February 28, 2018
Destination: Neel’s Gap
Today’s Miles: 15.40
Start Location: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Trip Miles: 31.10
Let me first just say that snoring happens. People get congested, have sleep apnea – it happens and it’s ok. I’ve done it. I’ve driven my wife crazy when my nose was congested. Snoring – let’s just say it’s a thing.
Last night we all had fun chatting at Gooch Mountain Shelter. That said, everyone was constantly going back to their packs, removing things, re-organizing, and going back again for things they forgot. It was awesome! All of us a bunch of thru-hiking noobs having fun trying to get our systems and routines down. The shelter was jam packed, so all of our sleeping pads and bags were side by side on both levels of the shelter, AND we had a lady at the bottom sleeping perpendicular at our feet. As the cherry on top, one girl slept on top of the picnic table under the shelter. Like I said, it was awesome! I have never slept in a shelter before, always opting to tent on past trips. The idea of sleeping next to people while mice hop around and insects enjoy my flesh has kept me from doing it. So why were we all jammed in there you may wonder? Rain. It was set to rain all day on the 28th, starting about 3am. Breaking down tents in the rain gets everything wet, and then it stays wet in your pack, and if it does that long enough interesting science experiments begin to conduct themselves. So, we all jammed in so that getting out into the rain the next morning would be that much easier :-).
Do you like symphonies? I know I do! However, last night the symphony played on and on and on through the night. Actually, it was a cacophony. A nasal, esophageal cacophony that amazed and intrigued us listeners with its seemingly orchestrated melodies, rising and falling, sometimes synchronous and other times complimentary, pulling at the heart strings in that special kind of way where you just sort of want to die. Yep, I’m talking about snoring. Imagine it as an art form or an Olympic sport. These guys would have taken gold like candy from a baby. I mentioned there were two levels to the shelter. Up top, no snoring. Down below, four baritone bellowers with a fifth “little whistler” buried somewhere sporadically. I never did figure out if that was a separate person or just one person, composing a snore to put Mozart to shame. Anyway, I was sandwiched directly between two. These guys also had a fair bit of size on me. Keep in mind I’m 5’8” and 155lbs, so not taking up a big footprint at the shelter. I brought earplugs, and I put them in and then wore my buff over my ears. It was still deafening. I tried slyly elbowing the two next to me. Nothing! They just changed beats a little and kept right on going. And then the rolling started. One guy rolled over so he was sort of on my arm. I thrashed until he rolled back (still snoring). Then the other one started rolling on me too. Meanwhile, I’m laying straight as an arrow on my back Teton not to move and listening to it all unfold. I was really impressed. I told myself: “it is what it is, people snore. You snore sometimes. Not now, but you’ve done it. You’re no saint. When it’s your time to sleep, your higher power will let you drift into the darkness.” And I guess that’s what happened. Pretty sure I only got 2-3 hrs. That said, that’s trail life! Full of sights, sounds, and smells! Honestly, I was just so happy to be dry and with good people that I really didn’t care. Interspersed with the snores were the lovely back and forth cries of two owls. The moon was so bright it felt like the nightlight of the universe was on, casting it’s magical glow across the forest.
We got up around the same time, by necessity. It was early enough. We joked a little about the snores, and one of the guys named Jody who was in the shelter that night showed us his hat full of holes. The shelter mice decided it looked like good nesting material! Note to self – watch out for your space cat hat! The shelter there was very nice. It had a privy and bear boxes so I didn’t have to hang my food bag.
Bear Meat and his wife Cassandra headed out while I prepped a breakfast of two packets of brown sugar oatmeal and some instant coffee. Shortly after that I headed out alone. I was targeting Blood Mountain as my destination, but Bear Meat made a persuasive comment in the morning: “if I’m going to get soaked all day, why not walk a few more miles and have a bunk and hot shower at the end.” This would become a no brained for me in about two hours, but at the time I just thought, “I’ll see how I feel.”
How I felt was DRENCHED! The rain picked up pace throughout the day. When I got to Woody Gap I didn’t even have clear visibility across the road there. Prior to that I hadn’t seen a soul except one day hiker. He was an older gentleman in a poncho and had a daily routine of walking from Woody Gap to Gooch Gap and back. Between the two gaps I did see a nice sized pile of bear scat in the middle of the trail. It was full of seeds. Fortunately it did not contain hiker bits.
At Woody Gap I entered the Blood Mountain wilderness. I have hiked this section before, but not in this kind of weather. Blood Mountain elevation is 4,457ft, so it can be very windy at the top. By the time I got to Woody Gap I was already pretty wet. Here’s the thing – I have rain pants and a rain jacket, but anything breathable can only take so much before water starts to find its way in. It still keeps some of you dry, but you do and will still get wet in all sorts of places. What the rain gear does though is adds a nice layer of insulation, especially on a day like today when it was chilly out and the wind was blowing. If I stood still, I was cold and wet, which is not good. That’s a recipe for hypothermia, which can actually occur at temperatures in the 50s – much higher than one might expect. But if I hiked at a brisk pace, with my one smart wool base layer and pants under the rain gear, I could actually keep my body at a comfortable hiking temperature, which is great because often rain gear makes one too hot, and therefore one might get drenched with sweat instead of rain. Anyway, I was wet but ok as long as I kept moving. So I did. I needed a little motivation as the ascent got steeper, so I sang some songs out loud. First it was “New York State Of Mind,” by Billy Joel. Then Ryan Bingham’s “Weary Kind,” a very fitting song for that day. Then “Clocks” by Coldplay. Then it was too steep and difficult to do anything but breathe.
All the views off of Blood Mountain were completely whited out. I made it to the shelter where I expected to see some people from camp. No one. I left an entry in the shelter log book, then decided it was time to reward myself. At the summit it was cold, so I had to act fast. I took my “sharing size” (ha!) peanut m&ms and devoured them all in about 30 seconds. I dropped one in the mud. Yep, I picked it out and ate it anyway. Then I started the difficult descent towards Neel’s Gap. There is an outfitter and bunkhouse at Neel’s Gap called Mountain Crossings. I knew they had a bunk and a hot shower there for $20. Even before I got to Blood Mountain, this was a no brainer. That Bear Meat is smart! Better to stay at a bunkhouse on rainy day than a clear one when you want to be under the stars!
The descent down the back of Blood Mountain was technical. First you have to pass over a few balds. The wind was nasty and almost blew off my pack cover (that wasn’t keeping my pack dry, but maybe “drier”). I tried to do a sort of short cadence hustle over the balds. Then the descent became more technical, with step-downs over multiple boulders in the middle of flowing water. The trail had become a kind of shallow stream down the mountain. Now, I’m trying to practice good leave-no-trace principles. This means that you walk in the trail only, regardless of its condition. So I just walked through the river of water. It didn’t really matter anyway as my feet were soaked before I even got to Woody Gap.
After a while, I passed a man with a dog. I felt bad for the dog. He was all wet and I wondered if his paws were cold. He looked hardy though so I’m guessing he was well used to that kind of thing, or suited for it by breed. The terrain started to improve and the rocks became sparser. I scampered a bit faster and started to hear cars. Eureka! I was close to Neel’s Gap. I ran across the road to their shop and got myself sorted with a bunk. It’s really a cool store – I highly recommend stopping by if you’re in the area. They are known on the trail for doing pack shakedowns. They look through your pack and tell you what you do/don’t need based on their experience. I may do that tomorrow, depending on when they open back up and on when I’m ready to leave. The little hostel there is lovely! Reminds me of hostels I’ve stayed at traveling. I took an AMAZING hot shower! I have to say that after only 3 days I had developed quite the hiker funk stench. Even after the shower I still had some smell…. but I felt great! Amazingly, I had no blisters. I sorted out my wet gear and tried to spread it around to dry. It won’t be dry by morning, but some of it might be close. It doesn’t really matter as I’m going to get soaked tomorrow too, but it’s kind of nice to at least start dryish.
I went back to the store at Mountain Crossing and bought a frozen pizza. Red Baron. They cooked it for me. I bought 3 things of m&ms for my snack bag and a bag of Doritos. I ate the whole pizza and the Doritos. As I type this, I’m already hungry again, but I’m going to go to bed.
I had fun chatting with the other hikers. Cassandra named another hiker Obiwan. She’s on a roll! I met a hiker named Stephanie from Indianapolis, and another guy called Preacher. Later in the evening a German guy named Mateus arrived – I haven’t chatted with him yet, but might tomorrow. He hiked roughly 20 miles today!
Tomorrow the plan is to get up and hike 11.5 miles to Low Gap Shelter. I think that shelter is small, so it will probably be crowded. For that reason, I am not sure if I’ll hang out to do a pack shakedown. I’m actually really happy with my gear and clothing choices so far. There is nothing that I brought that I’m not purposing. On that note, I wanted to briefly make three gear points:
- Someone asked me what my favorite piece of gear is. For versatility, right now definitely my buff. Keeps me warm but isn’t as heavy as a wool beanie. It fits under my hat. I’ve used it as an oven mitt for my cook pot. I can wipe my face with it. However, while that is my favorite, a less sexy contender is simply my trekking poles. I don’t know how people backpack the AT without them. I can use them to strategically alleviate pressure on my knees and hips. They keep me from falling in the mud. I already taped them together to get my bear bag down. They are an amazing tool!
- Rain pants- a lot of people say don’t bother bringing rain pants. It is true that this piece of gear is often sent home. I say, bring the rain pants, or at least bring them if you’re starting when it is still cold like I have. I would have been very uncomfortable today (and tomorrow!) without them.
- Boots vs trail runners: jury is still out for me. I think I will end up switching to trail runners, but something with a thick sole more like a boot. There is no such thing as a waterproof boot so I won’t even bother with goretex and that stuff. Today’s weather will soak everything. That said, pack weight makes a difference in what you feel through your feet. I can’t imagine hauling my 35lb fully loaded with water pack with very soft trail runner soles. If you’re thinking about this, try the shoes with a pack in a a store like REI, and walk outside and step on some rocks. How does that feel? If it doesn’t feel great, go with a better soul and get whatever will dry out the quickest. That is my plan for when I retread.
On a final note, I looked down today and my legs were covered in bubbles and suds most of the day. I must not have rinsed all of the detergent out of my rain pants when I last washed them! It was the funniest thing. I didn’t get a picture because it was so wet out, but I’m so glad I already have a trail name or I might have ended up getting called “Suds!”
I’m grateful that I was able to experience the weather today and gain some knowledge there. I look forward to the lessons tomorrow will bring. The weekend is supposed to be nice! Looks like Saturday will be a resupply day in Hiawassee, then back on the trail on Sunday.
Thank you all for the great guest book entries!! I caught up on those tonight. Your support means a lot to me! This Hungry Cat is grateful.
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