Day 8- Muskrat Creek Shelter to Carter Gap Shelter

Miles Hiked Today: 12.5
Total Miles From Springer: 93.9
Donuts Consumed: All of them
Ibuprofen Taken: Dan 4. Sage 1

    

The rain stopped a bit after sunrise, which provided a good excuse for us to start a bit late. I fried our cheap kielbasa for breakfast while chatting with a vegan thru hiker. I think we read each other correctly than dietary proselytizing was not likely to go well, so we kept the conversation friendly. In a gesture of friendliness from the cruel, meat eating world I offered him an apple from Sage's pack. He declined and went back to his breakfast of nuts and berries. I think I heard a peanut scream in terror as he chewed his Larabar.

    The sun came out about the time we hit the trail. Even better, it was cold and windy. Perfect conditions for climbing a mountain. Sage and I put it into warp drive and arrived at Standing Indian Shelter for an early lunch. Along the way we passed a few thru hikers we've met along the way, including  Yorg from Northern Germany who knows enough English to say he is a thru hiker. Further attempts at friendly conversation were unsuccessful, he just didn't seem to understand. I'm rooting for you to complete your thru hike Yorg.

    Sage and I have been described as "fast" by a few of the through hikers in the pack we're running with. They then usually go on to say " What happened to you? You passes us, and then arrived an hour after we did?

    The answer is usually " we stopped to cook lunch, take a foot break, etc." This strategy is working for us. Other than a bit of swelling from the daily pounding, our feet are doing great. Over 90 miles and virtually no blisters.

   Let me also put the " fast" comment in context.  People who are actually fast and started when we did are long gone. 

   Since we only have a few weeks, I do like to keep up the mileage. But not at the cost of missing a view.  Multiple people have told us the I-40 to Hot Springs (post Smokies) segment is their favorite part of the trail, so I want to ensure we see that whole section. Wherever we stop this hike will set up a future section hike, from the endpoint of this hike to Damascus,  Va.

    Sage and I had hoped to push further than we did today, but our bodies were spent,  so at 515 pm, we stopped for the day. I was so tired it took me extra time to set up our hammocks and figure out what and how to cook. I could have fallen asleep at 6 pm I was so tired.

    This early stop provided plenty of time to cook. We consumed most of what was left in our food bag.  I felt quite full by the end of our feast, and I am hoping the extra calories coupled with the food weight loss in our packs will propel us through the remaining 16 miles to Franklin tomorrow.

Given the location of this trail, whoever this sign is talking about, she won't be chunky for long.

Yes, sometimes the AT looks like this.

A natural flower planter along the trail.

And sometimes it looks more like a trail. Going up.

A Foot break on Standing Indian Mountain

There is plenty of water on the trail this time of year.

I carried the fool thing this far, I'm very tempted to eat the Do Not Eat packet.