley Maple Gap Shelter---April 27th

Violently the trees are swaying, a mighty wind doth blow.
Hope and pray the snapping branches don't fall on tents below.

The wind was fair gusting through the trees as I was breaking camp today, which made it a tricky task to get my tent folded up and secure.  The gale continued as crouching low to create a low profile I forged my way above the treeline to the top of Big Bald.  The force of the wind at the top made it quite difficult to keep my feet as the swirling blasts knocked me off balance.  The dark gray sky threatened rain that never came and by mid-afternoon the sun made a brief appearance. 
I met a young female hiker at Bald Mountain Shelter as I took some respite from the wind.  She'd had to take a few weeks off the trail because of a case of pneumonia.  She'd jumped back on as soon as she felt well enough and had picked up the trail name Wheezy because of her rough breathing.  Quite a lesson in perserverance and despite her setback, she was full of youthful optimism, an ever present smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.  There were a couple of Germans that I spoke with as well.  It's always nice to see a foreign contingent enjoying the great American outdoors.  Both were avid hikers that had made the flight across the Atlantic because "there is nothing quite like this in Europe".
A steep descent into the Nolichucky River Valley left me on the outskirts of Erwin, Tennessee, my resupply stop.  I started walking along the road into town and without even sticking my thumb out to indicate that I needed a lift, a guy in a pickup truck pulled onto the shoulder ahead of me and offered me a ride into town, dropping me off at the good old Dollar General.  A short time in the shop to buy what I'd need for the next few days and I was back on the road out of town.  Same thing happened, another local asking me where I'd like to go without even trying to hitchhike.  Got into the cab of his pickup and, lickety split, I was back at the trailhead.  All I could do was thank these kind strangers and shake my head almost in disbelief at my good fortune.  Experiences like this tell me that there are a lot of kind-hearted people out there.  Hitching can be a dreaded and in some very few instances a dangerous thing, but by and large the people I've met who've given me rides have been so very nice.
Four trail miles was the distance from Erwin to Curly Maple Gap Shelter and it was well nigh dark by the time I reached it.  Pulling in late, there was absolutely no room as hikers were packed in like sardines, lying shoulder to shoulder.  The tent pads were all taken as well, so I was left trying to find a suitable space somewhere to camp.  I found a small space between a tall pine and the arching branches of rhododendron bushes.  A tight squeeze to be sure, but there were no other options.  I made sure everything was battened down because the word in Erwin was that there is supposed to be a rough round of thunderstorms tonight.  Fell asleep feeling a tad uneasy.

Blowing on Big Bald
Butterfly Mid-Afternoon
Nolichucky River Valley