The woodpeckers were the only things stirring as I walked in a trance to Dicks Creek Gap, where the promise of a zero day awaited. A zero day is a day of zero miles, compared to a nero day which is nearly zero miles. One quickly learns the thruhiker slang. We practically have our own language.
I hobbled down to a breakfast buffet of more trail magic before jumping into the car of a friend and her 4 amazing kids. The questions were endless as we sped down the highway, and I eagerly introduced them to a glimpse of my world. I enjoyed the day eating, cleaning gear, and playing/talking with the family.
Our former professor picked us up and took us to our Alma Mater, where we connected with old friends and talked about our hike to an AT class.
Diane and I found ourselves again at the trailhead at 8am with full packs and full stomachs. Despite the 8 day resupply of food, I still made great timing. Instead of enjoying the present moment, I found myself looking at my watch, for today we would reach North Carolina. 3 hours. 2 hours. 30 minutes. There! Woop! I celebrated with sour patch kids and chocolate. 1 state down, 13 more to go!
With new vigor we started up the trail. I looked ahead and immediately regretted it. A mountain loomed before us... literally. Welcome to North Carolina!
"I think i want my trail name to be Firefly," Diane told me as we hiked. Trail names are a trail tradition. Many people shed their real names to take on a new identity, sometimes funny, sometimes meaningful. For some, these names come about by a habit or embarrassing mistake they make on the trail, like "Snot Rocket" or "Four Farts." Others are named after animals or movie characters like "Bear" or "Darth Vader." And still more names are self proclaimed to carry something of meaning to the owner, like "Brightside," or "Firefly" in Diane's case, as she makes a meaningful connection with the way the bugs light up the night.
One hundred miles! We celebrated on the top of Albert Mountain and enjoyed a foggy view from the fire tower. A few miles down the mountain we reminisced about a solo trip our class had taken here. That had been a significant learning experience for me.
We had only gone about 8 miles but decided to stay at a neat 2 story shelter. Rather than pitching tents like usual, we rolled out our sleeping bags inside the shelter as the sleet/ snow started to fall. To thaw out, we made a warm fire in the sub freezing temperatures and enjoyed each others company. As the day wore on more women joined us, and for a while it appeared we would be having an all girls party that night. Toward dark a large group of guys pushed their way into the shelter. Oh boy.
I had heard stories about sleeping in shelters, few of them positive experiences. Shelters usually are full of mice, snoring, and smelly people. All these stories proved true, and I was more than happy to leave the next morning.
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