Day 12

Franklin - 0 miles - 107.7 miles total
Decided today that we would take a full zero day here in Franklin since it seems that Mike has a ways to go with his hands. We have him drugged up on Benadryl and covered in Calamine lotion. Didn't really do anything today - watched TV, went to the post office, and ordered a pizza. It feels super luxurious to be able to be just lazy all day and not have to walk but we're actually getting itchy (haha) to get back on the trail. I think we'll take off again tomorrow or we might go crazy in this (very) small (and southern) town.

Day 11

Rocky Cove Knob-Winding Stair Gap - ~1.5 miles 

Woke up very early and rushed to catch the shuttle. Got there 5 min. early and sat with the various other hikers until it came. Everyone climbed into the big white van and former thru-hiker Solace gave us a guided tour into and through town, then dropped us off at the Sapphire Inn where we would be staying. We checked in and then went immediately to tend to mike's hands. A mile walk through town to get to the grocery store proved to be exciting since I guess a lot of people don't walk very much in these small towns, so there are few sidewalks, and crosswalks mean nothing. Anyway, we bought like 5 different types of medicines for mike, some snacks, and made our way back to the motel. At 4pm was the famous hiker shuttle around town driven by local hiker hero Ron Haven in his old school bus. Ron drove us around, our stop was the local outfitter where we got new insoles and underwear. Went back to the room, relaxed, and waited for mike to start feeling better.

Day 10

Beech Gap to Rocky Cove Knob - 17 miles

Pushed out a crazy 17 mile day today in order to get us as close as possible to Frankin. Once again slathered on the sunscreen and set off. Today was our 100 mile day. We made it to Carter Gap Shelter first, which marked our 100th mile walked on the trip (including the approach trail). The shelter itself was dilapidated and falling apart and covered in signatures and graffiti including this gem: "Welcome to the Hell of Rodents, Skunks, and other Tazmanian Devils". It wasn't until we ate and left that we realized we were at the OLD shelter and the new nice one was just up the trail. Oh well, we had already eaten, so we walked on to tackle Albert Mtn.- one of the steepest uphills yet. The last 3/10 of a mile was pretty much straight up. At the top was an awesome lookout tower that was a tuqlly some sort of research lab, so we couldn't go in, but we could still climb the stairs. We said hi to the dude that was sprawled out resting on the on the rocks beneath the tower. We climbed up to take in    
the most spectacular 360* view yet, took some photos, and climbed down. Next we hiked to Glassmine Gap which marked us having passed our official AT 100th mile. This was where we had originally planned to stop but there weren't any flat spots and although a helpful sign said there were excellent spots ONLY 2 something miles down a blue-blazed trail, we decided to go on further. Eventually we got to Rock Gap Shelter, which seemed really full, so we ended up going all the way to Rocky Cove Knob, the last mtn before Winding Stair Gap. Almost at the top we saw 'Postcard', who we met the day before on Standing Indian Mtn. He told us about the hiker shuttle to town the next morning. We pushed on a little further until we found a flat enough spot to camp then settled in for the night. We were a little surprised by our milage for the day, and it kinda seems like in North Carolina the climbs may be bigger, but they're longer so you can do longer days easier- hopefully that makes sense. We were tired, mike's hands were burning, and the shuttle was at 9am the next day, but we're loving every moment of it. Hung the bear bag and went to bed. Strond wind gusts all night.

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. 

Day 8

Dicks Creek Gap (US 76) to Bly Gap- ~9.5 miles

Woke up, had breakfast at the local place (Georgia Mtn. Restaurant) while we wrote out thank-you cards, went grocery shopping, then checked out of the motel and remained in their yard packing our backpacks for a good 45 min. Hitching out of town was easier than on the way in- two guys in a pick-up truck pulled over in no time and told us to climb in the back. Enjoyed the unobstructed scenery until we were back at the gap. After a quick call to Ma (just checking in) we walked off into the wood again. It was a strenuous uphill to get out of the gap and it was HOT. At this point Mike's "rash", which by now we had deduced to be poison ivy, oak, or sumac, started to really itch and spread across his hands. Decided to keep a close eye on it and Mike was determined to not let it ruin his hike. As evening came we reached the state line- HECK YEAH! -which provided much motivation. Took some pictures, swatted the (so far constant) bugs, and headed to nearby Bly Gap where we made camp. Had a good fire and slept on a very uncomfortable incline after listening to loud and rowdy SoBo section hikers on the other side of the gap hoot and holler all night.

Day 7

Deep Gap Shelter to Dicks Creek Gap (US 76) - 2.5 miles

We woke up at 6am to the voices of the other hikers eating breakfast and getting ready to get back on the trail. After a  half hour of listening to them talk about sports, they finally left, and we were feeling more awake than we wanted to be at that hour. Yet another reminder why we aren't too fond of shelters. Eventually we got up, had breakfast, checked out the shelter log, and broke camp. It was an easy couple of miles to the road and it was obvious that we both had town on our minds (not to mention that Mike had the start of some kind of poison ivy, oak, or sumac that was in need of some treatment). At Dicks Creek Gap we began our attempt to hitch a ride into Hiawassee (13 miles away?) and were failing miserably until we spotted a day hiker and his daughter returning to their car after a morning hike on the AT. Mike asked if they were headed into Hiawassee and if the two of us could catch a ride with them. Luckily they were headed that way for a quick lunch, and took pity on us because 'he could tell by our accents that we weren't from the area' (what accents?) . We all piled into the car and took off for town. After a quick greasy meal (Laura ate her first triple cheeseburger- Mike was totally impressed) we checked into the Hiawassee Inn, did some laundry, made some calls, had some beers, then called it a night. Showers expected for tomorrow but we're ready to hit the trail again tomorrow afternoon, and we finish the GA section in ~10 miles. North Carolina here we come!

Day 6- Blue Mtn to Deep Gap Shelter- 14.5 miles

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.