ALMOST AT THE END OF OUR JOURNEY....

DAY 5: BROWN FORK GAP SHELTER TO CABLE GAP SHELTER - 6.1 MILES

We took our time breaking down camp on that 5th morning, knowing that our day ahead was relatively short...only 6.1 miles.  We planned it that way so that we'd arrive at Cable Gap Shelter area fairly early in the afternoon, giving us time to simply relax before making the final push to Fontana Dam the next day...the end of our journey.  Our trek on this day would mostly be downhill, something that is so much harder for me than going up can be.  Yeah...I know...that doesn't make sense...unless you do it day after day.  Then it becomes crystal clear.  Traversing an extended downhill section plays havoc on the knees and feet, as well as all your large leg muscles.  Taking "baby steps" hour after hour gets old quick!  But onward we went...northbound.

We were blessed with some pretty amazing views...

And, in my opinion anyway, cursed with more (and more and more) nasty rocks that were the trail...

Not only were we crossing huge rocks, there was a tree blown down across the trail with no way around it.  We had no choice but to go through it.  It wasn't easy.  Me, in all my grace, had to pretty much straddle it sideways to go over, catching my pack in the branches and over-stretching an already tender groin muscle.  Just as I brought my left leg over and attempted to stand upright, our beloved bottle of Advil slipped from the pocket of my pack and fell down between some rocks. (Insert the dead quiet with crickets chirping as we both stood, looking down at it.  I knew we couldn't leave it so I began the longest, deepest squat I've ever done in my life and snatched it with my fingertips.  Success was ours!  I don't know how, but I managed to save the Advil...we leave no one behind! 

About 3 miles into our day, we reached Cody Gap and stopped for a short break...

There's a camping spot or two at the Gap and a water source which we didn't take time to find but if one really had to, you could stop here for the night.  What we seem to find at these gaps is a sense of almost eeriness...something that would only be multiplied by darkness once it fell.  We don't typically get much sleep during our nights in the woods but that would be a given if we pitched our tent in one of these gaps.  Not really my style but always good to know about in the event that you truly needed to stop for whatever reason.

We continued on down the trail and I couldn't help but notice how beautiful the woods were.  I love the smell of the trees and such.  It just feels like you're breathing in clean, fresh air. 

If memory serves, we arrived at the Cable Gap Shelter area around 3:30 or so...

Everyone needs to take notice of this sign!

We chose to head downhill from the shelter to what appeared to be the perfect camping spot.  The water source was right there and the privy and shelter weren't too far away.  Upon closer inspection, we found it a bit tricky to find the right spot to put the tent.  There were lots of tree roots crisscrossing the area and the slant of the ground was much more noticeable than we thought.  We finally decided on what looked like a level spot...

The stream was just to the right of our tent area...

Turns out, we had the shelter area to ourselves that night.  Honestly, we were pretty beaten up, tired and sore...ready for a quiet afternoon that would allow us to just concentrate on the little things, like making what is affectionately known as our "little stick fire."  As luck would have it, there was no shortage of little sticks in the area so we were able to keep our fire going for a couple of hours or so.  We kind of just sat around, enjoying the woods and a cup of coffee (the one thing I will not hike without).

The sun finally began to set so we made our final preparations for the night.  This typically includes putting any valuables inside the tent and stowing away all food, trash, or items with any smell in our Op Sac odor-proof bags.  We are completely happy with and confident in the reliability of these bags.  Not once have we awakened to find them having been disturbed.  I should add that the one thing we are both pretty much anal about it food and trash storage.  We leave NOTHING out that would attract the nighttime critters.  If there's any doubt, it goes in the Op Sac.  As an extra layer of protection, we usually double the sacs.  I know food storage methods are a matter of personal preference but that's what we're currently using.  We've also carried the Bear Vault a time or two.  They're large but can double as storage in your pack if need be.  Anyway....we climbed into our tent for our last night out in the woods...

It didn't take long for us to discover that our tent site was not level.  My sister slid down and to her left and I had to make an effort to hang on to my sleeping pad so I wouldn't roll with her.  Because we wanted to cut down on the humidity inside the tent....it seems like even though we put on dry clothes once our camp chores are done and try to go to bed dry, I tend to be consumed by these giants shivers that start down in your toes and wrack your entire body...and it's not because I'm cold...we left the rain fly open up at the front of our tent.  One thing we learned a long time ago is to never go to bed without the rain fly on your tent.  Even if it doesn't rain, moisture will collect inside your tent.  Oh...and just because you don't think it's going to rain, doesn't mean it won't.  During the wee hours of the morning, we were both awakened by what sounded like either wind or rain.  "Let's give it a minute and see what it does," we said.  It didn't take but a minute for us to realize it was actually raining so Debbie did her best to climb up and close the rain fly.  We were on a slant and downhill from the shelter so we were hoping it wasn't going to be a deluge.  Our Big Agnes tent proved yet again that it is, in fact, waterproof, something we were immensely thankful for that night.  Much to our dismay, it was still raining when we woke up the next morning, which added a whole new level of trail experiences for us...breaking camp in the rain.  But that's a story for another day...tomorrow...day 6...our final day on the A.T.  In spite of the rain, we woke excited and with renewed energy.  Day 6 was the day we would be reunited with our beloved Diet Coke!