Date: 2006-03-16
From: Unicoi Gap (Hiawassee Inn)

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I felt pretty good as I left the Hiawassee Inn. We had four in the van, me for Unicoi and the others for Dicks Creek. Ron drove us to Unicoi first. I got out into the chill air and started hiking immediately to get warm. I was wearing thermal pants and a long sleeved shirt.Restless passed me right at the trailhead, and two other hikers went by without a word a few minutes later.The hike up Rocky Mountain wasn't that bad. I figured the worst of the cold was behind me. I spent the day going up and down. I was still slow on the uphills, but didn't have to stop every twenty-five feet to catch my breath.I stopped for a snack at the Cheese Factory site.It started to snow going up Tray Mountain. Not really snow, but ice-like crystals. Then two miles later the sun came out and at lunch I changed into shorts and T-shirt.I had lunch a little past Tray Mountain and spread some Nutella on a bagel. Boy was it good. I didn't bring water, but had three liters of Gatorade. That was a mistake. Some Gatorade is good, but I also need water.The ridge line east of Tray Mountain is interesting, at least for those with an affinity for geography and geology. The ridge is pretty unassuming, but water draining south of the ridge flows into the Gulf of Mexico via the Chattahoochee River, and water draining north of the ridge flows to the Atlantic.For a long ways, the trail followed the ridgeline. I passed the Swag of the Blue Ridge. Last year a sign marked the area; this year only the post remained. I did not understand "Swag of the Blue Ridge" when I hiked this area last year, but looked it up, and a swag is nothing more than a small sag, which is nothing more than a small gap. Another name oddity last year was the mountain immediately following the Swag of the Blue Ridge, Dismal Mountain. I had always considered "Dismal" to relate to swampy, but it is a term given by early settlers to describe areas that could not be farmed.I wore down towards the end of the day, getting very tired. Kelly Knob was horrible. As I came down the back side of Kelly Knob, I realized I needed to get back to town and rest. Whatever lung capacity I had in the morning was gone.When I got to the shelter cutoff, it was four-thirty, the sun was already going down behind the mountain, and I was emotionally and physically beat.I wanted to do the last 3.8 miles to the road, but was afraid I couldn't make it, or that I would get to the road well after dark and stand in the cold unable to get a ride.So I took the side trail to the shelter.There was a large group there. Later three guys from the University of Georgia showed up, doing a thruhike of the Georgia AT.I set up my tent first, and then took my sleeping bag out of its stuff sack so it would fluff up.I made dinner but couldn't eat much of it. I felt too badly. I ate a few noodles, had a snickers bar, then hung my food bag.I blew up the air mattress, and arranged all my gear. It is large enough inside the tent to lay things on either side of my bag, and I have evolved this system of putting things I will need that night on one side, and things I won't be using on the other side.I blew up my pillow and tried to sleep. It was hard because I kept coughing. I took a slug of cough syrup - I only have one more swallow left of the prescription stuff now. It helped a little. I slept until 11:00 then woke up to pee.After that I coughed and coughed and couldn't sleep. I finally remembered the Sudafed and took one. I stayed awake perhaps an hour, no more, and dozed off. The Sudafed not only made me drowsy, but it helped with the sinus drip so I could sleep.