Date: 2004-04-27
From: Gooch Gap Shelter

To: Blood Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: few clouds

Trail Enroute to Woody GapStart: Gooch Gap Shelter @ 0750Finish: Blood Mountain Shelter @ 1845Miles: 13.6Weather: Has been an absolutely beautiful day. Cool in the morning only about high 30's. Warmed up quickly. Sun was out all day with poofy clouds lazily floating by. A decent breeze kept temps perfect for hiking.Breakfast: Chocolate Frosted Poptarts, WaterLunch: Twix, Oat n' Honey bars, Trailmix, Fruitpunch Gatorade.Dinner: Chicken Helper 4 Cheese.Trail Conditions: First half of the trail was nice. Climbs steep but not long, many flat and downhill sections. The last half as you worked toward Blood Mountain was steep. More to come...People: Andy, Loren, two day hikers, chatted with a motorist at Woody Gap, watched a guy a park his car along the road, climb a hill, take a wizz, and then drive off at Woody Gap. Apparently he didn't see the bathrooms as he walked by them?Animals: A huge Millipede! Butterfly, heard the birdies but did not see any, bumble bees, random insects buzzing around mindlessly.Last night was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky. The moon cast eerie shadows throughout the woods. I awoke around 0630, sat up, mumbled a bit, rubbed my eyes, and decided to get food. Then I ate it. Yummy!I assure you there is no finer feeling than sticking your warm feet in cold wet socks, then putting them in cold wet boots. Burr! After a bit of hiking they warmed up nicely. I started slowly and was a bit concerned as I could feel a tendon roll in the heel of my bad foot. However, after some rest and stretching it went away.The first half of the day was fairly easy hiking. Several short steep sections followed by long flats. At the top of Big Cedar Mountain there were some amazing views from an exposed rock face. I Rested with Loren and Andy for about 20 minutes. I tried to dry my socks and boots out there, but they didn't so I pressed on with wet feet...that was a mistake. View from Big Cedar MountainThe second half of the day was all steep climbs as you neared Blood Mountain. The climb out of Jarrad Gap was insane. My slow and steady pace preented any achy joints and muscles, but my feet were totally raw from the wet boots. I literally waddled to the final water source at the base of Blood Mountain. I got there around 1445 and decided to rest the feet, filter for the summit, and make dinner. My filter clogged so I used iodine. I ate dinner with Nightmare and Clueless and pushed for the summit just after 1800. It was a much easier climb than I anticpated and the views were spectacular! View from Blood MountainTonight I am sleeping on a rock outcropping with Andy (I am calling him "Sticks" because his trekking poles are tree branches). We set up our bivies and watched an amazing sunset. The stars are beginning to come out now. From my sleeping bag I can see about 100 miles into the distance and a sea of budding trees filling in the mountains below. It is truly incredible. I am very fortunate.I am off to bed now. Nighty,night. Bivying on Blood MountainOne Year ReflectionI had my first taste of cold feet that day. The temps dropped into the 40's that night, which nicely chilled my soaking wet boots. I felt proud that I had an extra pair of dry socks with me when I put them on that morning. Then I slipped them into my cold wet boots and instantly had another pair of wet socks. Oops. I would later hike with only one pair of socks, because as I discovered...once something is wet, it stays that way until you get into a laundro-mat.As I started the day I felt a tendon roll in the heel of my foot. It was exrcuciatingly painful. I thought for sure my hike was done. I rested and stretched for a while and kept chugging on. My tendons and muscles warmed up and the foot was okay for the remainder of the day.It was a beautiful day, total opposite of the day before. The temps were in the 70's, the sun shone brightly, and all was just hunky-dory. The view from Big Cedar Mountain was the first stellar overlook of the hike for me. It was nothing compared to what I saw later that day a top Blood Mountain.If I had been more patient my socks and boots would have dried nicely on the exposed rock on Big Cedar Mountain. But for some reason I gave up on their drying after only a mere 15 minutes. It really wouldn't have taken more than an hour I don't think. So I kept on moving with wet boots, wet socks, and non-trailhardened feet.As I carried on throughout the day the bottoms of my feet began to ache something fierce and felt like they were totally blistering up. Steep climb after steep climb the pain only increased. I finally reached the base of Blood Mountain, and at the water source I stopped and had to air my feet out. I decided I would just have to dry my socks and boots out in the air. I waited for several hours as they dried. In the meantime I cooked up a hearty dinner, and cameled up on water.Finally, after several hours, things had dried out a bit, and so on a full stomach of Chicken Helper I plugged on up Blood Mountain. Everyone had been making out the climb to be this Herculean feat. It was really a very easy climb compared to the haul out of Jarrad Gap. It was nice to enjoy an easier than expected climb.The summit of Blood Mountain was incredible. An exposed rock face, and views that stretched for a hundred miles. It was the most incredible view I had ever had in my entire life. I laughed out loud at how great it was. The shelter, although a historic edifice, was a real dive. Since it was already filled up I was left with no choice but to bivy. I set up shop with Sticks on top of a huge rock protrusion which stood higher than the shelter. The clear skies led to a splendid sunset, and great stargazing. As I laid all cozy in my sleeping bag, a steady breeze rushed over the mountain, and a shooting star streaked across the sky. I don't think there was a better way that day could have ended.