Guess we officially became section hikers of the Appalachian Trail this year, picking up where we left off from last year. We parked at Unicoi Gap and Wes, an AT shuttle, took us to Woody Gap. Although we arrived at Woody Gap around 2:00, we made a push for Blood Mountain.
IT WAS WORTH IT!
2:00 till 6:30 = 8 miles
(nothing like a thru hiker, but I thought we did pretty well)
Blood Mountain. 4458 feet of elevation.
Highest peak on the Ga section of the Appalachian Trail.
(not sure how I'll feel when we get into the Smokies with Clingman's dome at 6,643 ft...ouch!)
Night #1 Blood Mountain Shelter
Dinner on Blood Mountain.
Foggy morning for coffee on top of the world!
Grits
Balancing Rock.
Hikers' boots at Walasi-yi.
Walasi-yi at Neels Gap, now known as Mountain Crossings Outfitters,
was built by loggers and then redone by the CCC.
It is the ONLY spot the AT goes through a man-made structure!
Mountain Crossings at Walasi-yi.
Jason giving pointers on fitting a pack.
24 POUNDS!!!! I'm rocking it!
(Last year I weighed much more... learning curve is great!)
And yes, I had to upgrade my pack!
Out with my Lowe Alpine pack from the year 2000
and in with the new, Granite Gear.
Apparently we are addicted to coffee,
to the point that Cory even packed the yeti.
(Weight luxury that he said he won't do again)
Low Gap shelter....beautiful!
Night #2 Low Gap Shelter
Although we got a late start this morning and hung out at Neels Gap
for a bit, we still did 13 miles today.
Loving the sawyer filter!
The 5 mile logging road between Low Gap shelter and Tesnatee Gap
might be the prettiest hike I've done, yet.
Why does my husband decide to practice his photography skills
while I adjust my headband and eat deer jerky?
Hanging bear bag for the night.
Blue Mountain Shelter was packed!! Moved on and camped beside the trail
at an old campsite. Only had 8 miles to do today or we'd get to the car a day early.
2 miles to the parking lot in the morning.
At this rate we'll be in our 70's when we finish the entire 2189 miles.
We better go more often, stay longer and pick up the pace.... SEE YA IN THE WOODS!
The kiddos met us part way down the driveway
and insisted on riding with us to the carport, 600ft....
WELCOME HOME!!
(SURE MISSED THESE GUYS!)
{NOTES TO SELF}
PLAN MORE MILES NEXT TRIP!
DON'T UNDERESTIMATE OUR MILEAGE. WE COULD HAVE DONE WAY MORE !
Food: 2 packets of grits/oatmeal per person was plenty.
3/4 gallon ziplock of deer jerky lasted.
Tortilla wraps did well but became somewhat mashed by day 3. Cory doesn't need more than 2 coffees a day.
One full canister of fuel lasted the entire trip. Get a second smart water bottle.
CLOTHES: temperatures recorded for Suches were day 70's, night 50's.
Quick dry pants, short sleeves in day and lightweight long sleeves in morning. (Although we should always have down jackets) Minimal clothes in sleeping bags unless bags change by next year. No base layers needed. Wish I had extra shirt to change into from day to day due to the sweat.
Check tent footprint and camera strap.
Wes, the shuttle guy, on time and very reliable but Jason at Mountain Crossings will shuttle some too. Hiker Hostel only shuttles if staying there. (Do want to stay there again sometime... What an awesome place with awesome folks) when planning Ron's shuttle was very helpful... I was just too late calling him.
Might take a small paperback next year. There is only so much of the trail
guide I can read at night to help settle down.
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