Date: 2017-03-01
From: Woody Gap stealth site

To: Neel Gap, GA
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

3/1/17 Blood Mt Cabins, Neel Gap, GAMiles Hiked: 31.4 Miles to go: 2158.4Another good day on the trail, after a miserable night. It poured all night. I stayed relatively dry; however, everything was damp. Even worse, my air mattress has sprung a leak! So, I ended up on the hard ground in a damp tent. A long night to say the least. Antman and I woke up to rain. So, we quickly packed up and headed out. Rumor on the trail was that strong thunderstorms were on the way today. So, I called Marguerite and asked her to call Blood Mt Cabins when they opened and make a reservation for tonight. Luckily, the rains let up; however, the fog and blustery winds continued. I know I have complained a lot about the rain; however, I do realize that we need the rain to fill the streams and springs. Today, we climbed over our first 4000 footer. Blood Mountain, 4457 ft, was a brutal climb. I understand it takes about 3 weeks to get your hiker legs. I guess it doesn't happen magically. It's crossing mountains like Blood Mt that does it. You know what they say - "No rain, no pain, no Maine."Blood Mt wasn't as steep as yesterday's Sassafras Mt, but it went on forever! I climbed it with a young woman named Courtney. Even though we didn't talk all the way up the mountain, it was nice to climb it with someone else. A funny thing about hiking is you feel like you are the only person out there; but, in reality, you have people all around you. Throughout the day, you pass people and people pass you. Blood Mt is known for its incredible views. Didn't see 'em! At the top - nothing but clouds. And a Chinese hiking group getting ready to have a picnic. I briefly considered trying out my Yogiing skills (as the name implies, that's when a thru hiker engages a picnicer in conversation in hopes they will offer you food); but, I wasn't really hungry and I wanted to get off the mountain before the skies opened up. Where the ascent of Blood Mt was fairly brutal, the descent was treacherous. The pathway is so overused that it has been eroded down to the bedrock in places (anyone who has hiked Dolly Sods Wilderness in WV understands what I mean). As a result, the wet rocks were slick. I had a couple scary slips, but managed not to fall. As I got down lower on Blood Mt, I came out of the clouds, the wind calmed down and the trail calmed down. The walk into Neel Gap was actually quite serene and pleasant. Neel Gap is the first major road crossing northbounders (NOBOs) reach. It is also where Mountain Crossings, which is a cool outdoor store, and Blood Mountain Cabins are located. When I arrived at Mountain Crossings, Courtney, who had left me behind on the descent of Blood Mt, and Alexa (remember her? She left me behind climbing a mountain yesterday.) were on the porch talking to Antman. So, we invited them to join us at the cabin. Blood Mountain Cabins are great! I highly recommend them to anyone coming this way. Laundry is included in the cost of the cabin. We all spread out our wet gear to dry and collected up our clothes to be laundered, took showers, and worked on repairing gear. The cabin looks like an REI store exploded. Around 5:30 pm the Heavens literally ripped open. Thunder, lightning, high winds, pelting rain. We were all sitting in a warm, dry cabin thanking my dear wife, Marguerite, for making arrangements for us so we weren't stuck out in the maelstrom. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Mr Mule, a hiker I had met a couple days ago, was standing on the porch looking like a drowned rat. He asked, "Is there room on your floor for a tired hiker?" He went on to tell us he had taken a nasty fall coming down Blood Mt (in fact, after getting bloodied on Blood Mt, we convinced him to change his trail name to Blood Mountain). Of course, we couldn't turn him away! So, here we all are sitting around laughing and joking like old friends. Tomorrow it's supposed to be sunny! I expect another good day.By the way, thanks to everyone who has posted to my guestbook. I have not been able to respond to everyone due to limited battery life on my phone. But, know that I have read and appreciated every comment. They really make my day.