Day 10 Welcome to North Carolina 9 miles

Dicks Creek Gap to Bly Gap(78.6)
Woke up in a warm bed feeling refreshed and ready to hike. Wayne and I took the shuttle out of Hiawassee at 9am and were hiking out of Dicks Creek by 9:20. I felt great today finally hitting a good pace and feeling comfortable with a fully loaded bag with four days of food. I now fully understand the importance of Nero days. Beautiful views of the mountains on both sides of the trail today. It sprinkled on and off most of the morning and I kept my rain jacket off to enjoy the drizzle. We stopped for a nice lunch break along the trail around noon. I finally had to throw on my rain coat for my last mile in Georgia. As I was climbing a hill, I could see four men huddled under a rock staying dry and noticed a sign hanging on a tree GA/NC. I did it! I made it out of Georgia on my tenth day! I waited for Wayne and we took photos. We only had to walk another .1 mile to the place we picked to camp. It was drizzling and I succeeded at putting up my tent in the rain. Bravo since I had never done that before! Saw Slingshot again set up in his hammock and other hiker friends. Met new hikers as well today handlebar, paperweight, Chris, slow hand, and a few others. Just another easy afternoon spent chatting and snacking till dark.

Lessons learned the first ten days out
* there are not many solo female thru hikers out here
* pay attention to where you throw your bag down there is usually poison ivy lurking
* looking at the elevation changes in the guide in the morning isn’t necessary just climb that mountain
* knobs are just as tough as mountains to climb
* anytime you think you are at close to the top you usually aren’t
* sleeping in shelters next to snoring men isn’t much fun so just tent
* seeing someone on the trail again after being away a few days is like greeting a long lost friend with a huge hug
* generosity given in Georgia was above and beyond what I could have hoped for
* the human body can adjust to extreme lifestyle changes fairly quickly… I’ll elaborate later
* the man hours spent caring for the trail is evident every few steps and it is appreciated greatly (I will give back when I’m done)
* being in the mountains is nothing like driving thru them and photos only capture a piece of the moment not the scent of the blooming trees and flowers
* I love hiking! I love carrying everything I need on my back and meeting new people from around the world. I love leaving towns and getting back into the woods. I love everything about the Appalachian Trail!
* 11 days ago I had camped out three times in my life. Once next to a car in Alaska and two nights in the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan only one mile into the woods. I am so proud of myself for finally taking a step out of my comfort zone and living an adventurous life! Georgia has changed me and my life for the better. I don’t like to look too far ahead, but life just keeps getting better around every turn! ❤️Sas