Date: 2014-05-03
From: Somewhere north of Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

Day 6 Somewhere north of Low Gap Shelter to Tray Mtn ShelterLast night I listened to owls calling to one another, sometimes far off and sometimes sounding quite near. I kept fending off a persistent little brown mouse that would climb up the side of my tent and infiltrate the space between the tent and fly, driving me to distraction a few times. I wonder if I set up on a mouse house and he was just trying to get back home. On the other hand, I wish I could have introduced one of the owls to the mouse! It was not as cold as last night, I slept much better. This morning, I broke camp and retrieved my unmolested bear-bag, had some trail mix and started back on the blessedly flat old service road that had lead me to my tenting spot last night. There were many streams along this section, they tumbled down the side of the mountain pooling up a bit at the side of the road and then skipping across the AT to continue down the mountain on the other side. Near the Chattahoochee Gap, I called out a good morning to Kim, who I had met at Low Gap Shelter last night. The whole morning was an anomaly, it the trail was ridiculously easy, a walk in the park, even. I realized that this would change by lunchtime and I would be climbing out of Unicoi Gap, a 1000¢ climb that nearly mirrored the drop into the gap, but with a slightly steeper grade. It was about 11:30 when I arrived at a quiet and quite beautiful West Mountain shelter so I stayed for lunch and while there, noticed that again, the trail provides. Recall that I left my hand-sanitizer at Low Gap Shelter last night, well someone left a bottle at this shelter and it had just enough to get me through tomorrow when I expect to be at Hiawassee! How cool is that?! I know, it sounds silly, but I was very grateful.From the shelter it was a 1000¢ descent, some of which was decently graded, packed-dirt, other sections were rock slides. I experienced flashbacks to PAINSYLVANIA, though the rocky sections here were pretty minimal, it was still enough to cause a reaction! On the way down the mountain a trail runner passed me for the second time today. He had run by me this morning and now was heading back down the mountain ahead of me. Wow, I guess I was dragging. When I arrived at the road and crossed to the very busy parking lot, I saw the runner again and we spoke for a few minutes. He gave me some water and told me he had run about 12 miles south of the parking area and 9 miles north (when we crossed paths) in preparation for an Ultra-marathon in Tahoe. Eeegads! No thank you! The hike up Rocky Mountain was not too bad; a well-fed stream bubbled down the mountain and paralleled the trail for a bit. I stopped to filter some water there and cool off. I watched a family with a young child slowly make the climb. The woman was wearing flip-flops, awkwardly trying to keep them on as she ascended the path.I never understand the flip-flops or fashion sandals that I've seen women wear on the trail, maybe they don¢t plan to hike when they get dressed in the morning. Up near the summit and along the northern side, the bluets were thrown about like blue and yellow confetti, making the whole area look like a giant celebration. The last climb of the day was a 3-stage ascent that started at a road crossing at Indian Grave Gap. Stage one climbed to the first plateau near the Cheese Factory tenting area; stage two climbed to the road at Tray Gap, finally stage three brought you up Tray Mountain summit. I took a break at the second stage about a mile from the summit. I was tired, and it was a warm day. I was not carrying much water in order to minimize my load but on warm days, thirst can be a bit uncomfortable. While trying to marshal motivation to move, a truck pulled into the parking area. I pulled my pack on and started walking when a man called out: ¢Looks like you¢re on this trail for the long haul.¢ We talked for a bit, it turns out that Greg is a Georgia local. He told me he had just returned from storm-chasing the very storms that had been problems at the beginning of my hike. It turns out those storms generated tornadoes which killed a number of people. He was out here to get some R&R for the soul. He said it was a place he liked to come to see the beauty God created. He shared that there was a better view of the mountains than what the Tray Mountain summit offered and described the way to a bluff. Directions: Look for a small campsite just trail north of the Tray Mtn Summit(if you are NOBO, it will be on your right), walk through that campsite and follow a small, unmarked path that leads trail east. You will enter an area that is filled with dense tree growth, stay to the left as you follow the main path and you will pass another campsite (this one on your left). The bluff is just a little farther beyond that site and will be a small rocky bluff on the right. All told, it¢s probably about a .5 mile off the trail.Day 6 at Tray MountainGiven how tired I was, I wasn't sure I could make it to the place he described with a 270* view of the mountains. He offered some water which was perfect given the heat. I thanked him and started the climb, maybe 5 minutes after I started he passed me, cheering me on. When I arrived at the summit, I was a bit disappointed. It was quite overgrown, with just a narrow area from which to take in views from the east and west. A couple at the summit snapped my picture and I walked on. I arrived at the campsite that Greg mentioned and decided to investigate the bluff. Greg had warned that the ¢phantom path¢ was overgrown with a tangle of short trees/bushes. Thank goodness I am short because I could walk under all but a few of the lowest entwined branches. It felt like 20 minutes of picking my way through interlaced branches that appeared set against granting human access to the bluff. There were a number of phantom paths once you got into the tree-maze but by staying to the left, I found and passed the other small campsite before hearing: ¢You made it.¢ It was Greg and he was right, the view from the bluff was in exactly as amazing as he described earlier. I hung out for a while, we talked, he named the various lakes and mountains that we could see from the bluff and lent me binoculars. Before I left, Greg prayed over me for a safe hike and great adventures. I left feeling rested, happy and grateful to have met such a friendly, compassionate man who clearly lives his faith. Greg is a pastor, and is, I think, the second minister I've met since starting my hike. Sometimes I wonder if that¢s supposed to be a message. The very first night at Black Gap, there was a minister in the group of men from FL. The next morning one of them asked me which church I attended, my response was that it had been a long time. He said something to the effect of: ¢I¢m sure they¢ll always be happy to have you back.¢ That was it, no pressure, no hype- just a simple statement. The walk to the shelter was a short one, maybe a half-mile or so until I came to the blue-blazed path. There were plenty of tenting spots along the way to the shelter, and more behind it. Two people were already there and eating; it was late in the day by hiker standards. One person, I recognized- it was Zach, the Ridge runner I met a few days back (aka Blue Eyes), the other was Leatherneck who was out for a 30-day section hike. After getting water at a great boxed spring and having a filling dinner, I walked back toward a large east-facing rock-face on the mountain and sat to watch the sunlight inch its way up the mountains in front of me as it slid down behind me. The air was cool, there was a slight breeze but the rock had absorbed enough sun so that it remained pleasantly warm under my bare feet. From this place I could look back towards the bluff that Greg had showed me, I silently wished him well and watched the swallows swoop up a slowly fading sunlight, buoyed by the kindness of people who, although not well-known to me, can hardly be called ¢strangers¢ as part of my extended human family. This is what it feels like to be ¢in flow¢ with nature and it makes me smile. Tray Mountain has been my favorite spot so far, a spot I would return to if I was back in the area. Good night, from Tray Mountain and Pax Vobiscum.More photos for day 6 of the trip can be seen at: 2000Miler_2014 Day 6