Day 9

Bly Gap to Beech Gap - 12mi

Today, again, was super hot and with lots of strenuous uphill climbs. Woke up late and checked out the cool oak tree that sorta marks the state line. Then we went uphill for a looong time. Took a break at Sassafras Gap where a past AT thruhiker and a past PCT thruhiker (they now do trail maintenance in GA) talked to us as we ate. Pushed on for another 5 miles and stopped to get water at Standing Indian Shelter. There we talked to some more section hikers who were surprised to see us hike on and not stay at the shelter. The top of Standing Indian Mtn. was awesome. It had a nice little grassy clearing and a great view towards the south. We spent a little while up there admiring the view and the tiny little wildflowers just starting to emerge. Afterward, on the way down to Beech Gap, we were surprised to see signs that read "North Carolina Wildlife - Bear Sanctuary"... which was a little unsettling. After 3 miles we were at the gap, saw that a number of the campsites were full so we went for water and ended up finding a spot to spend the night. We made camp and relaxed until it got dark. It was that night that it aS really apparent that Mike's hands were getting pretty bad and we should probably get to Franklin sooner than later to get some more medicine and figure out how to get it to go away for good. Clear skies again with plenty of stars, beautiful night.