Day 7- Lone Wolf

Stealth Camp(59.3) to stealth Camp(75.3) 16 miles

Today was a long hard day. I still can't believe I hiked 16 miles!!! We got a late start this morning. The plan was to hike 11 miles to meet up with Greg at Dicks Creek Gap. I started off hiking pretty slow, it took me a while to warm up, but after 2 miles I was really feeling it. I finally stayed warm over night and managed to get a full nights sleep for the first time in over a week. I woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the mountains. 

I felt so good after my 2 mile warm up, that I decided to run for a while. I'm not sure why, other than I just like to run. As a result I way outpaced the group. I made it to Dicks Creek Gap a little before 1:30. That put me at a 10.3 mile day in just under 4 and a half hours. I chatted with Greg for a little bit, then decided to push on. He had to wait for the rest of our little group, so I set out alone knowing I will probably not see them again. Sherpa Twins, Greg, and Weather Man will be missed, but I needed to Hike Your Own Hike(HYOH), which is kind of like a mantra out here. I really enjoyed hiking by myself. I met a lot of new people today. Most of them started a few days before me. I should get in with a new group soon. In another week or two we should all have our "trail legs" and groups will naturally be sorted out by daily mileage. I wish I had more pictures to post, but it's hard to get good shots. I'm always below treeline so I can't get clear views very often. 

Scary moment when I fell down today. Just a little scratch, nothing major, I just wasn't paying attention. 

I've had a couple good questions from friends and family that I'd like to take a second to answer. My niece, Riley, wants to know what I eat. The answer is not enough. I've really been struggling to eat the recommended 3,000 calories per day. I think I'm only getting 1,800-2,000. I can barely keep my pants up, not that it's a bad thing. I had some weight to lose. Most days I start off eating a pop tart and cup of coffee. Then a few hours later I have second breakfast, which is something easy to eat while I walk, like a Cliff bar. For lunch I eat a tortilla with tuna fish. Then I have 2 more snacks during the day, so far that's been trail mix and a honey bun. For dinner I have freezer bag meals, which consist of some type of pasta, rice, or instant mash potatoes with tuna fish or chicken and a cup of hot chocolate. Tonight I had easy Mac and Cheese with Vienna Sausages and bacon bits with Texas Pete hot sauce. I assure you, it tastes much better than it sounds. Today was really hot and I struggled to drink enough water. 

I've also been asked what a stealth campsite is. It's when I camp at a location not marked on the map. Technically it's really just an undesignated  site. All the sites I've been at are other sites people have used. There is always a fire ring and the earth shows signs of people staying there. A true stealth site is usually prestine forest that shows no signs of human camping. I try to follow the Leave No Trace philosophy and only camp where other people have been. Stealth camping just sounds cooler than undesignated. 

Undesignated camp spot 3 miles short of the NC/GA border

It's been a long day so I'm signing off. Please post any other questions. I love hearing from everyone. I think I figured out why my pictures weren't loading. That should be fixed now. 

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. Norman Vincent Peale