Date: 2013-03-05
From: Neel Gap

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

"You squished all the cheese?!" - me, in response to Jeremy squishing all the cheeseIt is pretty early in the trip to take a zero day, but the other four were plan to do so and I enjoy their company. We are an odd bunch for sure, but that is alright. I am used to existing in odd social arrangements that included few or none from my generation. Crow, Chickadee, and I are awake until almost midnight before retiring to sleep. Nobody realizes the cabin has central heat, so we just wind up using sleeping bags.I wake up around 0900 and am confronted with a pleasing lack of things to do. I thought about slack packing up from Neel and returning to the cabin for the night, but instead I get distracted processing my photos. Over the course of the day, I use limited data access to get 38 photos uploaded from the past three days. I will properly process everything with Lightroom much later in this adventure.We are paid an unexpected visit by another campground guest in the morning. It is a strange moment when he introduces himself by a civilian name, and we all introduce ourselves by our trail names. The guy is another backpacker, and the one I feel least most uncomfortable with so far. He makes himself at home on a chair in our cabin, scanning over our things and touching some of our gear. We mention how Blood Mountain was a great hike yesterday, but he dismisses it and announces he skipped it with a low side trail. He then mentions he had covered 800 miles of the Trail so far. He asks about another backpacker, and when I say I recognize the name he immediately and unnecessarily begins criticizing them. His presence is very awkward and I am pleased when he finally leaves. Before this interaction, I wasn't sure if I was sticking with the folks I was with because they were there and I was forcing myself to get along, or because I was comfortable with their presence. Now I see what it looks like when things are forced. I am glad I have run across the four I am currently with.A bit later there is another knock on the door. I am dismayed and think it is that guy again. Instead, it is two of Chickadee's friends, Alex and Jeremy. Alex heard about Chickadee's trip and is joining along for a week or so. He is not well-prepared, having thrown everything possibly useful into a backpack. I am heavily packed, and he has more than I do! He settles in to sort out his gear, and Jeremy drives Chickadee and I into Blairsville. We really want to go to Waffle House, and Madison Star wants to cook dinner if we pick up the ingredients.We drive into Blairsville and quickly find the Waffle House. Jeremy gets a few cheap things, and Chickadee and I each get the largest breakfast platter with a side. The waitress doesn't know why diminutive Chickadee is getting such a big meal - if only she knew! We devour all the food rapidly, washing it down with plenty of soda. Jeremy is a chatty, easy-going guy with an offbeat sense of humour and I find an easy connection to him. He linger a while at the Waffle House and then go to Ingle's - a grocery store akin to the World Class Shoprites of home.We are overwhelmed by the size of the place and the culinary opportunities present. The snack aisle is right in front of us, but we wrest ourselves away after a little while. We get the ingredients for shepherd's pie - the decision had nothing to do with me, I think - and a bit of other stuff for ourselves. I still have more food than I had planned to start with, but I get some more powdered drink mix and a couple different protein bars and dehydrated fruits. I also get a half gallon of chocolate milk for today.We drive back to the cabin in a thunderstorm, reminding us that it was a pretty good idea to do Blood Mountain in dry weather, and that hanging around here today was likewise a good idea. Madison Star and Snickers start working on dinner, and Chickadee and I repack our food bags. While I still have roughly the same amount of food, I find little ways to pack things tighter and my food bag doesn't gain much volume. Jeremy and Alex wander off to their own devices. Somewhat later we all enjoy a meal of shepherd's pie.The night concludes with us assessing our own gear and mentally preparing for tomorrow. Chickadee sorts Alex's pack and reduces some of his unnecessary gear, and I demonstrate the wonders of the 20-liter compression dry bag I use for my sleeping bag. All of us have poked through our gear and altered it somewhat, and we have not bothered with the Neel shakedown. After a snack of chicken pot pie, I call it quits for the night.Peace,