Appalachian Trail SOBO Day 112 – We made it to Georgia!
15th November 2023
Carter Gap Shelter (2104.9) - Deep Gap Shelter (2132.8)
Daily miles: 28.2
Total miles: 2121.2
It was a good nights sleep and then at 5:30am the random people in the tent were being really loud. We thought maybe we were being loud last night and they were “getting their own back”. At 5:45am the guy shouted GOOD MORNING! GOOOOOOD MOOOOOORNING! So Neptune replied and the man in the tent said “is that a person?!?” – he thought they were the only ones there!
We pack up and headed out. I walked out with Toe and we hiked together for a while until I felt like I hit a bit of a wall and I really slowed down.
Hiking out with Toe
A nice trail
We made it up to Standing Indian mountain and Toe and I persuade Neptune to take a blue blaze (he never takes a blue balze) and come up to the top.
Cal is already up there and Jet and Thigh High come up too. It cold. It’s been cold all morning. I expected to be stripping layers as we got moving but instead I put more layers on.
Standing Indian Mountain
Me on Standing Indian Mountain
Views across the ridges
Neptune’s first blue blaze
We hike downhill together in a hiker train. I take a fall. A very graceful one where one foot slid on the leaves and the other leg bent underneath me so I look like a drag queen in a death drop. Neptune comes over and hauls me up by my backpack! When we get to the bottom Neptune reads a poem which was random.
Neptune reading some poetry
Then we had another climb up - which aren’t always nicely graded but are sometimes - and we got to a shelter, labelled Sheeter! This is the shelter where the Ken Dolls stayed last night. We stopped for lunch. I had my noodles because I knew I wouldn’t be bothered to make them tonight.
Sheeter
Trees are cool
Next was the 3 miles to the NC / GA border. I flew out of the shelter overtaking everyone because I was so cold and it was downhill so I was almost running down the trail. The trail was steep and slippery and rocky and I took 2 slides on the leaves on the way, but I made it and we took a photo then realised Neptune was missing so we waited for him. Toe got a bit emotional as she is essentially walking home and is now in her home state. We teased her about how dirty her hands were.
NC / GA state line
The final state
We made it to Georgia
How could we forget about Neptune
Toe having another breakdown
The Penis Riders
Who is filthier, Toe or Late Start
The next miles were a bit of a blur. It was just head down and get there. Suffer through the uphills and they were sometimes pretty steep, and then pick up the pace on the downhills. My toes are really starting to suffer. They are numb, yet they are painful when they bash against the end of my shoes. I’ve never had this many problems with my toes before and I don’t think these shoes are helping.
I leapfrogged with people over the next few miles and even managed to delayer for the first time around 3pm! We saw a woodpecker doing his woodpecker thing on a tree which was cool.
I stopped to get a bit of water and Neptune and Thigh High were in front of me. I was like a heat seeking missile. I had Thigh High in my sights, and I’m sure he was trying to catch up to Neptune too so I was running down the trail trying to catch up and I managed it just before we got to the road.
Trail of leaves
I like the contrast between the green and brown
The plan was that Toe was meeting her friend there and there may be trail magic but when we got there we discovered that her friend had taken the Ken Dolls into town! I had been at the road for about 2 minutes before they arrived back in the car.
It was a lot. We were all back together again, the Ken Dolls and the Penis Riders. There was a lot of “I’ve had such a good time” “yeah we’ve had such a good time too” and some people giddy on town beers. I was so tired, having just run the last part of the trail, and I was hungry and I wasn’t dealing with the noise and everything well. Maggie (Toe’s friend) got some trail magic out of her car which was more beer, and some chips and dips. I set to work on the chips and dips and I didn’t really speak much to anyone because it was a struggle to form words and listen to responses.
Parking lot trail magic
After about 15 minutes I decided to hike out. There was nearly 4 miles to get to the shelter. I was going to make a bit of an Irish exit but May Queen announced I had my bag and head lamp on. I needed to get going because I am the slowest of everyone on the uphill and I didn’t want to be last to camp, and not just because we weren’t sure if the shelter would fit everyone.
I hiked for about 5 minutes before I had to put my headlamp on and as I was going uphill I was making up scenarios in my head. I bet they all stay there. I bet they camp at the road and get slack packed tomorrow. I was getting annoyed about hypothetical situations. I checked Toe’s location on my phone. She was on the move towards me. Well, at least she is on the way. I hike on. It’s nearly all uphill and my legs are already so tired.
I feel a few dots of rain but luckily it didn’t come to anything. We had head from Rabbit Foot that the water at the shelter wasn’t good and to get water before. I missed the spring, and I had about half a litre to last me tonight and I have no idea how long tomorrow.
I was very glad to see the shelter appear in front of me. It was big and empty. Plenty of space for all of us. I called out to Rabbit Foot who we hadn’t seen in about a week (since Hot Springs). He’s now hiking with us to Springer.
Some other news we got today is that Lemonhope has left the Heloton and is going to finish on the 19th, one day after us. I was kind of annoyed about it. It was mostly him who wanted that finish date of the 18th, and then when I worked out that would make both my AT hikes the same length I jumped on that date too, but it was mostly for him. He hasn’t even said goodbye to anyone.
At the end of the day it’s his hike, his decision and it makes no difference to me. I just think he’s missing out on a big celebration on Springer and we had come so far together.
About 10 minutes after I got to the shelter Jet and Thigh High roll in. They said they were the last to leave and they ran here! Crazy. Then gradually over the next 45 minutes everyone else shows up. My fears were unfounded and I eat my cheese and chips and set about getting ready for bed so I can lie down in my sleeping bag.
I’ve been suffering with a couple of what I think may be mouth ulcers over the last few days. They hurt when I eat and they really hurt when I clean my teeth. Maybe I am showing deficiency in something. Maybe my poor diet is causing my body to break down. Only 3 days left.
