Starting point: Betty Gap Creek
Ending point: Rainbow Springs Campground
Daily Mileage: 9.1 miles
Total Mileage: 103.7 miles
Stephan and I hiked together again. We played "tag" with Slim Jim and Dan on Tuesday... we all met up for a late lunch/snack at Carter Gap shelter. Actually, two shelters exist in Carter Gap - one that looks like something from the movie Deliverence and the other is new, built in the Nantahala fashion (the roof extends over the eating/food prep area). These are generally much nicer than the older shelters.
One thing about the last few days in NC is the lack of privies and bear cables at shelters. The boys generally love (read hate) heaving rocks over limbs in order to hang the food bags for the night. Sometimes this takes only one or two throws, but it has also taken as long as a half hour (!). This is a definate art because you have to find the perfect rock which is dependent upon the height of the tree limb. Too light and you will forever miss the limb by a few inches - too heavy and you'll injure yourself before it goes over. And then there are the misfires... so many times the rock goes slightly askew and you end up wrestling with the parachute cord to get your rock back. It can be quite entertaining if you aren't the one throwing the rock! Stephan is becoming quite proficient in this skill; Pat and Chris even asked for advice the other night... But I digress... As for the lack of privies, well, as gross as they are, I like the privies. Perhaps I haven't mastered the art of "How to shit in the Woods" (a title of an outdoors book), but it takes a lengthy amount of time. My thighs get sore from all the squatting. Perhaps I've already revealed too much. The great thing about the privy though is the view. I can't think of any other bathroom or bathhouse I've been in that offers such a fantastic view of wild outdoors. The newer composting privies are the nicest because they don't even smell. Just toss in a handfull of woodchips to keep the composting worms happy and you're good to go!
Okay, enough about privies and bear cables. After Carter Gap, we decided to push on a few more miles so the trip into Rainbow Springs the next day wasn't so long, and it turned out to be an easy hike. The four of us made it into Betty Creek Gap in record time and set up camp in another rhodadendron grove by a small spring. Dinner was a priority for the evening's agenda and I was quite hungry and had several dinners to eat. One of my dinner consists of bisquits and soup, however the biscuits take a little more time and fuel to prepare so I don't always make them. Anyway, I had extra so I made some to share with everyone. Then I mixed my vegetable-barley soup with my chicken-vegetable-rice soup and added a packet of tuna for extra protein. Normaly, this combination of foods would totally gross me out, however, I found it quite tasty and filling. And even after eating all that, I still had room for half a snickers bar that Dan offered. Mmm, mmm snickers. I think I am going to have to purchase more snack foods like that. We had another cold night, but this time I slept through the night.
Posted by steph at May 6, 2004 05:46 PMSounds like even with the wet conditions you are having a great time. I'll send a package soon. Miss you.
Posted by: Kim at May 10, 2004 12:51 PM