Date: 2017-04-04
From: Mountain Crossing at Neel Gap

To: Hogpen Gap
Miles today: 7.8

Day 7 on the Appalachian TrailApril 4Miles Today: 7.8Total Miles: 39.2Today was another good day. I got to sleep in to about 8am. I knew my package wouldn't be showing up until at least 10am so there was no rush to get up this morning. My tent did extremely well in the storm last night. I was very impressed to see that there was no water inside when I woke up. The winds were so strong that I thought the rain would've been able to sneak inside. So far, I couldn't be any happier with the Nemo 1p Hornet. If it wasn't so great, I don't think I would've been willing to send me hammock system home. Other than the late start, the morning ritual remained the same. My gear was broken down quickly and I found myself patiently sitting around until 10am. I walked the half mile down to Neel Gap and asked if they had my package yet. I was surprised to hear that it had actually showed up just before they closed last night... lucky me, stood around from 11-5pm and it showed up just after I left. Go figure. Oh well, no harm done. Once I got it, I was on my way back to where I had left my gear. When I got back, Dad was just leaving. We headed up the trail and away from Neel Gap. I was ecstatic to be moving along on the trail again and getting away from Neel's. A short while in, I got a text from Joe saying he had a reservation at the Budget Inn in Hiawasee on the 6th and that my dad and I were welcome to join if we arrived in time. Something to think about tomorrow for sure but I'm not sure we will be there in time. Cutting back the miles to below 10 for a while seems like a good idea to remain healthy. After responding to Joe we climbed up over Levelland Mountain, Wolf Laurel Mountain, and Cowrock Mountain. All were fairly easy climbs that were about 500ft in elevation. Pretty simple hiking today. At the bottom of Cowrock mountain I came across my first bit of real trail magic. Two men had set up tables with all sorts of snacks and cold soda's in a cooler. I helped myself to a Coke and had it down seconds later. It was a hot day with the sun beating down on me for all of it given the late start. That Coke hit the spot. They left shortly after and maybe 25 minutes later two guys my age pulled up in their truck and instantly asked, "who wants a beer." Of course I said yes and was handed and ice cold PBR. It was the most delicious thing I tasted all day. We stood around in the parking lot and chatted with the other thru-hikers there. One of the trail angels who gave me the beer thru-hiked last year. His name was Fried Chicken. Shortly after, my dad came down the mountain and they asked him if he'd like one too. He accepted as well and enjoyed his PBR just as I did. After our beers we headed up the last climb for the day up out of Hogpen Gap. We travelled a bit further and my dad found a good place to set up his hammock. I continued on about another 10th of a mile to find a good spot for my tent. I had everything set up for the night within 20 minutes of getting to my spot then had dinner. Grilled chicken in a tomato wrap with mayo, mustard and hot sauce. After dinner, I walked back up to my dads camp spot with 2 High Life 16oz cans I've been carrying since our stay at the Blood Cabins (originally it was 3 but I drank one earlier) and asked if he'd want one with dinner. We proceeded to sit on the nearest log and finish both while chatting for a while. After the beer I walked back down to my tent and prepared for bed. It's now 8:15 and just getting dark. Hoping for good weather through the night as we're supposed to get some more storms tomorrow and Thursday. Will definitely be trying to get up and having my stuff down and packed before the rain begins.