We finally arrive at Bull Gap around 7:30 p.m. It is a nice open level spot that has plenty of room to set up our tents. There is a stream down the hill where we can get more water and a fire pit that others have used where we can finally make a campfire for the night. We see a few more hikers pass through on the trail before one of them decides that he will stay at Bull Gap too. He says his name is Brandon (no trail name yet), but in my mind I refer to him as "Bear Option #3". Grayson and I are glad to have him join us for the night. Brandon is only about 23 years old, but he seems very well traveled. I later decide that I have a trail name for him... Rolling Stone. Since he gets around a lot I think that name fits him perfectly. To my surprise he loves it and so I get credit for giving him his official trail name. Heck, I don't even have one yet.
The last order of business for the night is to rig our bear bag system so just in case a bear is nearby, he will not get our food. Brandon seems very confident that he has the perfect system. He uses about 100 feet of rope and has two seperate lines tied to two separate trees. The idea is that if the bear cuts one line the food bags will not fall since the other line is a backup line. Since Grayson and I are new at this, we take Rolling Stone up on his offer to rig up our bags for the night. Every single food related item goes into our bags including cooking equipment, toothpaste and anything else that would have a scent attached to it. Its getting dark as we finally get the rope slung up over a high branch and our three bags are lifted 25 feet into the air. Now all we need is a good night sleep.
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