Date: 2013-03-24
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Mull's Inn
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: snow

Happy 1-week anniversary!It stormed steadily and sometimes heavily all night. I learned a valuable lesson in where to set up a tent when it only has a mesh bottom (Zpacks Hexamid). I had set up my tent on the flattest spot I could find, which only meant that the rain stayed put rather than drain away. Flat ground makes for a good night¢s rest, but the next time I expect rain, I¢ll be sure to pitch my tent on a slight slope!CookIN and I awoke early as usual. We find our pace is a bit slower than most, so we like to get a head start. We packed up during a break in the rain, but of course, a lot of our gear was wet and muddy. I went down to the shelter to grab our bear bags and noticed that Morris and Stupid had yet to vacate their hammocks. I didn¢t want to wake them, so CookIN and I broke camp assuming they¢d both catch up.The first 5 miles of today¢s trail were incredibly easy. The trail followed an old forest road, and the grade was a cake walk. Nonetheless, hikers passed me. I¢m making good progress, but I¢m definitely a slow but steady hiker. Couch, Bulldog, Ryan, Aus (?), Turtle, and Obiwan all passed me. The later four were aiming for Tray Mountain Shelter, a 15.4-mile day, which was too much for me. Around 5 miles into the hike, I finally caught CookIN, even though he left just 15 minutes before me. His trail legs are kicking in.For most of the day, we hiked in fog and light rain. The trail was overflowing in parts with storm runoff. In other parts, the trail was so muddy I thought I might slide off the mountain. My boots and the lower part of my rain pants were mud-covered. Around 1:30 p.m. I made it to Blue Mountain Shelter. There I found Jess and Couch. Jess had already blown up her air mattress and was preparing to hunker down in the shelter for the night. Couch, however, convinced her to join him in a Hiawassee hotel. I must admit the thought crossed my mind, too, since a ride to town was just 2.4 miles down the train, and the wet, cold conditions were just enough motivation.Couch and Jess jokingly said they just couldn¢t keep up with the youngsters. They asked my age, and I said 37; they responded in kind with 28 and 27. I said, ¢You¢re the kids!¢ But they correctly said, not compared to those literally out of high school or college.A few minutes later, CookIN showed up, and I ran the option by him. He seemed interested, but he didn¢t immediately commit. I said I¢d hike to Unicoi Gap, the road to town, and then make a decision about town. The trail down proved incredibly steep and muddy. The prospect of ascending similar terrain on the other side of Unicoi Gap didn¢t immediately appeal to me. I checked with CookIN, and he said he¢d go to town if I went. I was going to say the same to him, so the decision was made. We could hear the highway long before we could see it because of the fog and mist.Once at the bottom, we were delighted to find trail magic. Patrick and his girlfriend thru-hiked last year and drove up from ATL to give out smiles, Gatorade, oranges, bananas, grapes, and sugar cookies. It was so delicious, and I know I didn¢t thank them enough, so thanks again! They heard we wanted to go to Hiawassee, and they offered us a ride. I politely declined because I thought it was polite. After calling hotels in town, we reserved a room at Mull¢s Inn, but this hotel, unlike others, doesn¢t have a shuttle. So with a bit of advice and encouragement from Patrick and his gal, we stuck out our thumbs. I swear, as we stood there, the temperature dropped and the fog and mist started to move swiftly through the gap. We got a few honks, but apparently neither CookIN nor I are pretty enough to get a hitch. After 15 minutes or so, the couple again offered a ride, and a chattering CookIN and I quickly said yes, please! We left a note for Morris and Stupid with my phone number and invited them to join us in town.As soon as we started down the mountain, the weather improved. Soon we were below the clouds, not in them, and it felt like a different world. I even commented on how foreign it looked--mountain hills dotted with spectacular cabins and random hollows, all of which had been hidden from view. The girl then asked where I was from, and I said Minnesota, to which she immediately responded, ¢I thought I heard an accent.¢ WTF, Minnesota?Once in Hiawassee, we check in to our motel. I immediately saw Phys Ed. He said Ryan was coming too, so it already felt like a mini reunion. CookIN and I got a room with a king bed and a couch for $30 each. Due to a prior arrangement at the Blood Mountain Cabins, CookIN had dibs on the bed. We both unpacked our wet gear and showered up. CookIN was even able to catch the final minutes of the U Indiana game against Temple (he is from IN). It was a nail-biter, but UI won!Outside, I ran into Ryan and Phys Ed, and after some discussion, we agreed to eat at Daniel¢s Steakhouse because their buffet had been recommended. Ryan told me Owf was here too--awesome! As soon as CookIN was ready, we gathered for dinner. When leaving, we saw Boomis and Paul Bunyan. Seriously, it¢s great to see so many trail friends in town.As soon as we walked into Daniel¢s, I saw John and Burrito, whom I last saw at the Hiker Hostel. We warmly greeted each other and quickly caught up on our adventures. John¢s trail name is The Professor, and I told them that mine was Woodstock. They introduced me to their hiking partners, whom were seated at the table. I then left them to their dinners and grabbed my own at the buffet. The buffet was impressive and incredibly inexpensive. On my way back to the table, I ran into Jess, whom I last saw at the Blue Mountain Shelter. They¢re at the Budget Inn but walked the 1.5 miles to Daniel¢s. I also saw Couch and told him we couldn¢t resist a town night, and I was so glad we came because of everyone I had seen.I then finally sat down for dinner. As The Professor was leaving, he thanked me for the earplugs I had given him at the Hiker Hostel. As expected, they came in handy at one of the shelters. He is flying back to NYC tomorrow to continue his studies at NYU. His uncle Burrito will hike on, and we all wished each other happy trails.With bloated bellies, we crawled like zombies back to our hotel. There, I began journaling on our front porch as the rain again graced the sky. After a bit, I checked in with Owf, Paul Bunyan, Boomis, and friend. We had a great chat about the best hitchhiking strategies. Apparently, it¢s all about the ladies, or dogs, while the guys stand aside. They had gotten a hitch in 15 minutes from Unicoi, where CookIN and I just shivered. We agreed to reconvene in the morning for our ride back to Unicoi.Ryan was also outside drinking a beer and updating Facebook. I asked where he got his beer, since it¢s Sunday and we¢re in a dry county. A friendly local up and gave it to him, lucky guy! Ryan was updating Facebook, and I told him about trailjournals.com. I said most of us are on that site. CookIN is working on his journal too, and soon we¢ll be off to bed. Good night, y¢all!