Our day started out as all the others do, with our coffee and oatmeal for breakfast while breaking down our camp so we could start another day...
We were blessed with another beautiful morning, which helped to raise our spirits as we discussed the task that lie ahead for us. We would be starting the day out immediately with a formidable climb. Our campsite was at approximately 4527 ft in elevation and the summit of Standing Indian Mountain loomed 2 miles away, coming in at an elevation of 5498ft. It might sound as if climbing up 971 feet in elevation in a distance of 2 miles is easy, but trust me....the "road is long with many a winding turn that leads us to who knows where...who knows when..." Sorry...that piece of a lyric just seemed to fit the situation. We took one last look at our beautiful campsite before heading out...
And up we went...
And up....
And up...until our goal finally came into view...
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| (Sorry about the blur...could be the camera...could have been exhaustion) |
We took a break at this point, glad to have those packs off our backs. One thing worth mentioning here is that you absolutely MUST take the side trail that goes off to the right, winding past the campsites...
We decided to leave our packs at one of the campsites (kind of off the trail and out of view) and we headed up this side trail. It turned out to be a bit on the steep side so you might want to grab one of your trekking poles....but whatever you do, don't pass this trail by because it leads you to the summit of Standing Indian Mountain and the views are breathtaking!
We spent several minutes up at the summit, just taking in the views. You could see for miles. I can't say that, being siblings, that we always agree on everything...but there is one thing we do all agree on and it's that it simply doesn't get any better than this!
Knowing that we still had miles to cover, we slowly made our way back down to our packs, loaded up and headed out again. Being up that high made a big difference in the vegetation we came across. There were small balds decorated with tons of blooming flowers. There were tunnels created by the dense growth of Rhododendrons, all in bloom, mind you. I can't count the number of times we all commented on how truly amazing it all was...and how lucky we were to be able to get up there to see it.
For the remainder of the day, it seemed as though the mountainous terrain decided to go easy on us...keeping in mind that "easy" is a relative term while out on the A.T. Our definition of "easy" is terrain that's not covered with rocks and mud, that require you to bend at an angle which allows you to inspect the toes of your hiking boots quite thoroughly, and that has a minimum of those "toe stumpers" that you see in front of you, lift your foot to clear, but trip on anyway. Oh...and the degree of burn in your legs and butt cheeks is at the low end of the spectrum. We made a short stop for lunch at Beech Gap...
...and then off we went once again, getting closer to Carter Gap with each step we took. Have a I mentioned just how beautiful it all is out there? The photos simply don't do it justice...
Our home for the night came into sight at last...
It was here at Carter Gap that we met two fellow hikers, Rollie Rittner (aka Mr. Wonderful) and his sister-in-law, Barbara (aka Morning Glory). Rollie is from Ruskin, not too far from where we live in Tampa. We all became instant friends as we shared the campfire and traded trail stories. We would share the trail the next day and reached the summit of Albert Mountain together...something that created a bond between us all. It was also here at Carter Gap that the hot spot on my heel became a full-blown, painful blister. If only I'd taken the time to take care of it when I first noticed it...hindsight is always 20/20.
Our night was a peaceful one, albeit racked with those gigantic body shivers. The next morning we learned that Rollie and Barbara had experienced them as well. At least we didn't suffer alone! Our night at the Carter Gap shelter sight was an enjoyable one. There's nothing quite like the friendships that are formed on the trail. I can honestly say that in all my hikes, I've never met anyone who wasn't friendly. Odd maybe...but always friendly. Then again...maybe all of us who choose to subject ourselves to the challenges of the Appalachian Trail are odd in our own way.
Onward to Albert Mountain...and a day that taught me a lot about myself!
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