Date: 2013-04-04
From: Hogpen Gap

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 6.9

I got a trail name today--Blue Tortoise. My hiking speed has made people call me tortoise several times, which I proudly claim, since they always immediately follow that with the reminder that the tortoise wins the race with the hare. And wearing my all blue raingear today earned the moniker Blue Tortoise.Why trail names? some of you are wondering. It is another of the many trail traditions. It is cute, yes, and quirky and whimsical. But it is also practical. How many Jennifers do you suppose are on the trail right now? How many Mikes? And how many Blue Tortoises? Also, we leave so much of our old lives and selves behind to live on the trail, no one judges us based on what car we drive, what we do for a living, or how we look. It's a different world, and sometimes it's nice to have a new identity to go along with that. Today was my best day on the trail yet. Maybe because it was my shortest, but it was just purely awesome! It was bitterly cold, raining, sleeting, with a fierce wind, and hail! Maybe I just liked the novelty! But really, my clothing and gear were appropriate, so I was never really cold, except my hands and face. I had a buff around my neck that I pulled over my mouth and nose at intervals, and it helped. I stopped at the outfitters at Neel's Gap and bought new gloves, so that should solve that problem. When it first started to hail, I was just dumbfounded, that I was out hiking in those conditions. Up on top of today's two mountains, Wildcat Mt, and Levelland Mt. (?) the wind was whipping around fiercely. At one point I literally hugged a tree to keep from being blown away! I posted some pictures, which don't do the day justice, but the one of the white blaze painted on the rock? That was amazing. It was a broad smooth rock face, completely unprotected from the gusting wind, with ice everywhere, and a sheer, steep drop off the mountain, just to the left of the photo. I apologize for being a poor photographer. Maybe I will get better. I know these conditions are not much compared to what the hikers who started in March have had to deal with, including hiking through a foot of snow in the Smokies, with waist high drifts, but it was a new experience for me, and it sounds pretty impressive, doesn't it? So I claim it. As I hiked over Wildcat Mt. I pretended that the hail was just a salute to me from the mountain--"All hail, Blue Tortoise!" It seemed to help. As you can see, I hiked "backward" today, southbound, from Hogpen Gap back to Neel's Gap. This was so that the faster members of my slackpack (Slow and Steady, and Patti) would have a nicer place to wait for me at the end of the day. Neel's Gap has an outfitter with a hostel, computer access, bookstore, food, drinks, etc. Tomorrow we resume our normal northward march, starting from Hogpen Gap. It's a 14 mile day tomorrow, my longest yet. I might die. By the way, hikers who hike south to north, Georgia to Maine, are called nobos, short for northbounders. The few who hike the AT north to south are called sobos. I haven't seen any bears yet, although I am in the middle of bear country. There have been at least 3 different episodes of bears stealing hikers' food bags in the night around here, leaving them shredded. The episode last night, the hikers saw him. He already had several other bags with him, from other campsites. Evidently he makes his rounds. There are ways to hang your food bag to keep them out, I guess these people had hung their bags poorly? I hope that was the case. I thought I saw a bear yesterday, but it was a squirrel. Thanks for all your kind comments, well-wishes, atta-girls, and prayers. I hope to do you proud!