Dicks Creek to Winding Stair Gap

Starting out of Dicks creek on April 1st, and after playing a cruel April fools joke on mom (sorry mom your too easy) we made it up to the North Carolina border pretty fast. We were welcomed into North Carolina by one of the most gnarly mountains so far on the trail. We tented at Standing Indian Shelter for the night where Patrick and I acquired our trail names of "Paddy Cakes" for Patrick & "Puddin'" for myself.

The next day we hit the 100 mile marker, and man did we have to work for it. It was a crawling climb up to a fire tower on the top of Albert Mountain. After our 16 + mile day we rolled into a new shelter for 2013 called "Long Branch Shelter".

After a long night of about five thru hikers snoring we hiked the 7.3 miles down "Winding Stair Gap", where we picked up a new hiker companion named "Sleeping Beauty". Crankin and I stuck the thumbs out and hitched a ride for all four if us into Franklin, NC for us to re-supply our food. After a great lunch at a diner called FATZ, we hitched back to the trail and hiked another 4.9 miles to our campsite for the night.