Today has been my favorite day on the trail so far! I woke up refreshed and ate a delicious breakfast of maple bacon jerky and a couple of Oatmeal Creme pies. It was a clear crisp morning but I decided to hike in a t-shirt. I knew I had a big climb coming up over Standing Indian Mountain. This climb would be almost two and a half miles long and take me to almost 5500 feet of elevation. I stopped about a mile into the climb at Standing Indian Shelter to make use of the facilities and make a phone call to my parents. Being out here away from everyone phone calls home always boost my spirits though the roof. Before setting off on the rest of the climb I hiked down to a stream to top up my water.  

The pictures don’t do it justice but it was an enchanting and beautiful location to get water. I put on some good music, finished getting water, and began to climb the rest of the mountain. With each step I felt myself getting stronger and stronger. It was a weird but incredibly enjoyable sensation. I found great joy in walking up that mountain. The trail skirted the summit but I saw a blue blazed trail that led the rest of the way to the top. I was feeing so good I diverted onto this trail so I could see the view from the summit. As I burst through the undergrowth up onto the summit clearing tears began to fall from my eyes. I was beginning to understand the incredible appeal of hiking such demanding terrain. 

I hiked on through some beautiful terrain. The wild thing is that ever since I crossed into North Carolina the surrounding forest showed the evidence of the fires that had ravaged the area the previous season. Just about the entirety of Standing Indian Mountain had burned. Based on what I saw though the fires never got hot enough to ignite the standing trees. The conflagration mainly consumed the underbrush and the dead fall wood. The forest had already begun to recover from these ravages and it seemed reinvigorated.  

I finally found my way to Carter Gap Shelter. I was wiped out from the hike but I felt great. It was crowded again as I was hiking in the same bubble that had stayed at Muskrat Creek the previous night. I found a great spot for my tent with a view of the valley below. I spent the rest of the afternoon chatting wth some hikers I’d met in the preceding miles including my friend, David, one of the German women, and my hammock camping friend.  

I was feeling good when it came time to cook dinner so I decided to experiment a little and I’m glad I did. I made a delicious mix of parmesan fettuccine, miso soup, and tuna. It filled my belly to almost bursting. I checked the weather report before turning in and unfortunately we were expected to get thunderstorms around midnight. I made sure my tent was secure and turned in for the night. The thunderstorms turned out to be pretty impressive. The winds picked up, the rain fell, and the lightning crashed all around the camp. At one point at bolt crashed though the canopy not fifty yards from my tent. I’ve grown to trust my tent and I ended up falling asleep sound and secure.