Date: 2017-03-04
From: Hiawassee, GA

To: Tray Mt Shelter,GA
Miles today: 5.7

3/4/17 Tray Mt Shelter, GAMiles hiked: 58.3 Miles to go: 2131.5When I was imagining what it would be like to hike the AT, I often imagined a day like today. We woke up around 7:00 AM at the Budget Inn in Hiawassee. Blood Mt needed to mail a package home and I needed to get more denatured alcohol for my stove. AWOL's AT guide said that the hardware store in Hiawassee sold denatured alcohol by the ounce, so I headed there. I arrived at the store and asked the little old lady working the register about the alcohol and she told me that they no longer sold it by the ounce; however, I could purchase a can of it. Well, it turned out they only sold it in 1 gallon metal cans, which would be just a bit heavy to carry. So, I asked her if they sold Heet gasoline additive, which is essentially denatured alcohol. She said I would have to go to the auto parts store next to the Hardee's about a 1/2 mile down the road to buy Heet. Now, you need to understand something about thru hikers. We willingly choose to hike a 2200 mile trail; but, we hate to walk any more off-trail steps than we have to. So, I walked down the road and bought the Heet at the auto parts store (and stopped at Hardee's for a biscuit). As I was walking back up the road, I remembered that I also needed butane for my lighter. So, I stopped back in the hardware store and talked to the same lady."Do you sell butane refills for lighters?""Well Sir, if we have anything like that, it would probably be in the automotive section.""Um, why would butane be in the automotive section? Wait, you have an automotive section!?""Yes Sir. Aisle 3."Of course, you know what they also had stocked in the automotive section in Aisle 3 - Heet! Bottles and bottles of Heet. Oh well, at least by walking to the auto store I got a biscuit. By the time we finished running our errands, we were too late for the 9 am shuttle back to Unicoi Gap, so we had to wait for the 11 am shuttle, along with Courtney and another hiker I had never met. When we arrived at Unicoi Gap, a church group from the Raleigh area was putting on a hiker feed, complete with grilled hamburgers and all the fixings. Like I said in a previous post, if someone offered me a hamburger I wasn't going to turn them down. The burger was delicious and the people were really nice. I only felt a little guilty eating a burger just after arriving in a van from town. Due to the late start, the day's hike was pretty short. This is what is known as a Nearo Day. There are two types of rest days: a Zero Day is when you hang out in town all day and hike zero miles. A Nearo day is when you spend a part of the day in town and only hike a few miles. Today's 5.7 mile hike counted as a Nearo; however, the hike included a climb from 2949 ft Unicoi Gap to 4193 ft Tray Mt, with a few ups and downs thrown in for good measure. The hiking weather was perfect - high 50s, sunny, and only a light breeze. And the views of the North Georgia mountains were incredible. To top it all off, the Tray Mt Shelter is the prettiest shelter I've seen so far. It sits on top of Tray Mt and looks out over a sea of mountains. The sunset was gorgeous! I got in early enough, followed by Courtney and Blood Mt, to find a nice place to pitch my tent, get water, and eat a leisurely dinner. One of the weekend hikers rating here even built a campfire as it was getting dark. There are probably another 30-40 people here - mostly new faces. The Trail is getting pretty busy. Tomorrow, we make for Dick's Creek Gap and the Tip of Georgia hostel where my warmer sleeping bag will hopefully be waiting. Another good day on the trail.