Date: 2018-03-14
From: Lance Creek

To: NeelÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: few clouds

Blood MountainI tried to pack up early in order to cross cantankerous Blood Mountain and to make it to the famous Mountain Crossings Outfitters at Neel¢s Gap on the other side. The trail actually goes through the historic building. I plan on quitting my hike there.  Neel¢s Gap was my minimum goal. If My body decided I could go further, my plan was to go to the North Carolina border. From there, Fontana Dam, The Smokey¢s, etc., etc.. But it feels like my body and mind is telling me it¢s time to go home. And I miss Sugar Bear something fierce.My brother sent me some information on Blood Mountain:There are various theories on the origin of the mountain's name. Some believe that the name of the mountain comes from a bloody battle between the Cherokee and Creek Indians. Some people believe that it got its name from the reddish color of the lichen and Catawba growing near the summit.The mountain drew media attention in January 2008 when 24-year-old hiker Meredith Emerson went missing from a nearby trail. Her body was later recovered some distance away. Authorities arrested Gary Hilton on charges of murdering Emerson. On January 31, Hilton pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.The ascent up Blood Mountain is ridiculous. I lost count of the false summits. You see one summit and think you are finally there, then you¢d see another summit way way up yonder and wonder how in the heck you are supposed to make it there in days, let alone in hours. Disappointment struck again and again until the very end of the climb.  My pace slowed to heel-to-toe intervals. My body ached. My blisters on fire. I can¢t count how many times I cursed my Lord for making such a foolish brain.Mentally, I was in agony. A couple times I felt like collapsing right there in the bitter cold and driving wind, and wondered if I¢d make it out of there alive. The Appalachian Trail is no joke for the unprepared.God sent experienced hikers to pass me at just the right times with encouraging words.  During much of the ascent, an older rugged hiker was just out of sight before me. Sometimes I would catch a glimpse of him sitting on a rock or a log above me as if he were waiting for me to follow. When I¢d see him, he¢d get up and climb the trail out of site again. A couple times we actually sat together in near silence. Then he¢d get up again and say, I¢ll see you at the top.I¢m not a very religious man but I¢m a believer in something that resembles Christianity, In fact, I do consider myself a Christian. But I don¢t always agree with the way it is presented.However, I couldn¢t help but to draw the comparison of my interpretation of Christ. It¢s not always easy to follow Him, but he¢ll always wait to lead you up the right path. And that is the path that leads to Glory. That¢s just the way my logic works.That older fellow was camped near my tent in the wilderness amongst the ¢heathen¢ back at Lang Creek the previous night. He never said a word and kept to himself the whole time, but there was something comforting about his presence. It is fitting that we summited a mountain called Blood together. In fact, we barely spoke once up top with the most breathtaking views I could have imagined before us.If you squinted really hard, you could see the Atlanta skyline in the farthest distance. Surprisingly, Atlanta is the highest major city in the east.  My Jesus, standing on a rock before me, whipped out a cell phone, took a photo, and called someone, presumably his wife or a friend. I heard him speak in a New England accent about Blood Mountain being the most difficult climb he has ever hiked. Then he donned his old pack and disappeared into a thicket of Catawba. The descent of Blood mountain was nearly as hard as the ascent. I almost lost the trail through huge piles of boulders. I¢d eventually find a white blaze painted on a rock that kept me traveling in the right direction. Near the bottom I passed by Balancing Rock, and finally rolled into Neel¢s Gap and Mountain Crossings where I told Groot that I was quitting.  I travelled one mile per hour on this day and was entirely spent.I called a ride to Misty Mountain Cabins planning to take a zero day, and then on to Blairsville where I can rent a car tomorrow and head home. I forgot to throw my boots up into the quitting tree at Neel¢s Gap though.