Date: 2016-01-03
To: First Five Days in Georgia
Miles today: 0.0

So I am back from my five day trip. On Tuesday the 29th I started from Springer at 7am. The day was lovely and mild and I felt so alive. When I got to Gooch Mountain Shelter I met a hiker named Matt who had started his thru-hike the previous Sunday. I decided to press on since the shelter was full and there were more hikers I had passed on their way. I ended up camping at a overlook about 2 miles from Woody Gap. I was trying to pace myself but with my excitement I ended up hiking 20 miles my first day(too far, too fast). I awoke Wednesday morning wide eyed at 7am. "It has stopped raining",I said out loud. I got up and started packing up my gear as fast as I could before the rain started back up. I was just taking down my tent when the rain started. The 2 mile hike to Woody Gap is on the side of a mountain. As I left camp and started hiking the sky grew dark and a hard rain started with lightning striking all around me and above me. There was no were to go but forward. It was a little unnerving. Hiking during a lightning storm checked off. When I got to Woody Gap the lightning had stopped but the rain increased. I ate a breakfast of 2 oatmeal pies, a kit-kat, and a snicker bar under the awning. I was going to seek refuge from the rain in the restrooms but the smell was so bad. I'm just not there yet. Even though it was in the mid 60s the rain and wind was cold and every time I stopped hiking I started to shiver. When I got to the top of Preacher's Rock the rain stopped and the sun came out. This was not to last very long. After about a half hour the fog came in thick and the rain started back up. After a hour it was a steady hard rain. I could hardly hear my headphones over the rain beating against my jacket. The hike up to Blood Mountain was like hiking through a raging downhill stream. I thought lots of happy thoughts during this stage of the hike. " At least I'm not at work...At least I'm not at work...etc.". When I got to Blood Mountain Shelter it was flooded and the ceiling was leaking but at least it was mostly dry. I called down to Mountain Crossings to reserve a bunk at the hostel. "I'm sorry", said the guy at Mountain Crossings " The hostel is closed for renovation." Right about then Matt, the thru-hiker, came into the shelter and I told him the bad news. We both decided to hike down to Neel Gap and try to get into Blairsville to get a room to get out of the rain. We ended up getting rooms at the Seasonal Inn(I highly recommend) and had a warm, dry evening. On Thursday morning I hitched back to Neel Gap. The guy who picked me up was named Jodie and was one of the nicest people I have ever met. He told me how he had died for 21 minutes and had this after life experience. I was blown away by his story and I could tell he was telling the truth. Thanks Jodie! You are good people! Jodie dropped me off at Neel Gap and from there I hiked to Low Gap Shelter. When I arrived I smiled as I saw others that were going to be staying there. It was New Years Eve and I was looking for company and good company I found! There were 5 of us and then Matt(the thru-hiker) and Struggle Bear(his hiking partner) showed up. We all had great conversations and laughs around a warm camp fire. I met this couple section hiking from Atlanta. Spearman and Phoenix were two of the coolest and unique people I have ever met. Hey guys, it was a great New Years Eve! In the morning we all packed up our gear with numb fingers and went our way freezing all the way. The temps had dropped big time. The next two days were cold and it got below freezing both nights. I have to be honest and tell everyone who is starting a upcoming thru-hike(and who are not familiar with the AT) that the trail through Georgia is rough and tough. I am in good shape and I struggled a good bit. I finished at Dicks Creek Gap(the last road before the NC/GA border)having hiked 70 miles in 5 days and my legs were throbbing. The main thing that I learned was to pack more food. All my gear was flawless. Thanks for all the good advice Bamboops(Andrew)!I met and had conversations with a few past thru-hikers along my trip and explained to them what I was doing. All of them said that if they were me they would call the section bagged and start at Dicks Creek Gap in March. They also pointed out that I would be able to move ahead of the "zoo" in Georgia. The section was hard and I worked hard to complete it. In a way I do feel like I own it. I guess the only reason I wouldn't start at Dicks Creek Gap is because I would care what others would think. I wish I didn't care what others thought of me. It would be nice in a way to not have to deal with all the partying that goes on in Georgia in March. I'm asking for others input on this matter if anyone cares to reply. Happy New Year!