Date: 2009-04-26
From: BLOOD MOUNTAIN SHELTER

To: LOW GAP SHELTER
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: clear sky

BLOOD MOUNTAIN I COULDN'T SLEEP AND SO I LEFT EARLY. HOW EARLY. I BROKE CAMP AT FOUR AM AND I STARTED DOWN BLOOD MOUNTAIN UNDER HEADLAMP. I HAD TO GO SLOW AS TO NOT WALK OFF THE TRAIL AND NOT FALL DOWN ON THESE ROCKS. AT ONE POINT I ALMOST DID JUST THAT. KEEPING A BLAZE NOT TOO FAR FROM ME I HAD TO BACK TRACK A FEW TIMES. I THOUGHT THERE WAS A RESTAURANT OR SOME SORT OF LITTLE TOWN AT NEAL'S GAP BUT I WAS CERTAINLY SURPRISED TO FIND THAT WASN'T THE CASE. I GOT TO NEAL'S GAP AT 6 AM ONLY TO FIND OUT, ITS CLOSED. ITS STILL DARK OUTSIDE. I HUNG OUT OUT FRONT FOR A LITTLE WHILE BUT NOT WANTING TO WAIT FOR IT TO OPEN, I DECIDED TO JUST PUSH ON. I START TO HIKE ON BETWEEN THE HOSTEL AND THE OUTFITTER AND I SPOT AN ENTRANCE TO THE POP MACHINE. I VIEWED IT THRU A WINDOW. A MOVIE THEATER TYPE ROPE BLOCKS OFF THE ENTRANCE BUT WASN'T BLOCKING IT OFF AT THIS TIME. IT ALSO LED TO THE SHOWER AND LAUNDRY FACILITIES. I WAS LUCKY TO FIND THEM. I DECIDED THEN TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A HOT SHOWER. THE POP MACHINE ACCESS WAS GREAT. I DRANK THREE COLD SODAS. I COULD OF DONE SOME LAUNDRY BUT NOT KNOWING WHETHER OR NOT I WAS DOING SOMETHING WRONG OR NOT I NEEDED TO MOVE ON. SO I ATE SOME FOOD AND OFF I WENT HIKING. I HANG OUT JUST OUTSIDE AND ON A PICNIC TABLE AS THE SUN COMES OUT AND WITH THE SKY TURNING BLUE THE DAY BEGINS WITH BEAR WARNINGS. DO NOT STAY AT THE NEXT SHELTER IT IS CLOSED. IVE BEEN KEEPING THREE LITERS OF WATER EVERY CHANCE I GET. I'M HIKING BY SOME GREAT CAMPSITES AND THE WEATHER COULDN'T BE ANY BETTER. THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF SQUIRRELS AND I SPOT AN OWL. I STALK IT FOR A PICTURE, BUT IT KEPT FLYING OFF. THROUGHOUT THE DAY I WOULD START SEEING MY NEW HIKER BUDDIES. DURING THE EARLY MORNING AND AFTERNOON. THEY WOULD COME UP FROM NEALS GAP, AND FROM BLOOD MOUNTAIN. FIRST IT WAS ICEMAN AND THEN IT WAS TARZAN. THEY BOTH STAYED AT THE NEELS GAP HOSTEL THE NIGHT BEFORE. I THINK THEY WERE SURPRISED I WAS IN FRONT OF THEM AT THAT POINT. THROUGHOUT THE DAY ROCKY AND SIMBA PASSED ME BY. WE ALL MANAGED TO GET TO LOW GAP SHELTER WHERE I MET UP WITH THEM LATER IN THE DAY. ROCKY HAD A NICE CAMPSITE AND I NOTICE SIMBA WAS A A REALLY NICE ONE AS WELL. HE WAS MAKING DINNER AND I WENT DOWN TO CHAT WITH HIM. I TOLD HIM TO ENJOY HIS DINNER AND HAVE A WONDERFUL EVENING. TARZAN WAS USING HIS HAMMOCK. ICEMAN WAS STAYING IN THE SHELTER. CHANDLER AND CATTYWAMPUS ARRIVED LATER IN THE DAY. THEY ARE BOTH SLEEPING IN THE SHELTER AS WELL. THERE WAS A FEW OLD GUYS HERE AT THE SHELTER WHEN I ARRIVED. ONE WAS A OLD GUY WEARING A TIE DYED BANDANA SITTING AT A TABLE NEXT TO THE SHELTER. I CHAT WITH HIM FOR A FEW MINUTES. I TELL HIM I MET SOME REALLY NICE PEOPLE SO FAR AND HE TOLD ME YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING YET. LATER THAT NIGHT CHANDLER INVITES SIMBA AND I TO TAKE A WALK DOWN A SIDE TRAIL. I CHAT WITH BOTH OF THEM. THEY ARE REALLY NICE AND I FEEL WELCOME AMOUNST THE GROUP. I ASK THEM IF THEY HAVE HAD FOOT PROBLEMS SO FAR. BOTH MY FEET NOW HAVE SOME PROBLEMS. DEEP BLISTERS ON THE CENTERS OF BOTH FEET. I HAD SOME GEL TYPE INSOLES THAT I HAD I GOT FOR A GIFT AND NEVER USED. I THOUGHT THEY COULD COME IN HANDY ON THIS TRIP. FIRST I INSTALLED ONE IN MY RIGHT SHOE, THE ONE FOOT I OPERATED ON. FEELING COMFORTABLE WEARING IT, I STUCK ONE IN MY LEFT SHOE LATER IN THE DAY. IT ALSO HELPED LIGHTEN THE LOAD. BY THE TIME I GOT TO LOW GAP SHELTER I HAD FLIPPED MY INSOLES BACKWARDS ON MY RIGHT FOOT. FIRST I INSTALLED ONE BACKWARDS IN MY RIGHT SHOE, THEN THE ONE IN MY LEFT SHOE. I FLIPPED THEM BACKWARD WITH THE HEAL TO THE FRONT AFTER NOTICING THAT'S WHERE MY PRESSURE POINTS WERE AND THE HEAL ON THE INSOLES WERE MUCH THICKER. I'M JUST ADAPTING TO MY SITUATION. I'M ENJOYING A RELAXING EVENING HERE WITH A GROUP WHO I FEEL COMFORTABLE HANGING OUT WITH. THIS WAS A NICE PLACE. I WOULD REMIND THEM THAT WE HAVE DONE OUR FIRST 5O MILES IF YOU STARTED UP THE APPROACH TRAIL. SIMBA AND I LOOK AT EACH OTHER. WE KNOW WE MAY HAVE BEEN THE ONLY TWO TO HIKE UP THE APPROACH TRAIL GIVING US A TOTAL OF 50.3 MILES. MY PROCESSED CHEESE WHIZ BOTTLE HAD LOST ITS TOP AND I WOULD FIND CHEESE WHIZ ALL OVER THE INSIDE OF MY FOOD BAG. WHY DID I THINK THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA BRINGING THAT ALONG. HOW CHEESY. I ASKED THE OLD GUY WITH THE TIEDIED BANDANA IF I COULD HAVE A FIRE BY MY TENT AND HE SAID I SHOULD DO IT BY THE SHELTER IN THE PIT. I ENDED UP NOT HAVING A FIRE. I JUST SPENT MY TIME SITTING ON THE GROUND BY MY TENT UNTIL THE MULTI LEGGED COLORED BEETLES CAME OUT AT DARK AGAIN. THEY STARTED CRAWLING ALL AROUND ME. I WOULD EVENTUALLY TURN IN FOR THE NIGHT.