Date: 2014-04-08
From: Woody Gap

To: Bull Gap
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: broken clouds

AT day 3- it was a great day!This morning we called a cab from the hotel to get us back to Woody Gap. While we ate breakfast (a fantastic continental included with our stay) and waited in the lobby we met many other hikers who had done the same thing as us. It made me feel a little better that we weren't the only ones who wimped out and sought refuge on day two!When we got out of the cab in the same parking lot we got picked up yesterday, the wind nearly knocked us back down the mountain! It had been cold at the hotel, but up here it was blustery to say the least. So everyone started putting on layers to prepare for our climb to Blood Mountain, the highest point on the Georgia section of the AT. We decided to take the climbs "low and slow" as we knew there were going to be quite a few today. Our legs are still adjusting to walking with the extra weight of packs and steep inclines. Sometimes I have to remind myself hiking isn't a race and it doesn't matter who gets to the top first. Competitive by nature as most of are, that's a hard thing to do sometimes. But it was a good plan that worked! We reached the top and were treated to beautiful views!Along the way we met a man who is trying to be the first man from his country to successfully thru hike the AT. He was an inspiration as he had just turned 58 the day he started and was using a golf club turned upside down as his trekking pole. He is using the same pack as me and I noticed it didn't seem to be fit right for him. Jon and I showed him how to adjust his straps so he had weight on his hips rather than his shoulders to which he was grateful. I think we've made a friend!Going down Blood Mountain was a whole different story! It was really rocky as in large slabs of rock and lots of mud from the rain. We all decided going down was harder that going up! But at the end was Neels Gap! A definite milestone for thru hikers because so many get off the trail here. We went into the Outfitters that's located on the trail to get a few snacks to get us through the next three days and off we went. We decided to stay at a campsite up on the mountain and were so happy we did! We ended up meeting two people who are hiking to NC, a group of students and staff members who are doing the AT as their final practicum before graduating from their program and a trio of guys known affectionately as "the Osprey Boys" because they all use Osprey packs (the same as Jon). Jon had built a fire and it became the gathering spot. We had great conversation with everyone! And we found out all twenty of them had done the same thing as us yesterday, opting to stay indoors after hiking in the rain! Maybe we aren't so wimpy after all!Of course when chatting with other hikers, the big topic of conversation is who has trail names and why. Kent and I don't officially have one. We toyed with calling Kent, Papa Smurf because he's already a Papa and he wears a lot of blue in addition to his blue pack and pack cover. Not sure if that will stick though. The boys have been calling me "Optimist Prime" because I try to have a good outlook on things and generally succeed. At first I thought people would assume I'm a huge Transformers fan if I had that name. But it was decided last night, around the campfire, that it worked because of the spinal chord stimulator installed in my spine. I'm kind of like a transformer so it almost works!   Overall, it was a great day! Hoping for more of those as we continue. Thanks again for all your comments! You have no idea how much they mean to us.