Day 15

Hiawassee to Plum Orchard Gap Shelter 4.6 miles – AT mile 73.9

Card of the day – Page of Pentacles

It was finally time to leave Hiawassee.  We had made the right call as it was so cold and even with frost on the car windows.  The shuttle picked us up at 9am from out side the supermarket.  It’s provided free by the town.  They ask you to estimate how much you have spent in town.  We all shouted out our figures and the driver just laughed and said we had probably paid for the shuttle for the year.

Todays hiking was mostly a nice days walk but I can feel that I’ve had two days off, so it’s been slow going.  There seemed to be lots of long hills that just went on for ever!

We were in the shelter really early and were clearly the first ones there.  This was nice as we got the pick of the place.  However, I was sat on the shelter, taking off my boot to check a hot spot and the next thing I know I got stung by a massive wasp!  It must have landed on me as I was twisting my foot or something.  I scream out! Underhill thinks there is a bear! Kegstand comes to my rescue and swats it off me!  Underhill makes a beline as he is allergic!

Not a good look!

Any way the commotion dies down and I hobble off to the stream to cool off my foot.  Underhill has some sting wipes and they both look after me for the next 20 mins whilst the adrenaline that was pumping through me dies down.  Seriously, thank god they were there.

As there were a number of wasps in the shelter, we make camp as far away as we can!  Later hikers do a proper look around, and finding no nest decided to stay in there.

Soon enough there was a fire and we were all just socialising, and having had some pain killers I soon forget about my foot.

The other thing of note was I finally met Quick on the Draw!  He is a fellow Brit that I have been talking to for a while swapping plans and ideas.  He is also blogging for the trek and I hope he posts some photos of the pictures he is painting, as they are fantastic!