Wow... Today's the the hardest day of all. At 0900 hours I was shuttled back to Unicoi Gap to begin a 16.7 mile slack pack. Rash, How About and Head Hunter accompanied me. This was a grueling 8 1/2 hour death march up and down steep peaks including the summit of Tray Mountain 4500 feet in elevation. The weather was cool and misty. Thick white clouds filled the forest. Visibility was low. When we finished at 1730 hours, I could barely walk. My muscles were in full failure mode and my heals covered in burning blisters. It amazed me just how far I could push the limits of my body.
We got a shuttle back to the Budget Inn in Hiawassee, cleaned up, ate and settled in for the night. I experience excruciating leg cramps for the better part of the night.
Tomorrow I will resupply for 5 days to make it into Franklin North Carolina. The plan is to hike only 5 miles to the next shelter...
So far I have hiked 69.6 miles. I am only 8 miles to the North Carolina border!!!!
Below is a photo of a tree with a bent branch. This was done by Indians for markers and directions. The pic was taken in Indian Gap near an ancient Indian burial ground.
