the SISTER ACT & the BEAST 1996
Our second hike on the AT took place June 2 - 7, 1996.
We did the section from Neels Gap where we ended our hike in 1995 to Dick's Creek 36.9 and... lets just say 40 miles!!
Learned a lot of stuff on our first trip like stuff we could leave behind, what kind of clothes work best for me, IM A heavy sweater and in summer in GA its gonna be MUGGY and so I've opted to take quick dry hiking shorts and mesh shirts with nylon sports bras underneath..stuff that will DRY quickly, Cotton doesnt dry period in humid weather!!
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| JT age 16, Marsha age 40, Emma age 48 |
Another big change is my son came along on this hike..at the time of the hike he was 16 yrs old and never did any backpacking and I found that having my son along put me on Parent watch a little, and I found myself picking up after him...GRRR finally got control of myself on that one, and then I began to enjoy myself more!!
My Son JT is using the trail name Beasty Boy, which is after one of his favorite bowling balls!! He is a bowling nut at this point in his life and he loves nature and camping too!
... June 1, 1996.
On the day we are to leave First Im meeting Lex Glover from the SC Dept of Natural Resources. He is coming to band the baby owls that were born in my owl nest box!! Little Red Phase Screech Owls. I waiting for Mama Bird to leave the box then I taped a piece of cardboard over the hole to keep her out so Lex doesnt get a BITE from mom while he examines and bands the chicks. I know Lex from my bird club and Ive been on many bird walks led by him he is a top notch birder!!
Our drive to North GA was uneventful, we stopped for boiled p-nuts, and a coke and to stretch our legs once we got to the mountains. Beasty Boy got his first look at the Appalachians we would be hiking over, in the distance & I think I saw something close to "wth" in his eyes...
We are making a stash so we found the parking area where we would be parking my Bronco at the end of the hike in the Dicks Creek Parking area. We have arranged transportation, he will pick us up at Dicks Creek and take us to Neels Gap to start our hike.
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| Me, Sondra age 43 |
We are leaving a stash this time, 3 and 1/2 gallons of Fresh Water, and A cooler wrapped with a black plastic bag, packed with goodies that we hoist up a tree and tie up high--just off the highway at Unicoi Gap. We didnt go far up the trail off the highway and so we can easily find our stash before we cross the road and we will rehoist the cooler and come back for it when we get off the trail on the 7th. Just to be sure sister Marsha marked the spot with a bit of red tape on the tip of a limb.
Stash safely stashed so we head to Hiawassee where we reserved rooms for the 7th the day we get off the trail @ the Hiawassee Inn, then we headed for Blairsville, GA we have a reservation for rooms at the Best Western there for tonight!
We ate at the Catfish Corner, where the food was "not so hot"...after dinner we did some shopping and we looked around a cemetery in town that looked old...some graves dated back to 1891. I made a call to Mr. Shakespear who would be providing our transport we are to meet him at Dicks Creek at 9 am.
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| Marsha at Walasi-Yi notice the Brown Granada in the BG. |
The sisters brought breakfast biscuits to the room in the AM before we loaded up and drove to Dicks Creek and there was Mr. Shakespear. To our amazement he was driving a very old very dilapidated Ford Grenada...We could barely fit our packs in the trunk, and we had to hold our sleeping pads in our laps, and tie the trunk down! Once inside we were crammed in like sardines and the car was full of exhuast fumes!! We had all the windows down and Mr. Shakespear told us how much he despised the Federal Govt and we wondered if he was an escapee from the Freedom Ranch. Our eyes burned and we felt queasy from the carbon monoxide and were totally happy to finally see the Walasi-Yi Center!
The sky was threatening as we unloaded paid Mr. Shakespear and headed into the center for our last flush toilet break for the next 5 days!!
THE SISTER ACT IS ON THE TRAIL AGAIN!!!!
Follow the White Blazes to Our hike, click tab Day One
