The shelters along the AT are well know to be havens for vermin…free food, places to hide ect. I had read on the internet that Carter Gap Shelter was famous for it’s rodent (mice) population…as soon as the lights went out, the party began!! You could hear the clicking of their feet as they ran around the shelter…as soon as we would shine our lights on em they would scatter. Mice weren’t the only non invited guest…believe it or not, flying squirrels were in the mix as well…the trees were loaded with them. Mike chased and killed 1 mouse with his walking stick…great entertainment. Finally everyone drifted off to sleep…about 2AM in a dead sleep, I felt something on the side of my face nibbling at the corner of my mouth…for just a split second I was somewhere between dreaming…is there a mouse doing what I’m dreaming he’s doing or is this the real deal. Yep, it was a real mouse eating the leftovers from the night’s meal…don’t remember what I had but the mouse sure was enjoying it…as I woke up I said “get out of here” as I flipped him, (squeaking) the mouse not me… with my hand into outer darkness…
In 3 years of hiking the AT, the climb up Albert Mountain is by far the most difficult…740 feet 140% grade 1tenth of a mile in 10 minutes, that’s pretty close to straight up and in the pouring rain!! There is a by-pass trail that you can take that goes around Albert avoiding the climb…as hard as the climb up was the descent was just outright dangerous, extremely rocky and slippery…after the fact we all said “should have taken the by-pass.” There is an observation tower at the top but the rain and fog obscured what they say is one of the most spectacular views on the AT…we didn’t even stop…descending 900 feet of more torture…wish I had pictures! We noticed a granite marker at the top with someone’s name, date of death, and their love for hiking inscribed…their ashes were scattered there back in 08. Reaching the bottom, we met a husband and wife hiking the opposite direction. They asked us about Albert, we told them “take the by-pass!” On to Carter Gap Shelter…7 more miles in the pouring down rain…
We awake to pouring rain, a deluge that would last all day and into Tuesday night…the added bonus, chilly temps…ask Joel how he slept on the picnic table…my sleep was most excellent…warm bag and my Big Agnes blow-up air mattress! Today’s hike begins at 3760 feet…destination Carter Gap Shelter…12.1 miles, 8 hours. To give you some perspective on the distance, it would be like walking from my house to the Ozark Walmart or the northside Walmart in Dothan minus the ever changing elevations. Regarding the rain I have two choices, I can be wet and miserable or just wet…I chose to be “just wet”…no one made me do this…no arm twisting, I truly love the experience of hiking the AT no matter the weather or terrain….that’s part of the challenge…you never know what’s around the next turn…so why not make the best of it and have some “fun.” I carried a backpackers poncho (used my built in rain fly to cover my pack)…covers the hiker and his backpack…chose not to wear it today…reason, I am hot by nature and sweat profusely, afraid of overheating and losing fluids…dumb…I carried more than enough to drink, two 1 liter bottles with my favorite lemon/lime gatorade mix…you live and learn…given the choice again I would definitely wear it…another lesson learned! FYI, the AT is nicknamed the “Green Canopy” which did protect me somewhat from the rain. After about 3 hours, we stopped at Big Spring Shelter for lunch, rest and a break from the rain, felt good to get the pack off the back & shoulders…5.3 miles down…”Albert Mountain” elevation 5220 feet is waiting…
Joel’s backpack (Pre-trip)
Breakfast at Michelle’s Restaurant
Sausage, Gravy, and Biscuits
Our 3rd backpacking journey on the AT began early Monday morning October 10, 2011. My son-in-law Joel stopped by my house to pick me up at 4AM on the way to Mike Elmore’s where we joined Mike and Danny Johnson. Chuck Barnard would meet us at the Hardees In Abbeville…destination Winding Stair Gap NC. The last two years we left for the AT after the evening church service, drove most of the night and started early. We are hiking north to south this year, ending where we ended last year, Dick’s Creek Gap GA…approximately 40 miles in 6 days was the original plan, however, two 12 mile days cut it to 5 days, ending on Friday morning. We stopped for breakfast at Michell’s Restaurant in Eufala…our last real meal until Friday…I give Michell’s 5 stars…definitely making a return trip there for some good eats! Driving through overcast skies and some rain, we dropped Chuck’s car off at Dick’s Creek and drove to Winding Stair where we began the hike about 1:30PM…no rain…yet…heading to Rock Gap Shelter 4.8 miles. We would climb from 3750 to 4300 feet before descending to 3760 feet at Rock Gap. Our plan was to stay in our tents all week…less noise…no mice and other critters…more about the mice later… but because of the rain we stayed in shelters…3 sided lean-to structure with a cooking and sleeping area. Arriving at Rock Gap about 4PM we discovered it was a dry camp…NO WATER! It had been a dry summer and early Fall so several of the water sources along the trail were dry. This would be the only dry camp, the rest had plenty of water…we would also share the shelter with two men from Huntsville AL, Ron and Robin…we crammed 6 into the shelter’s sleeping area…Joel spent the night on the picnic table…his choice…there was room…”quieter” he said…We had passed a spring with good flow coming out of the mountain about a mile back…Chuck, Joel and myself took all of our water bottles, a 5 gallon bag and 2 gallon container back to the spring to refill…I learned my lesson from out first year about the importance of hydrating…the mile back to camp was a killer!!! We set up camp…ate supper…I enjoyed Mountain House dehydrated chicken and rice. Joel shared devotions and after some fellowship we crawled into our bags about 8PM…ready for some z’s…I drifted off to the sound of the rain as it hit the tin roof of the shelter…
One week from today I’ll be hiking the AT with my favorite son in law and 3 great friends…Dick’s Creek Gap to Winding Stair Gap!
Thanks to my good friend Gregg Peters for the following thought…”All Dads enjoy hearing their kids laugh, especially God.” Been thinking about this all week and shared it in staff devotions yesterday. Sometimes we take ourselves and life to seriously…just got back from a family vacation in the mountains of Tennessee. Good times and lots of contagious laughter…there is nothing like hearing your children and grandkids laugh and enjoy life…medicine to the soul! Find time to laugh today, it puts a smile on your heavenly Father’s face.
Just got back from break one of three I’m taking in the next couple of months…my 40th high school class reunion. This is the first reunion I’ve been to. It was great to reconnect with so many friends from the past, plus the added bonus of being able to share my faith with many and hearing their stories as well. It was like stepping back in time for a few hours this past Friday and Saturday night, 1971 all over again. Some were easily recognizable and others…I had to ask myself, who are these old people? In reality we’ve all grown older, just that some of us have not aged well for whatever reasons. I’m not sure If I consider myself old yet…I tell people I’m still 18 on the inside…but…good to see my best friend in high school and still a close friend, John, along with Pam, Mona, Rhen, Butch, Kevin, Rose, Terri, Eddie, Woody, Alan, Mike, Bonnie…just to name a few. This weekend was a reminder that time is fleeting and we’re growing older…make what we have left count for Christ…that’s what matters in the end.
Haven’t taken any meaningful time off this year except for a couple of days to Celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary back in April. Got some exciting, really looking forward to breaks coming up in the next couple of months…40th high school class reunion last weekend of this month…its gonna be good…gonna see some people I haven’t seen since May 11, 1971…vacation in Gatlinburg in September with our Alabama, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina family…gonna be incredible…can’t wait to hike the AT in October!! If you don’t take a break from your schedule, your schedule will break you…I’m taking a break!!!!!!!!
What I fail to honor will eventually leave my life. If I fail to celebrate what God did yesterday how can I expect Him to bless me tomorrow? Never be ashamed to boldly, publicly celebrate the great things God is doing around me!!! Seen some amazing answers to prayer this week…
