Date: 2013-03-05
From: Lance Creek Campground

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 7.4

Today was cold and wet and windy. The hammock was okay but I woke up cold many times and had to readjust the thermarest under me. I can see it being perfect..for summer. It's so comfortable but just plain cold. Brooke, Jesse, and Mike packed up and left about 6:30. They knew we'd catch up. The strap on Mike's pack broke so they jerry-rigged it. Danielle and I were hiking by 8. I taped up my feet to try and avoid the blisters that are starting. I thought we climbed Blood Mountain first thing because the first mountain we climbed was challenging, but I thought didn't deserve such a tough reputation. I found out later that Blood Mountain was the very last climb before Neels. Danielle was really struggling. Her feet are killing her. She decided she was going home. I sped up and caught Jesse and Brooke. We hiked together for a while and then I sped up again. Blood was veerrry steep. Named for a bloody battle between the Native Americans and the..French I believe. It's the third highest peak in Georgia and the highest point of the AT in Georgia. Ran into Steady Pace at Blood Mountain Shelter on the summit. We hiked together for a while. It was very steep going down. And very windy. It rained on and off the whole day and my rain fly - which is supposed to double as a poncho for me and my pack - just wasn't cutting it. The wind would blow it off and even when I strapped it to my pack it just wasn't shielding us from the rain. Coming down Blood I was cold and tired and wet and my feet hurt. I took off to get to Neels as fast as I could. Was so happy to get to Mountain Crossings. The trail literally goes right through the building. Mike was there and showed me his pack which had broken in another place. He's headed home to get a new pack and says he'll be back in a few weeks but Jesse doesn't think so. Saw the "Tree of Lost Soles". Where all the people who get new shoes leave their old ones. It's eerie in the fog. Setting my pack outside the store, it looks so much bigger than everyone else's. I had them do a pack shakedown for me. Everything came out of the bag and was spread out on the floor. Surprisingly they only recommended I get rid of a few things. Mostly they were worried about my sleep system. The hammock won't keep my warm on cold nights..and last night was relatively warm. I'll be a little better off in a shelter but my 20 degree bag doesn't really cut it. They recommended a tent that I love, especially at 2lbs 2oz. It's a weight savings, and it's warmer, but at $320, I don't love the price. Need some time to think about it. They did do a pack adjustment though, and it feels amazing! It feels so much lighter and conforms to my body much better now. There's a severe thunderstorm warning for tonight and a severe winter storm warning for tomorrow. We're thinking about taking another zero because of the weather. We stayed at Blood Mountain Cabins and they are amazing. A little house all to ourselves. The thunderstorms have just started rolling through and they're intense. There was trail magic - again! Some people from a nearby christian college come to make dinner for the hikers at Mountain Crossings fairly regularly. When I went over there for dinner, one of the store associates gave me a shot of bourbon with the sentiment "happy trails!". The food was good - burgers, casserole, and sweet tea. I'm hating this weather. Ready to kill some miles.