Date: 2016-04-18
From: Stover Creek Shelter

To: Gooch Gap
Miles today: 14.4

So day 2. So there was drama at the shelter during the night. There was a bit of room for Mojo and Zinga in shelter next to CAPT Caveman. He said he didn't mind as long as the dog didn't get in his sleeping bag. You know where this is going. The CAPT got up for a quick break and Zinga dive into his bag. He went to get in and there is this thing in his bag! He dealt with it with grace.I started hiking at 8:15 and it was such a pretty morning! There was not a cloud in the sky and it was cool and clear. Walking was wonderful! I really enjoyed it. The first part of the trail was a gentle downhill through a rhododendron forest. Eventually, I came to Long Creek Falls. They were very pretty! I snapped a few photos.I passed Captain caveman and we talked for a bit. Frank is a great guy! Later, I ran into William. I saw Dustin again at the Hawk Mountain Shelter when I stopped for lunch. He is trying to become the first person to suffer a cardiac arrest to finish the Appalachian Trail! Wow! We visited with a couple of section hikers who were very nice. A guy named Andrew and three of his younger friends were just pulling in. Andrew had one cool mustache and beard!The climb up to Sassafras Mountain was pretty steep. There I met quite a few people. I meant Scarebear, Frog, Yup Yup, and Mo and Tiho. Mo is from Belgium and Tiho is from the Netherlands. I also caught up with Alex and walked with him for a bit. I was getting a little short of water when I arrived at Justus Creek. I filled up and soaked my feet for a while. I also washed out my hat and shirt. I joked with everyone that it made the water smell bad! There I met three nice section hikers from Kankakee, IL. They were fun to talk to. I also met another Alex and Maggie from Naples, FL. I told Florida Alex that his trail name should be hair. He had a lot of it and it look like he just came off tour with a big time band.I walked on, and eventually came to the Gooch Gap Shelter. There I caught up with some of the folks that I had stayed at the hostel with the first night. Mike said that Endless had gone over 20 miles day one. We both agreed we were only going to see him again on his blog. That confirmed my instincts to take it easy day one. I also saw the super nice family that jetted ahead of me day one. Sydney, the kiddo had taken Hummingbird for a trail name. They are section hiking and I hope to catch up with them in Vermont. I met another Mike, Scott and Blue Eyes, and another former Army guy who was fun to talk to. I want to say Brendon, but not sure. I made the tough decision to hike on to Gooch Gap for the night. It was 1.4 miles and I was feeling really good, the shelter was crowded, and I hoped to get a mile closer to Neel Gap. There I want to pick up my mailed supplies and get a hot shower. Anybody who knows me, knows that I will miss hot showers the most in the zombie apocalypse! I am motivated to get to Neels gap!When I arrived at Gooch Gap, I saw Tiho and Mo camped out. I saw a primo site across the road, but it looked like a happy couple was over there, too. I decided to join the guys and we had a great visit. Mo is a pastry Chef and Tiho is about to go for his master's degree. They have to finish in four months so they are turning and burning. With Mo being a chef, I must say I am a little envious of their homemade freeze dried food! I finished hiking around 6 and this is the first connection I have had. Very nice to have!Feeling good. Feet are good! Legs are a little tired. Not sore yet tonight. Good! Gear good, but may send back my camp chair. Time for bed. I'm beat!