Date: 2017-04-08
From: Hiawassee

To: Swag of the Blue Ridge 
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: clear sky

Day 11 on the Appalachian Trail April 8Miles Today: 9.2 Total Miles: 61.8 Woke up around 7 this morning and made the decision that I wasn't going to take the 9am shuttle back to Unicoi Gap. There was another shuttle out of Hiawassee at 11am so I figured that would give me more time to get ready. Dad chose to take the 9am so he could get a jump start ahead of me and enjoy the cooler weather that the morning offers. Typically I would prefer the cooler weather as well but I felt the extra time this morning would be helpful. To start my day I walked over to the convenient store across the street to get a coffee and something for breakfast. They had a cappuccino machine, something I've never had, so I chose that instead of regular coffee. It was really good, but a little on the sweet side for me. Along with the cappuccino I grabbed a massive honey bun. Talk about a sugar rush to start off the morning. Got back to the room and organized my bag one last time. Then it was on to re-lacing my boots. Dad headed out a little after 8:30 and I hopped in the shower. I had some extra time to kill after so I read up on journals on TJ. One that sticks out is Cricket, she was airlifted off the AT by a Blackhawk helicopter after a bout with hypothermia in one of the shelters. She's now back at home and I believe she is doing ok. I can't even imagine what that must've been like. I hope she is able to make it back to the trail to continue her trek.After what seemed like forever, 11am finally arrived and I was sitting in the shuttle with a few other hikers. Most were headed Dicks Creek Gap which is a little ways past where I would be getting off at. After a short ride, everyone who was starting out at Unicoi jumped out. There was a huge table of trail magic at the other end of the parking lot but I decided not to go over since I had just spent two nights in town and hadn't done anything to deserve the magic. And so began the climbing that would seem endless throughout the day. Today was absolutely brutal as far as elevation gain goes. We must've done close to 4500ft over the course of the day. First it was up and out of Unicoi Gap, then back down the other side, then back up Tray Mountain, and down the other side. Following Tray were several little knolls that travelled up and down until we got to our camp site at Swag of the Blue Ridge. Somewhere just before beginning the climb of Tray Mountain there was the biggest setup of trail magic I've seen so far. These guys had three gigantic canvas tents set up where they had been sleeping since Thursday handing out trail magic to any hiker, day or thru, who passed by. They were cooking up some good stuff over an open fire in cast iron pots and pans. Chili, soup, biscuits and sausage, hard boiled eggs, candy, and fresh fruit just to name a few of the things they were dishing out. I simply took an apple and I was on my way after thanking everyone for their generosity. Shortly up the trail I ran into some trail maintainers and talked to them about their work. It was fantastic! And it was very clear to me while hiking before running into the maintainers that someone was currently out doing maintenance or had just recently completed it. They were doing a great job and I was sure to let them know. It's hard work doing trail maintenance, but I know from experience how rewarding it is when finishing up a maintenance trip and knowing that you just did something to give back to the hiking community and make people's trips more enjoyable. After talking with the maintainers, it was a clear shot up to the summit of Tray. Man was that a grind. Definitely the hardest climbs of the AT up until this point. But it was well worth it. The summit offered outstanding views that stretched for miles. The group of people up there already were talking about how you could see Atlanta from the summit. Of course I had no idea what to look for since I have never seen Atlanta before. After standing on the peak for about a half hour, I headed a short way down to the shelter and found my dad soaking up some sun and relaxing for a bit. We hung out there for probably another hour or so, maybe a little less and then we were off. It was a short 3.5 miles from the shelter to where we intended to camp but after climbing so much already it actually turned out to be more difficult than I thought it would be. We eventually made it but it was a slow crawl for most of the 3.5. It was a long day and I'm glad to be laying in my sleeping bag now. I'm exhausted and it should be a great night of sleep.