On the Appalachian Trail: Muskrat Creek Shelter, NC to Deep Gap, NC

Day 5 Muskrat Creek Shelter, NC - Deep Gap, NC (Miles Today: 4; Trip Miles: 32; Total AT Miles: 82)

Snow on the trail. Just two days ago it was in the 80's and I was getting a sunburn and now there's a bit of snow alongside the trail. Crazy.

When I woke up this morning I was afraid to uncover my head. I knew it was going to be frigid. Sure enough, I was right. I climbed out of my sleeping bag and told the boys to stay put until I had all my things packed and the food bags down from the trees. I didn't want them getting packed up too early and sitting around waiting for me with nothing to do but shiver. While there are far worse temperatures to deal with in the mountains than 32 degrees it's still not all that fun to stand still for too long.

Once we were packed up one of the older guys in the shelter, Snake, watched the boys walk off toward the trail and commented to me, "You've got two tough men right there to want to be out here in this."

"Yeah," I said. "They really have a great time."

The first two miles were as flat as any we've encountered on the trail. We didn't bother to remove any clothes before taking off this morning so we each hiked in three to four layers. Ty and I became hot within an hour or so and stopped to shed some layers. Muluken was content to stay bundled.

In the four miles to the gap there was only one climb. By this point in the trip it seemed pretty easy. We knew the drill - go slowly on the steepest parts, take short but frequent breaks, and take advantage of the easier pitches by picking up the pace. After the first two miles we had doubled our normal pace to 2mph. This was due in large part to the fact no one was all that tempted to stop for more than a few seconds at a time because of the cold.

As we headed down our final descent toward Deep Gap I heard Muluken up ahead calling, "It's Harper! It's Harper! IT'S THE GIRLS!!!" Harper started laughing and rushed up to meet Muluken. Happy to be reunited, everyone offered hugs or kisses. The girls took the backpacks from Ty and Muluken and carried them the rest of the way down. In the van was a cooler of cold Gatorade, grapes, and cheese. We packed up our stuff, grabbed a drink and snack for ourselves, and left the rest at the trail side for the other hikers who would be coming behind us. We were happy to repay some of the good karma that had found us days earlier.

We all drove back to a cabin we had rented near Blood Mountain in Georgia. After a shower and some lunch the six of us headed out for a four mile hike to a nearby waterfall. No pack, no boots, no jackets. It was warm and we were enjoying the sandals on our feet and the sun on our shoulders. The kids splashed around in the base of the waterfall before heading back. The following day we all hiked up Blood Mountain and enjoyed the fantastic views together.

As we packed up to go home I found a note in my suitcase that Ainsley had written me while we were gone. She started writing it right after we loaded into the car six days earlier - when she was trying so hard not to look sad. The note began, "Dear Daddy, I miss you. I hope you have a great trip. I love you." She added to the letter each day I was gone and admitted to crying a few nights. We're headed back out in June for 80 more miles. This time we're coordinating it so the girls are nearby and welcome to come out and hike as much as they'd like with us. The more the merrier.

As for our future plans, we'll get through the Smokies next year and maybe all the way up into Hot Springs. From there I realize now we'll have to start doing some serious miles. We'll probably need to get over a thousand miles in the next five or six years and then make a push to do the rest all in one or two summers. The costs and time demands of breaking our hike up over too many summers may be too great.