Date: 2008-01-18
From: Cloud 9 Hostel

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Mi. 20Sleep hostelDest. Mountain Crossings Hostel, Neels GapDay 189Sorry for the delay in getting these posted for everyone. I was exhausted at the end of the day today and didn¢t feel like journaling. The following night it was way to cold and I was enjoying my last night out too much to do any.Today was a fun day. Meat¢s cousin and uncle were joining us for the first 15 miles of the day, and then we were planning on going 5 more to the Neel¢s gap hostel. Originally we wanted to get an early start, but you know how those things go. We got up fairly early, but neither of us was in a hurry. Plus we had half a trout to eat for breakfast. Smoked trout goes great with scrambled eggs. I am convinced that smoked trout goes great with everything. I am going to have to come back sometime and get fresh fish to take home with me to cook.I would like to thank Frank, Laura, and Crutch at Cloud9 hostel for everything. They are amazing people and supper nice and helpful. Crutch drove us around a lot without ever asking for anything in return. He said that he got a lot of rides and help hiking over the years and this was his way of returning the favor. I can see that I have a lot of good karma deeds to pay back after this hike.Meat¢s family drove up to Unicoi gap where we finished our slackpack to get started. Crutch was going to meet them later and drive them back to their car. We got started around 9am. We figured it meant a little night hiking, but who cares at this point. We also had a line on a little blue blaze shortcut today.It was a little chilly hiking today. I got started and took off on everyone today. I have a tendency to do that most morning or breaks anyways. When I get chilled the best solution is to start hiking and build up some body heat. I stopped just before the top of the first bump to let everyone catch up and to relayer.I did get a chance to do something I have wanted to do for awhile today. I finally remembered while there was snow on the ground to make a snow angle. What can I say it is the little things that keep me happy. I got a great pic that I¢ll have to post. Once again something I wanted to do was bitter sweet. I was fun, but the snow as hard and didn¢t show the snow angle completely. But that¢s the way it goes.We stopped by the shelter that we would have stayed at had we not zeroed yesterday. Good thing we didn¢t stay there. It was completely on the ridge and exposed and open. Not a good place to be in bad weather. I swear some of the shelters are built only taking into account summer weather. The trail clubs really need to come out and see the site in all seasons and weather before building it. They at least need to be out of the wind. I would rather have a protected shelter than one with a good view.I stopped today to talk to a couple of northbounders, Meat and his family was just ahead after I stopped for a little break. Nice guys. They have been out hiking for 30 years and this was the time frame they had to hike the trail. I talked with then for 10 or so minutes. I mentioned how I had to get off for a week and let my ankle heal. One of them said he twisted his ankle. All he had to rap it in was duct tape. They said they originally had an ACE bandage in their packs but took it out thinking they would not need one. I gave him my spare one. I have been carrying a new spare one while using the old one I got out of a hiker box in Monson since getting back on. They told me that yesterday was nasty where they were at. That makes me feel better about taking the day off.It feels great to help out northbounders at the start of their trips. I got a lot of help from northbounders and section hikers in my first couple of months. I am more than happy to return the favor. I don¢t know if I said it but Meat and I gave the guy at the hostel last night a whole bunch of our extra food. I also gave him the rest of my guide book, excluding the pages too the end.I learned later from the people at the hostel that he may be one of the mooching hikers. He cleaned out their hiker box. I hope not. I didn¢t get that vibe from him, but they have seemed a lot more of them than I have. I like helping people out, but I don¢t want to fuel someone mooching off of others.Today while I was alone I also ran into hiking dogs twice. I was told hunting season for bears was over. But apparently the hunters didn¢t get that memo. The first time was by 2 dogs, the second by just one. They didn¢t look like the normal hunting dogs, but smaller. Still like the other dogs they seemed more interested in hunting than me. All except 1 of the first 2. He decided to follow me. Some hikers feel bad for the dogs and feed them, not knowing that feeding them is a bad thing to do. I started walking and not looking back. He still followed. I stopped and said to get going, and go hunt. Still nothing. I started walking again, he still followed. So them I say to Gett¢on out of here (in my best southern drawl). Then he takes off going down the trail. Of course, these are southern dogs, I forgot I had to speak southern to them.Shortly after I caught up with the others. From there to the end was best described by Meat¢s uncle. It was like walking on a snowcone without any of the yummy flavoring. It was slow and tiring walking through the 4 or 5 inch snowcone ice. I did find it fun to push myself like I was skiing down the trail.We got to the gap and said goodbye to his family. I don¢t remember the gap but it is the one right before the shelter that is over a mile off the trail. No way we were going to stop there. Crutch told us about an awesome shortcut. All we have to do was road walk under half a mile to the next gap. We could pick up the trail there shortcutting a little bump. Of course we did that.I decided when I got back on the trail I wanted to run the gunet of things to do. Since then I have blue blaze, yellow blazed (before I got off to Fontana Damn Resort), bushwhacked, zeroed in the woods, zeroed at a hostel, and slack packed. I also have had the chance to have a couple bonfires at night, breakfast fires, and lunch fires. All of which was fantastic. Too many people get in a hurry. Going slow and enjoying yourself is the way to go.It got dark a couple miles before the hostel. We decided that just before it got too dark to hike we would stop and take a snack break. That turned out to be a good call. Whenever I would just turn on the headlamp and start hiking it felt rushed. This way I was able to stop and let it get dark. It felt more like I was night hiking on my terms. It is also close to a full moon. Amazingly light at night. It took us al of 5 minutes to get a little turned around. We started down a blue blazed water trail and got a little turned around. It took a couple minutes, but then we got back on track. From there night hiking was fun. I still prefer hiking in the daylight, but I am not as afraid to night hike as I had been.Just before the hostel, within sight of the lights, we passed a group of 8 or 10 boy scouts headed up to camp for the night. Man boy scouts always seem to make it hard on themselves. They are night hiking in at almost 8pm to camp. When it is supposed to get cold tonight and snow tomorrow morning. Doesn¢t sound like fun to me. One of them even had a bear bell. My second one I saw on the trail. Funny thing was the first one was on a day hiker earlier in the day. Seriously there was 10 of you walking and talking through the woods with headlamps. No way you are going to sneak up on anything. I overheard one of them saying that the only thing he was afraid of out here was a bear. I had to chime in that I saw 1 in over 6 months, they are not a problem.We got to the hostel to find us and Pirate the only ones there. He works at the hostel this time of year. A cool older hiker bum. We talked for a little bit. He does a little work in Cincinnati from time to time, so we were able to talk about that for awhile. He also told us some of the stories about the northbounder rush season. No way I would want to start northbound in peak season. I am wanting to do a northbound thru hike less and less now. They only have room for 15 people there. He said there is always a big race in the morning to get there from Blood Mountain to get a spot. There is pretty much a race every morning to the next shelter if you want any chance of staying in one. Definitely not for me. I enjoy the fact that I am alone a lot. I didn¢t come out to the woods to party or be around a ton of people. I came out to enjoy myself and see nature. Not much to see if you are always around a lot of people. At least in my opinion.