Last state!

11-9-09 day 160
start: Muskrat Creek Shelter, NC
end: Holiday Inn Express @ Hiawassee, GA
daily mileage: 11.8
total mileage: 2110.8


After a restful night's sleep (only interrupted by the several occaisions in which Fiddler got up in the middle of the night to remove still-struggling mice from the traps and bludgeon them to death with rocks), we were pleased to discover that our worthy friend had set a new record for the number of mice caught at one shelter - 10! Such a prodigious feat required celebration, so we found all 10 mice scattered on the ground in front of the shelter and arranged them artistically near the fire pit. It was a beautiful thing: a bizarre, sort of post-modern cross between a monument to Fiddler's mouse-catching prowess and a morbid warning to the few remaining mice in the area. And a sickening sight for any other hikers coming after us!


We did 12 miles into Dick Creek Gap right quick, with almost no stopping. WE CROSSED INTO GEORGIA - OUR LAST STATE! It was an incredibly fast hitch into town (first car, Sea Monster wasn't even ready!) and hit up a Steakhouse for their $6 lunch buffet! Needless to say, for $6 unlimited steak was not on the menu. But we enjoyed it immensely nonetheless. We could tell it was Georgia immediately by the fact that literally everyone in the room except for us was drinking sweet tea. Awesome! Sea Monster tried some, and found it to his liking as well. Fiddler and Tin-Man met up with us, and we all discussed the fact that we'd heard it was supposed to rain heavily tonight and tommorrow (Tropical Storm Ida, I guess). We were going to "adventure sleep" under a pavillion somewhere or something, but we decided that between the rain, the fact we had 4 people, and the fact that we're almost done we might as well enjoy ourselves and get a room at the Holiday Inn Express! We got a good deal and sat around all afternoon watching movies and TV. I even jumped into their indoor spa for a little while. We got showers, did laundry, and did our last resupply late at night. We planned on updating the blog, but were too lazy... we'll do it tomorrow before heading out.