Goodbye, Georgia – The Trek

Today was difficult for three reasons. First, Jessie and I decided to try a new hiking philosophy where we were separated for a good portion of the day. Secondly, North Carolina really kicked our butts, as the gradient increases significantly here. And third, it was our longest mileage day yet.

Last night Jessie and I talked about our pace and decided to try to split up today so I wouldn’t fidget in the back and she wouldn’t feel rushed. It was a pretty tough decision, but I guess “doing your own hike” applies to us too.

While it was horrible to be apart for many reasons, it ended up working out pretty well to de-emphasize the rhythm we got out of each other. I would walk ahead and wait every 3-5 miles and run into Jessie who was usually only 10 minutes behind me.

We would catch up and talk about the hike and our day at each stop. It seemed to alleviate a lot of the pressure of trying to match each other’s walking pace. We also checked in by phone for location updates and checked in at set times, so we never felt too far apart.

The first stopping point was the border between Georgia and North Carolina. I stopped just short of it so we could cross to the next state together. I guess technically she beat me to North Carolina because she walked up to take the photo.

What followed after the border was a long, ridiculously steep mountain that left me completely breathless. It seems this is where the North Carolina ATC decided curves were for losers. Normally I can fly uphill, but this mountain made me take a break on almost every step.

Once completed, the Muskrat Creek shelter was the next meeting point. All the runners and hikers on the ridge had warned us that there was a lot of bear activity in the area. On the way to the shelter I noticed a pile of completely fresh bear scat.

When I entered the sheet (according to how it was written on the sign), there was a can of bear spray on the shelter table with the safety off. I picked it up and discovered that it was completely empty. All clues seemed to point to VERY recent bearish activity.

It felt a little creepy waiting alone, so I walked back to the trail to wait for Jessie. I assume this shelter is the one that hung the famous “ninja bear” who learned to dive bomb the PCT. He will literally climb a tree and then jump down to steal people’s food. It seemed like he had gotten some people’s food through this method just three days before we got there. As bad as it is, I found it pretty funny.

I was so relieved when Jessie showed up. We were both on high alert as we ate lunch. At least it encouraged us to move forward fairly quickly.

Although we complained a lot about the steepness of North Carolina, the trail was beautiful. It was usually bordered with some greenery or sometimes miles of these purple flowers (someone told me they are called Quaker Ladies).

We constantly joked about how North Carolina doesn’t care about their part of the trail because of all the downed trees we had to go through. It was an unfortunate blot on a beautiful path. (We later saw volunteers working on the trail, so I take it back.)

Standing Indian Mountain was the next big climb (and the last of the day). It was a gentle and gradual walk, thank goodness. And the view was by far the most rewarding yet. Jessie and I sat at the top for about thirty minutes just looking at the Blue Ridge.

The descent was even more pleasant. We finally settled at Beech Gap camp, among the rhododendrons. 16.6 miles ended up being the total count for the day. We had some packages of ramen and buffalo chicken for dinner. So far it was the best one yet!

Tomorrow we should hit mile 100, which feels amazing. Only a couple days left until Franklin, North Carolina and our next shower!

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