Date: 2018-04-23
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 3.6

Got up to another day of rain and COLD.I left from Deep Gap Shelter early like 8AM because I want to stay at TOG hostel another night and hopefully beds will not be filled up because of wet weather. Some of my gears were wet, my pant, coat, socks, almost everything were wet. I just want to take everything to laundry service and get them all cleaned and dried up.So I went back to Top of Georgia Hiking Center again after arrived Dicks Creek Gap. It was still raining as I walk west for .5 miles to the center. I met those people again that I stayed the last time.They QUICKLY focused on my booking. As I said before, they after you for money and business. I was not impressed again.  They even NOT ask me how was my new water filtration pump.  So, I told them I want laundry service too, it was $5. It did not outline weight limitation. I look all over for information but nothing. So I assume its $5 a load. I went out to my room, took all of my dirty and wet clothes and put them in laundry basket. I gave them and they were like, whoa, that is heavy and they even took weight scale and said, that my weight was over 8 pounds and guess what, they want OTHER $5. I was very unhappy about it. The owner seemed did not care, its like too bad its over 8 pounds. He complained that he was losing money. I was like, why losing money on laundry service, would it cost him more if my clothes were heavy? That does NOT make any sense.  Finally the owner decided to get all of my clothes to wash for $5. I told him I was a hostel owner before, and my laundry costs were 1 KG for $1, 2 KG for $2 and 3 KG and up for $3. He was bit surprised I was a hostel owner myself before. Hostel owner came to me in the dormitory area, we talked about hostel business. He expressed his concern about his business and apologized to me about laundry stuff. He did mention that he is thinking of selling the place since he find its hard and with struggle. In my opinion, his hostel is VERY nice, great place and should not be sellable unless someone else want to continue the business. I do feel bad that he was expressing his struggle and trying to earn as much money as he can to keep his business running. Probably that is why he was hoping to collect more money for laundry service.  I pointed that out he should have make a pricing list so that way he won't have problem with hikers like me.Anyway, the clothes were heavy just because some clothes were soaked and wet from rain.  I got my clothes back and it was noticeably lighter than when I gave them.Free shuttle service for hikers to Hiawassee town for resupply was scheduled at 1pm or 4pm. I choose 4pm because I got so many things to arrange with my stuff.  Turned out that I am the only hiker that choose 4pm while everyone else opted for 1pm shuttle.At 4pm I got in town to buy some stuff, including ointment for my feet. My shuttle came at 6:20pm to pick me up to go back to hostel. The driver is cool but not have patience. He ran to store to get coffee from Starbucks counter and we got in van when rain start to pour. When he got back on the road, we ended up behind a slow moving tanker truck uphill while it was rain and it was annoying the shuttle driver. He decided to pass that truck with two yellow lanes on curve and wet road up hill hoping to past tanker truck.It scared me hell because he could've lost traction and become hydroplane but he made it past the tanker and looked me with big smile on his face as if its no biggie.  Yes he scared the hell out of me. HE was lucky, I was the only hiker in the van, because if there were many in the van, some of them would complain. Back to hostel, and still raining.