Long, hard day but filled with trail magic. We awoke to another clear, beautiful morning on Blue Mtn. ready for the hard downhill to the road crossing then back up Rocky Mtn. (1000 ft. down then 1000 ft. back up in a 2 mile span= not an easy start to the day). When we reached Unicoi Gap we were suprised with some trail magic (turkey sandwiches, chips, cookies, and coca-cola from Linda and Dwayne-thanks guys- best breakfast on the trail yet!!!). Next, we headed out of the gap and 'ran' up Rocky Mtn. (Laura even jogged in place, punching the air and shouting 'Adrian' to get in the spirit)- it was awesome. At about the summit we met Tortuga, a past thru-hiker from GA, who we hiked and chatted with for about a mile until around Indian Grave Gap. He decided to break for lunch there, but it still felt too early for us (and we were still full from the sandwiches we had ~2.5 miles earlier). Before no time we reached the 'Old Cheese Factory Site', where we were once again suprised to find EVEN MORE trail magic. This time it was hot dogs, chips, fruit, and... 2 COLD BEERS from past thru-hikers Mary and Lou, the roman noodles, and their friend Jim. We have to say we've been pleasently surprised with how generous people have been down here in GA, and hopefully someday we'll be able to return the favor by providing our own trail magic to hikers. Next was Tray Mtn, which we reached in no time but couldn't stay at the summit for long- thermometer read 90*, and there was no wind and no shade. Spent the rest of the day taking our time and being sure to take breaks out of the sun when we could find shade. Finally, with the day coming to a close, and after a hard climb up and over Kelly Knob (where we saw a gorgeous sunset), we reached the blue blazed trail to Deep Gap Shelter- our stopping point for the day. At the shelter we had some interesting conversations with a couple in their late 30's from Virginia, and a section hiker from Knoxville who told us a lot about the Smoky Mountains. Soon it was way past hiker midnight (9pm) so we said goodnight, pitched our tent (shelters are for mice!), and went to bed. The best part was we didn't have to hang our bear bag because the shelter had cables- mike was pleased.
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