Day 9 – 11.8 miles – After breakfast I texted Moneychanger to advance our pickup time to 9am. He dropped us off at Dicks Creek gap around 9:30am and we began our trek up and out of Georgia into North Carolina. We passed Plumorchard Gap shelter after a couple hours. We arrived at the GA/NC line around 2:15pm. Just beyond the line there’s a spring with a pipe in it and a good place to flop down for spell. I took water, a snack, and a nap. We discussed staying just beyond the spring on a ridge or continuing to Muskrat Creek shelter. The shelter was only 2.9 miles from the spring. We neglected to look at the elevation change of this particular section and paid the price for it. It was difficult section for both of us. Once at the shelter we made the decision to get off trail early due to Tim suffering from terrible shin splints originating from a hard descent to Dicks Creek gap the day before. I called Ron Holland and arranged for him to pick us up at Deep Gap instead of Winding Stair as previously discussed then told him I’d call in the morning when we were close to Deep gap.