[at-l] trip report -- section hike from Springer

[DGOULD at necc.org (Gould, Dan)]

Well, I'm back and I had an incredible hike!  I was out from Thursday to Thursday, and I had sunshine and 70 -80 degrees every day, with the exception of a couple of sprinkles going over Standing Indian Mtn.  I didn't end up going all the way to Nantahala (my original plan) because I decided I should spend some time with my daughter in Atlanta.  My strategy was to get up early and hike until around 2:00, stop for dinner for a couple hours, then continue on until sunset.  My pack weight was around 24# before resupply at Neels Gap, and I wore New Balance trail running shoes.  Here's a trip report:
 
Day 1 Thursday 4/15/04: arrived at the Big Stamp Gap parking lot at 4:30 p.m., ran packless and tagged the Springer summit, then ran back to the truck, grabbed the pack and headed north.  Somehow, I was expecting something more from Springer -- it was just a rocky knob in the woods.  This must be awfully anticlimactic at the end of a SOBO hike.  I hiked about 7.5 miles before dark and camped about .5 mile south of Hightower Gap.
Day 2 Friday: Did a little over 19 miles and camped about 6.7 miles north of Woody Gap.  Not many notes this day; I was cruising along over easy trail with excellent footing.
Day 3 Saturday: Headed over Blood Mtn first thing in the a.m. and stopped at Neels Gap to get food for the rest of the trip.  Definitely slowed down by the added weight of 5 days' food.  I developed a blister on my left heel and one on the bottom of my foot between my toes (odd place for a blister).  Camped at Low Gap Shelter.  It took me a while to figure out the bear cables.  I met Joan and Peter (I call them the "Dynamic Duo") here and we leap-frogged each other for the rest of my trip.  Did a total of 14.6 miles for the day.
Day 4 Sunday: First 5 miles from Low Gap to Chatahoochee Gap was sweet, easy walking with little elevation change.  Took an hour-long break just north of Unicoi Gap, then stopped for dinner at Tray Mtn Shelter.  Great boxed spring just below the shelter.  After dinner I headed out for another hour and a half and camped just a few hundred yards south of the "Swag of the Blue Ridge."  Total of about 18.3 miles for the day.
Day 5 Monday: Great sunrise and easy walking to Addis Gap, then a long climb up Kelly Knob.  Fortunately it was mostly on the shady side of the ridge since this turned out to be the hottest day.  Stopped at Plumorchard Shelter for a dinner break then headed on.  I got to Bly Gap (GA/NC state line) around 5:45 and wasn't ready to call it a day, so I headed on.  Good thing I didn't see the trail profile before I headed on, or I probably would have turned around and gone back to Springer!  After Bly Gap the trail climbs a series of short, steep knobs, each one a little higher than the one before.  So it's a long series of "false summits" that eventually end on a high ridge. Set up camp near Sassafras Gap and spent a long windy night.  Total miles for the day around 17.9.
Day 6 Tuesday: A few sprinkles going up the south of Standing Indian, but things cleared nicely afterwards.  Stopped at Carter Gap Shelter for dinner.  Joan and Peter rolled in shortly after.  They and I planned to continue on to Betty Creek Gap and camp for the night, but I must have missed it because next thing I knew I came to the forest service road just before you start climbing Albert Mtn.  So I stopped just across the road and camped.  Total miles for the day around 18.1
Day 7 Wednesday: Headed up Albert Mtn and climbed the fire tower on top.  Great views all around.  After Albert it was a long downhill to Wallace Gap, a short uphill to Winding Stair Gap (dinner break here near the waterfall) and then a long climb up to Siler Bald.  Sat on top of Siler Bald for a long time waiting for sunset, but the sun eventually went behind clouds and never came out again.  I camped about half-way down the bald.  Miles for the day around 15.6
Day 8 Thursday: My daughter was scheduled to pick me up at Wayah Gap at 11:00 a.m. so I got up late and took my time hiking the last 1.7 miles down to the picnic area.  I had one Ramen and two Clif bars left, so I ate the Ramen for breakfast.  Fortunately daughter showed up on time, with a large roast beef sandwich.  We headed back to Atlanta where I had a most excellent hot shower and then out to dinner.
 
Overall, this was one of the best section hikes I've done.  The trail in this section was excellent -- well-maintained, mostly smooth treadway with very few long rocky stretches.  There was a lot of elevation change but the good footing made the walking a breeze and made up for the general absence of privies!
 
Total trip miles around 112.  My total AT section mileage is now around 1300 or so.  I'm looking forward to doing the Smokies, maybe in the fall.
 
BTW, thanks to everyone who helped me figure out the parking situation at Big Stamp Gap.