Date: 2004-04-18
From: Slope of Blood Mountain, Georgia

To: Change in Plans
Miles today: 3.0

I slept a little during the night, but nowhere near enough. While organizing my backpack before leaving camp, an idea popped into my head. Rather than using bandanas to protect myself from the sun, I could use my umbrella. It is an inexpensive model with the wooden handle removed to save on weight. It is colored gray, much like the trunks of trees, so it blends in with the surroundings.My concern about sunburn is justified. The back of my neck, my arms, and especially my wrists, are burned. If those parts of my body receive a prolonged exposure to the sun, I will be in trouble. Hopefully, this problem will go away when the leaves appear on the trees, enabling me to hike in the shade. To my surprise, I ascended the remainder of Blood Mountain with little difficulty. It is amazing how quickly a body can recover itself with several hours of rest, even if the rest is devoid of adequate sleep. I realize, however, that continuous sleep deprivation will take a toll.I must get some decent sleep.There are some great views on the summit of Blood Mountain. While I was taking some photos, Dave showed up. He was full of vigor, unlike his pained condition yesterday afternoon. We chatted for a while and then he moved on. I lingered a while longer on the summit, where I took some photos. The descent of Blood Mountain is a tricky one, with steep inclines, rocky footing, and sharp turns in the trail. It has a reputation for blowing out the knees of hikers.I descended it while holding the umbrella for protection from the sun. In a sense, the descent was like a choreographed dance routine. I stepped from rock to another, zigging and zagging from one direction to another. With each change in direction, I would shift the position of the umbrella to ensure that it remained between me and the sun.After concluding my descent, the trail led me to Neels Gap, where I crossed US Highway 19 and entered the property of the Walasi-Yi Center, a roadside establishment catering to motorists and hikers. Outside the Center, several hikers were hanging out, including Olivia {from that first night} and Dave. There was a middle aged woman sitting at a picnic table with two teenage girls. On the table were hiking provisions. I exchanged greetings with them. The woman was the mother of one of the girls, whose names were Dorothy and Libby. The girls were attempting a thru hike {having already hiked a few days}. Here, they were deciding the locations along the trail where the mother would mail to them food provisions from back home in Colorado. Today, the mother would be saying her final goodbyes to them.   Here at Neels Gap, my plan was to purchase some food, pick up a mail drop which contained an ATM card, and resume the hike. I checked the mail bin for hikers located inside the center. To my dismay, the ATM card had not arrived. And today is Sunday, so the Post Office is closed.Chris and John showed up. As it turned out, John decided to hike out in spite of his blisters. Both of them intend to shed several pounds of hiking gear during a respite at Neels Gap.Dave pushed on, but everyone else from that first night¢me, Chris, John, and Olivia¢elected to spend the night in a hostel located at the Center. Tomorrow, I will wait for the mail delivery, get my ATM card, and resume hiking.I spent the afternoon catching up on my journal, stocking up on food for the next leg of hiking, taking a shower¢that felt great!¢and doing laundry. In the evening, the guests of the hostel took a van ride into Blairsville for supper at a buffet type of restaurant. Most of us sat at a long table. Among the group was Joe Piss Cutter, who had arrived during the afternoon, and some other hikers.After supper, we returned to Neels Gap and went to sleep in a crowded, windowless, bunk room in the hostel. A vent in the wall whined in a constant background noise. Some people did not like the sound of it. For me, the noise was a good thing because it would lessen the sounds of snoring. This unintended layover has enabled me to meet new hikers and become better acquainted with those people I have already met. It is also giving my body a needed rest. I have hiked 30.7 miles from Springer Mountain. This distance merely scratches the surface of the 2,147 mile long Appalachian Trail. But I have been told that Neels Gap is where many aspiring thru hikers decide to leave the trail for good. I am grateful to have finished this initial phase with my resolve intact.