Date: 2004-03-05
From: Neels gap

To: Hogpen Gap
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: overcast clouds

"Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression" Dodie SmithAhhhhh, that feels better. I have just had a nice hot shower, am now in clean dry clothes and have a hot cup of coffee sitting in front of me as I type this.I am back at the Hiker Hostel after another day's slackpacking. Others may frown on this whole slackpacking thing, but I see it as breaking in the body gently, without overdoing it.Today turned out to be a miserable day to hike. It is raining and has been since about 10am. This of course makes tree roots more slippery and rocks more sharp (in my opinion).Half an hour into the hike, I started to follow what I thought was the Trail, but ended in a near vertical slope that sure didn't look like we should have been going over it! It had been a hell of a job to get down to this point, but by the tracks, it looked like every other hiker before me had made the same mistake. Hence the track looks like the Trail as it is so well worn. I stood down there for a little while, searching for any sign of a white blaze, then decided to go back up to where I had seen the last blaze and find out where I went wrong.When I got nearly back to the top I met a couple and asked them where the Trail went. He pointed to where I had just come from, despite my protests. Now, this should have been the point where I left them to go down and check it out, and then yell back to me if/when they had found it. Did I do that? Don't be silly. I followed them back down. I guess he spoke with such confidence that I believed him. Consequently, I slipped in the exact same spot that I had slipped on my first journey down!We did find the Trail in the end - it had done a U-turn on itself, so it was behind us.I think I came close to experiencing what hypothermia feels like today. I didn't want to take my new rain gear off as it was stopping the wind, and I also didn't have anything dry to put on. I was shivering by the time I got back here.I was lucky enough to get a Trail Angel today. Trail Angels are kind people who do lovely things for hikers. It may be something as simple as leaving a can of some sort of drink in a cold stream, or leaving full bottles of water in a shelter that has no water access (thanks to the Angels at Blood Mountain yesterday for that). Today my Trail Angel was Bryan Jack and I met him in the carpark where I was waiting for Leigh to pick me up. He asked me if I was thirsty and I said no as I had just finished off my litre of water. He then said "I have an extra Pepsi if you want it." Caffeine, sugar - just what I needed after the end of my day's hike. (The last mountain I had been over rose 500 feet in a half mile...not much by the rest of the Trail's standards but enough to make me swear at it!). Thanks Bryan for your kindness. It doesn't take much to make a hiker happy.I have now passed the first major drop off/quitting point on the Trail. Neel's Gap is said to remove 20% of the hikers as they have had enough and want to go home. I am having fun (apart from the pain) and have come too far to go home. I want to be part of the 10-20% that finish.