Date: 2007-05-12
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Neels Gap, Mountain Crossing Hostel
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: light rain

Last night, at the recommendation of Windy, I took 4 ibproufens for my knee! He told the story of his knee being so stiff from hiking one time, that he woke up to his knee "stuck" at a 90o angle! Well, I woke up feeling much better than when I hiked into Woods Hole Shelter, with my left knee acting up. Nonetheless, I was determined to keep on hiking!Today, I plan to hike only as far as Neels Gap, where I can restock on my food, and buy a knee brace, so I can hopefully hike out tomorrow. I have hiked Blood Mountain numerous times throughout my life, the most recent being exactly one-year ago! I distinctly remember how rocky it is coming from Neels Gap. I feared it'd be just as rugged and rocky on the southside, making for a tortuous 3.7-miles due to the condition of my knee!Well, I was definitely surprised by the ever-so-slight ups to the summit of Blood, the tallest mountain on the Appalachian Trail in the wonderful state of Georgia. Before I realized it, here I was at the rock outcrops and the 4-walled stone shelter! The views were spectacular, as they always are up here! I'm in no rush, as I have already hike 1.2-miles, and have but 2.5 more to hike for the day. A slow day, I know; but, I must listen to my body to avoid damaging it for life.I take several pictures up here, taking my time to chat with Mark (whom I also met at Woods Hole last night), and a few other people I meet as I'm making the dreaded descent. And, I do mean that adverb "dreaded"! I was in such excruciating pain with my knee yesterday, that I seriously feared how difficult it would be to walk down the steep rock slabs, to manuever over the gigantic boulders strewn on the mountainside. Then again, I have all day; I'm in absolutely no rush!I do experience much pain today, but the sheer beauty of the mountain, of the forest, of the sounds overwhelm the senses such where the pain is quite endurable. For me, the most painful thing was hearing traffic on the highway below, after passing Balance Rock at Flatrock Gap, and hiking what seemed much longer than .9-miles (probably due to my hobbling around with my gimp leg!).Alas, hard work pays off as, finally, I reach Neels Gap! Immediately, I go inside to the staff, asking if someone can help me sort through my gear, hopefully helping me to lighten up my pack (I started with near 48 pounds, which, I knew from the beginning, was MUCH too much). Alpine proves to be a huge help, and a wonderful person to talk with. All in all, I probably mailed 10-11 pounds of gear home. Mainly, it was little odds and ends which seemed meaningless regarding pack weight when taken in isolation; but, each gram counts, and the needle on the scale doesn't lie: I mailed home just over 10-pounds!I gorge myself on 3 hot dogs (two of which were compliments of the store!), 3 pieces of pizza (again, compliments of the store!), and two of those double-servings Mountain House meals. Tragically, I didn't know they had ice cream, but was only told the following day by Sargeant Major (a 64-year old thru-hike attemptee!).Felicity is also paramount in showing me how to better tie the laces on my boots. I had developed some 3-4 blisters per feet from Springer Mountain to here (30.5-miles!). After I learned her "technique", I felt like I had new pair of boots AND feet!There are only two of in the hostel tonight, Dick being the other sleeper. He's in his 60s, and awaiting the arrival of some friends, with whom he's planning on hiking. He didn't seem to know what their exact itinerary was, but was just patiently waiting for them to come!