Date: 2010-02-11
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: EconoLodge Motel (Helen, GA)
Miles today: 13.5

That was a rough night. The temperature plummeted, freezing to rock everything in the shelter I thought was safe ¢ my water bottles, my boots, my clothes. Snow flurries blew in while I slept and covered my down sleeping bag, soaking into the goosedown inside and forming a shell of ice on the surface. As a result, my feet went numb. I awoke cold and discouraged. I fumbled with numb hands to gather my gear and apply my moleskin. My boots were too frozen to put on so I screamed at God in the ravine ¢What the hell am I supposed to do??¢ I put on my down booties and started walking.To my surprise, the down booties did an excellent job. By the time I reached the Blue Mountain Shelter, I had marched through 8 miles of snow and ice and my feet felt great. Close to the summit the wind blasted through the trees. It filled the ears like deafening static. ¢C¢mon! C¢mon!¢ I yelled exhilarated by the struggle against the elements. At the summit shelter, I found an old-timer with his dog and Kevin, a young thru-hiker. ¢Fire!¢, I said, seeing the wind ripping smoke out of the fire pit. ¢How¢d you pull that off?¢ Kevin was knelt by the fire. He grinned like it was no big deal. ¢Sticks and fire¢. Then he laughed. ¢Respect¢, I said, I asked for more details. The old-timer had a long beard and a weathered face. He was smoking a Backwoods cigar. As it were, the two were holed up in the shelter because the next peak on the trail, Tray Mountain, was demolished by a terrible ice storm. The trail was impassable, said the old-timer; he had tried. The company was nice, especially by two with more knowledge of mountain survival than I. ¢So where¢d you learn to make a fire in the snow?¢, I asked. Kevin had been a hunting guide in British Columbia for half of the year, for the past six years, and had ¢pulled out bodies¢ from the snow many times. I told him of the previous night¢s problems and asked for advice, ¢The learning curve in the cold is steep, bro¢ he said grinning. He was really impressed by my light pack. ¢Hats off to you, mate. Especially in cold weather.¢I gave Kevin some cheese, warmed my hands up by the fire, and marched on down to Unicoi Gap to hitch into town. Dry gear and a warm motel were in high demand. After a minute of thumbing a black car pulled over. Alex, a gay artist on his way to see his boyfriend, was glad to drive me around town to check various motel prices. He was ¢paying back a favor, or paying it forward, whichever one¢ He said in his hometown, Hayesville, NC, alcohol had just become legal last month. He had been a vocal advocate. His father, a Baptist minister, had led the opposition. I laughed. Alex said goodbye at the EconoLodge, and I fell asleep on my $30/night bed. I woke up, took a shower, called home, and ate some shrimp ramen with tuna and olive oil. Everyone seemed fine at home, like they¢d moved on without me as I¢m accustomed to them doing. When you¢re away, all you can really say is ¢I love you¢ or ¢I miss you¢ but those words don¢t mean much. It still kinda sucks. I thought about that while I ate my ramen. That night I watched a cheesy movie about aliens. I just didn¢t feel like writing.