Date: 2010-04-01
From: Mountain Crossings-Neels Gap

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: clear sky

Day Three ¢ I¢m writing from a granite lounge chair carved by nature ¢ pretty darn comfortable considering how hard granite is. Here at Cowrock Mountain vista, the AT delivers us to yet another open rock cliff vista to another ¢ a 14.3 mile day with a little mountain named Blood in between. As most know, Blood Mountain is Georgia¢s highest on the AT and sitting atop is an old stone shelter, which almost no one stays in due to its dilapidated state. It does make for a nice illustration (see previous entry). For the hikers who insisted on starting earlier in March when Old Man Winter was dropping historic snow levels here in the Southern Appalachians, I¢m not sure how they actually were able to get off Blood¢s granite descent ¢ when covered in snow and ice would have made it life threatening. However, on this hot, sunny day, the sticky rubber of my trail runners is clueing themselves to the sun baked stone.The reward for hikers up and over passage is arriving at a mountain oasis of lightweight gear (which usually has new hikers whipping out their wallets without hesitation in hopes to lightening they¢re horrifically heavy burden). There are also snacks, foods and tourist gifts for the car arriving crowd. Today wonderfully, also meant hot off the grill burgers thanks to a local Lutheran Church ¢ BOTH burgers were delicious, thank you.When I walked into the shop I heard ¢Postcard,¢ it was an ¢06 thru-hiker mate who was working the shop, and then Winton Porter (the owner of this oasis called Mountain Crossings) saw me and said ¢Postcard¢¢¦Gee, sort of inflated my ego a touch.The news around there was a very active bear that¢s been hitting the shop area and the nearby campsites. Despite claims from the hikers that they had their food bags hug high enough and such, the midnight marauder got all six food bags last night leaving the hikers foodless. Those bears, or just the one, sure get pretty dadgum smart.Here at Cowrock vista, I¢m about five miles away, and since the bear is finding that their swat technique works close to the Neels Gap area, they may stay local rather than move my way. So that¢s the drama for tonight ¢ will I have food to go north by morning or will I be hiking south back to Neels Gap for new stuff sacks and food?As of 6 p.m. I¢ve got this vista of northern Georgia all to myself, sort of. The gnats are out in force and I¢m wearing my headnet to keep my sanity. Of course, some of you question my sanity for being out here. What I wouldn¢t give for either some deet or a giant flyswatter right now. Anyway, the sun is dropping lower and with it a light breeze is filling the landscape with coolness ¢ a welcome change since this afternoon it was down right HOT (75 degrees, maybe 80?) My face feels a bit sunburned. My tent is up on one side of Cowrock and my food bag is hug on a large limb on the other. Wonder what a black bear swatting at my food bag at 3 a.m. sounds like? Jeez, think I¢ll turn the music up in my earphones and wait for morning, gulp! (Darkness, silence, nighttime, bright moon, noises, ¢What¢s that?¢)¢¦Day Four ¢ Not only was the sky ablaze from so ideal a sunrise, one that had the whole range of burgundy to scarlet to tangerine and gold over that vast Georgian vista, but my food bag was untouched! Ah, the little things in life make it so sweet.This morning, amazingly early in the journey, I found my trail rhythm, my adventure peace ¢ that calm that settles inside you. Some call it ¢Letting Go¢, in those first early moments of dawn I let go of the miles, let go of the go go motor that the city infuses. As the sun broke the horizon I was way ahead emotionally for what will naturally come. That and still having something to eat for breakfast isn¢t too bad either.Apparently summer has arrived early to compensate for the late exit of winter. Temps in the sun had to be 80¢s, we¢re talking no breeze, we¢re talking HOT. Decided to stop early at Blue Mountain Shelter area, I¢m tenting though. Maybe I should move on though? There are now about 25 people here; it¢s far from a wilderness experience. Twenty-five people make quite a ruckus, especially when many are just whipping out their celphones without any consideration to trail etiquette (I¢m venting). Never seen anything like it on the AT ¢ apparently much has changed in my three-year absence. Then again, it is prime time for all the city slickers (and their habits of living with a phone stuck to their face) to try a thru-hike, no wonder the bears are active, and there are goodies for the taking and eating. It was a short 13.3 mile day of heat with good company ¢ met Skippy. He¢s heading to Maine without a celphone.