Date: 2017-03-03
From: Low Gap Shelter, GA

To: Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 9.7

3/3/17 Unicom Gap, GA Miles hiked: 52.6 Miles to go: 2137.2Ok, so it's day six of the thru hike and I am under a roof. Again. Blood Mt and I are sharing a room at the Budget Inn in Hiawassee, GA. Yeah, I know that it was only two days ago that I was in a cabin; but, I have an excuse. Last night was very cold and blustery. Popcorn's digital thermometer said it got down to 27 F. It turns out that my down hiking quilt, which is rated for 20 F, wasn't quite up to the task. Even wearing all my clothes, I was very cold. I lay there shivering all night. See, I prefer a quilt to a sleeping bag because I just can't get comfortable on the ground, so I spin all night like a rotisserie chicken. So, I end up tied up in a sleeping bag. Actually, I prefer a hammock to a tent to get me off the ground; but, a hammock decked out for winter, with a top quilt and an underquilt, and tarp is just more weight than I want to carry. Anyway, after spinning and shivering for several hours, I finally looked at my phone in the hopes that it was almost morning. 11:58 pm!? It was a long night...We awoke to another clear and blustery day. Sunshine and temps in the high 30s. I was planning a longer day because of the way the shelters were spaced out. Courtney, who also had had a cold night, and whose feet were hurting, and who was expecting a package, planned to come to Hiawassee. Blood Mt didn't think he was up to hiking 15 miles and was thinking Hiawassee sounded pretty good. Antman and Alexa had already flown ahead. So, it looked like the end of our little group. Blood Mt and I exchanged contact info as we headed out because I hike at a faster pace than him and planned to go farther on ahead. The section from Low Gap to Unicoi Gap was very nice and I hiked much faster than I expected. At one point I overtook another hiker named Not Fade Away. He asked if he could take my picture because he was taking pictures of the "characters" he met on the trail. I wasn't quite sure I liked the sound of that, so I asked him to snap a picture of me with my phone in hopes of seeing this character he saw. I still don't get it. As you can see, it's just me in a kilt with a ponytail, bushy white beard, and a funny red hat, carrying a hiking staff. Whatever. When I had phone signal at Unicoi Gap, I called Marguerite and told of my night and that I might need to change out my quilt for my warmer sleeping bag, especially since the Smokies, with mountains in excess of 6000 ft, still lay ahead. Since we were heading into the weekend, I didn't think there was any way to get a package to me in Hiawassee before Monday or Tuesday (I sure didn't want to hang out in town a couple days waiting for it) and the next town was a few days away. Marguerite worried about me being cold for several days. So, in typical Marguerite fashion, she sprung into action. She suggested I get a room in Hiawassee and she would Fed Ex it to me overnight. I went ahead and made arrangements at a hiker-friendly motel called the Budget Inn for me and Blood Mt and arranged for the shuttle to pick us up at 3:00 pm and sat down to wait for Blood Mt. When he arrived at Unicoi Gap he was most happy to see me and have a room waiting for him in Hiawassee. The man at the Budget Inn had told us to watch for the blue and white shuttle van. I know what you're thinking - what kind of van would a place like Budget Inn, where the rooms are $45/night, have? And you'd be exactly right. This thing appeared to be held together by rust, duct tape, and bailing wire and was driven by a big friendly, fur cap wearing guy named Buck, an ex-hiker whose trail name is Desert Reprobate. He had just arrived today after driving cross country from California to work as a shuttle driver during the hiker season (I can't make a this stuff up!).During an exciting ride down the mountain, I heard back from Marguerite that Fed-Ex guarantees overnight delivery to anywhere in the world - except Hiawassee, GA. What ensued next was a scramble across Morgantown, WV, as she and her sister Marilyn drove from Fed-Ex to UPS to the post office, where the USPS guaranteed express delivery by 3 pm Sunday. The final plan was that she would ship the package to the Top Of Georgia hiker hostel, which is located right off the AT 19 miles away at Dick's Creek Gap, where I will pick it up Sunday evening. We hope. So, now I am in the Budget Inn in Hiawassee, GA, with Blood Mt snoozing in the next bed over, Courtney next door, Alex, Jerome and Springer next to her, Sleepy Bear and Pudge down the way, and False Summit next to them. Just another day on the AT.