Date: 2009-04-13
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: light rain

Last night, it rained cats and dogs. The rain came down incredibly hard, waking all of us up on several different occasions. When we awoke in the morning, everyone kept saying how there were mice all over the place! JC and Pete both said that they could feel the mice scurrying past them, trying to get into their food bags and packs. We were off walking by 9 am, saying goodbye to our newly found friends. JC and I took times at leading, switching when one of us felt the need for a break to hang back a bit. Early on in the hike, I passed a guy heading in the opposite direction ¢ a guy that seemed completely out of place. I do not like to distinguish people as being of a sort, but this guy definitely had the feel of a hobo ¢ his skin waning from what I surmised to be excessive alcohol consumption, rugged clothing, and nearly no teeth at all. JC passed him as well and thought the exact same thing. I couldn¢t help but think of the woman who was kidnapped and subsequently murdered last year ¢ decapitated by a ruthless wanderer. Once past this guy, I scampered ahead for another mile, where I stopped to wait for JC. So far, my ankle has held up very well (knock on wood). The only problem that I¢ve had ¢ aside from my tired muscles ¢ has been blisters developing on both of my heels. I¢ve put on some Dr. Scholl¢s callous pads and athletic tape, which has somewhat mitigated the problem. Originally, our goal was to make it to Woods Hole Shelter, which would have been an 11.9 mile day. After arriving at the shelter a bit early, we decided to hike on to Blood Mtn. Shelter ¢ a very old shelter at the tom of the mountain peak at 4,450 ft. Blood Mtn. is named after a battle b/t the Creeks and the Cherokee that was so gruesome and took so many lives, that the rivers ran red with blood. Just beneath the shelter is Slaughter Creek, another reference to the battle. We reached BMS, set up camp, ate dinner, and were preparing for bed when we began to read the shelter blog, which is what other hikers use to communicate and share funny stories and words of wisdom for the area. ¢Hikers Beware!!¢ the notebook read. Just a few days earlier, a black bear ripped down the food bags of four others and devoured the food right before their very eyes. Another post said that mice were all over the shelter. Just as I was reading this to JC, a mouse ran right across the stones. JC and I looked at each other in disbelief ¢ mainly for the bear concerns ¢ and quickly agreed that it was best to move on and make it to Wasali-Yi Center for warm showers and hostel-style lodging. It was getting dark and we wanted to make sure that we could make it all the way down to the gap, so we high-tailed it downhill for most of the way. We reached the first paved road we had seen since the beginning of the trail. Crossing the highway and heading over to the Center, we found out that it was closed, but we randomly met a thru-hiker, who turned out to be Blu-Ray, and he told us where the bunks were down below. After hanging out for a bit with the other 14+ hikers of all ages and sizes, I made a call to Aunt Kathy to check in and we headed off to sleep. I asked around and found out that Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Master's - an event that our family has watched every April since birth. I wish that I could have seen it on tv, but the trail is pretty damn sweet as well. In the hostel, I met many people (and some others that I will just list) - Route 66, Bon Bon, Dustin, etc.Frankenfoot - named for his gigantic feet and horribly looking blisters. He is a 27-year-old from a small town in GA w/ a degree in hydrology. Just married last year. Really cool dude. Blu-Ray - nicknamed by Frankenfoot b/c of his initials DVD. Frankie wanted to take him into the 21st Century and Blu-Ray was a good fit. Phoenix (the Inquirer) - this guy is a character and a bit of a mystical figure out on the trail. He asks 1,000 questions to each person and they all make no sense to what anyone is discussing. He named himself The Phoenix, but BluRay and Frankie decided to rename him 'The Inquirer', a good fit, if I may. Wendy - still does not have a trail name. She is a 22-year-old from Maryland, who has worked at Starbucks over the past four years but has a strong reverence for the outdoors. Great person. Little Ripped Boy (JC) - nicknamed by Frankenfoot b/c he is small, but has big muscles for his small frame.