A detailed account of all the days that are beginning to blend together...

Trail Update #2: Neel Gap to Hiawassee.

This post is dedicated to my little, Johanna, for gifting me a series of 'read me when...' letters so that I may never be without her wisdom and advice, even when I'm days away from cell service. Her words are a wonderful dose of home when I'm feeling a bit lost in the woods. 

Day 5: April 3rd: A Late Start...

Waking up in a queen sized bed with clean sheets was definitely a luxury (at this point, my tent always has tid-bits of leaves and other surprises), and I toyed with the idea of staying an additional night. But considering the fact that I'd spent 2 out of the first 4 nights inside, it was time to get moving. Drew continued southbound, while I met up with my parents at Mountain Crossings to say goodbye, receive my first resupply and get a gear shakedown. 

Though I didn't end up sending too much unnecessary weight home, I did enjoy my shakedown with Pretzel, and I did shave off about 1lb. (Some hikers got rid of 12+ lbs of gear!) I sent home a collapsible cup I had never used, a washcloth, sunglasses, an extra pen, and a windscreen that was not compatible with my stove. (I will soon do a full blog post dedicated to my gear/reviews).

So after all was said and done, I didn't get on the trail until 12:45pm. I knew Ron was headed to Low Gap Shelter, 11.5 miles past Neel Gap, and I wanted to catch up. I was alone, it was ridiculously hot, the trail was pretty much completely uphill and I knew I had a long day ahead of me - it only took about 15 minutes for me to start crying. Luckily it was a short-lived self-pity party, and I was back to my solid mental state.

Unfortunately, the trail always throws you curveballs in an attempt to teach its lessons. Three miles past Neel Gap, I realized my feet could no longer tolerate my boots - every step hurt. Due to the fact that I think crocs are fugly (they are the top choice 'camp shoe' of AT hikers), I had splurged and bought myself really nice Chaco sandals that could work as hiking shoes in a pinch. I strapped my chunky boots to the back of my pack and continued along... until I realized the bottom of my pack was wet and water was dripping down my legs - my camelback had somehow developed a slight tear and was leaking. I did have backup water bottles, so I wasn't concerned for my wellbeing, it was just annoying to have to take off my pack everytime I needed water. 

I made it to mile marker 38.4, Hogpen Gap, where I found a fellow thru-hiker sitting by the parking lot. We got to chatting and she explained that she was intending to hike to the next shelter but didn't know if she could make it and was not ready to camp alone on the side of the trail if need be. We had enough daylight left, so I convinced her to attempt the rest of the hike with me - and thus began my friendship with Peacock. 

That night was a crazy thunderstorm! To tell you the truth, I loved it (granted, my tent was already set up before it began). My only concern was the possibility of branches falling on my tent... needless to say, I survived.

Lincoln makes a guest appearance!

Where I found Peacock

Shelter: Low Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 11.5
Miles from Springer: 43.2
Miles to Katahdin: 2141.0


Day 6: April 4th: No Gear Left Behind.
Ron and I had ambitious plans for the next morning, but when I woke up, I decided against a strenuous day. Instead, we opted for a leisurely 7 mile stroll. Ron set us back an hour by forgetting his trekking pole, but we ultimately made it to the shelter by about 4pm. I was amazed at how much time I had to do all my camp chores/bum around before bedtime, and I was in the greatest mood (especially when peacock arrived a few hours after us - yay peacock!) I met Bota, Vista (who was only hiking the first week), Peas, Cruiser, Jeremy, Duck, and Nick. We all sat around the fire for an hour or so before getting chilly and heading to sleep. Finally I was social! (Be proud, it's hard for me).

I sat here for about an hour, waiting for Rons return.

Shelter: Blue Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 7.3
Miles from Springer: 50.5
Miles to Katahdin: 2133.7


Day 7: April 5th: Easter Blossoms and Epic Trail Magic.
The morning of April 5th was cold - not quite cold enough to be considered frigid, but I wanted to hide in my tent all morning. I've never been a very sentimental person, but Im happy to say that the trail brought us magic in the form of blooming cherry blossoms - a sure sign of spring on Easter Sunday. 

Shout out to the AOII Cherry Blossom family! I was thinking of you :)

Ron and I had heard rumors of potential trail magic a few miles ahead, but I tried not to get my hopes up in case we arrived too late in the day. Though Addis Gap was about a half mile off the trail (adding an extra mile to your day is not always what we're looking for...), we decided to follow the signs to this alleged hiker party. And a party it was. A few families were camping out all weekend sharing food (varieties of cheeses, crackers, roasted corn, roasted turkey, chips, salsa, more cheese, apples, bananas, oranges, hot dogs, etc), alcohol (wine, beer, liquor, and two full kegs...), and hospitality.  Many hikers chose to set up camp and spend the night around the bonfire, but I had to get up early the next morning - so I stuffed my belly to the brim and shuffled along to Deep Gap. 

All the trail angels were slightly tipsy and extremely generous!

April 5th was also the day I met "The Family" - a group of 2 couples with 11 of their children (aged 9-17) all thru-hiking the AT together. They are remarkably kind, and I have had the opportunity to get to know a few of them fairly well. I hope their hike continues to coincide with mine for a while. 

Unnecessary bonus shot from April 5th!

Shelter: Deep Gap Shelter
Total miles today: 15.5
Miles from Springer: 66.0
Miles to Katahdin: 2118.2


Day 8: April 6th: Trail-Named.
I woke up to a busy campsite and Jeremy making pancakes (a regular occurance for which he later received the trail name flapjack), but I needed to hike 4 miles to Dicks Creek Gap, walk along the road a half mile to the Top of Georgia Hostel, pick up my resupply, and get back to the Gap before the 11 am shuttle - so I booked it out of camp that morning.  I enjoyed the solitude, and I was glad to have a chance to check out the TOG hostel. I had originally planned on staying the night,  but rumor had it that they didn't allow dogs (that rumor was wrong), so Ron convinced me to stay at the Budget Inn. I met my friends at the Gap, and while we waited for a ride, I was christened with the name Maybelline - due to the fact that I have been wearing eyeliner on the trail. At first I was not into it at all - I had wanted a deeper trail-name - one based off of something in nature. But I suppose that the trail names you what it will - I've been told that I certainly earned the name Maybelline.  People often believe that it is my actual name. 

The Budget was in the center of town, which was convenient, but that was about the only thing it had going for it. It rained heavily almost all day, which deterred us from exploring Hiawassee. I spent the day doing laundry, cleaning my gear, following Duck around Ingles while mindlessly reading Cosmopolitan, and chatting with Flapjack and Nick. 

Dicks Creek Gap - Where my trail-name found me.

(Nick, flapjack, dylan, duck, jester)

Shelter: Hiawassee Budget Inn ($15 when split 4 ways)
Miles today: 3.6
Miles from Springer: 69.6
Miles to Katahdin: 2115.7