04 October

04 October
From: Dick's Creek Gap
To: Muskrat Creek shelter
Mileage: 12.2
Weather: Mild to warm, sunny

I took another shower in the morning after preparing my pack and joined others for the All You Can Eat cereal breakfast in the main room of the hostel. I had several bowls of Cocoa Puffs and Cheerios, along with a lot of my apple juice.

John took an 8am shuttle to Blue Ridge Gap to hike to the NC border than back to the Plumorchard shelter in Georgia for the night. He then planned to get the hostel shuttle into Hiawassee before returning home to Massachusetts. Before leaving, he gave me a big ziplock bag of raisins, dried cranberries and pistachios that he did not need.

I prompted the hostel owner Sir-Packs-A-Lot to give his briefing on 10 rules for thruhikers, usually reserved for the inexperienced hikers heading north in the Spring. He also let me use the hostel computer to print the AT thruhiker permit required at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, still more than a week away.

I was given a short shuttle ride uphill to the trailhead. My pack was full, heavy with resupply and water, plus the snack bag from John.

I stopped at the Plumorchard shelter, which was downhill from the trail but had very nice piped stream water, a three level shelter, privy, and a bear box. I made a log entry and and had a lunch snack before leaving.

I met John/Second Chance returning from the NC border before I reached Blue Ridge Gap, and we exchanged well wishes.

It was a pleasant trail, with a slight climb to the NC border sign. Just beyond, I found a twisted old tree noted in AWOL's AT guide and chatted with a local hiker there.

I followed then passed her up a long, steep climb to the Couthouse Bald summit. It was relatively level to Muskrat Creek shelter after a couple of stream crossings. Now the trail stayed over 4000 feet elevation from the 3000s in Georgia.

I reached Muskrat Creek shelter and met Wildcat tenting. He is a local hiker doing a long segment to Hot Springs NC, north of the Smokies.

North Carolina did not provide cables or boxes for bear bags, so I had to work a bit to find a suitably high branch to throw my line over. Once done, I had dinner and hung my bag (PCT method). I also hung my pack in the shelter, hoping neither bears nor mice would visit.