Date: 2017-03-10
From: Blood Mountain Shelter

To: Low Gap Shelter, GA
Miles today: 13.9

Day 03: Blood Mountain, GA to Low Gap Shelter, GA - 13.9 miles:Mother Nature put on a good show in northern Georgia last night. After a few light hours of sleep, the first raindrops began knocking at my rainfly at 2am. By 3am, she unleashed a couple hours of pouring rain, 30-40mph gusts of wind screamed up the sides of the mountain and onto the lonely souls atop, lightning lit up the sky seemingly just beyond my rain-fly, and a chorus of thunder bent on crumbling the foundation of Blood Mountain.As the wind funneled into the side of my tent, the rain-fly was nearly useless as it sat flush against my tent, allowing a slow, but steady mist of water through. The west side of my tent nearly caved in from the pounding wind, but I was able to keep it up by opening my tent door, opposite the wall, and angle my trekking poles between it and the ground outside. This cut my already one-man tent in half, leaving my body twisted around the poles for the next few hours. I used my pack liner to cover the exterior of my pack, my rain jacket covered the upper part of my sleeping bag, and my pack cover held its own on the lower half. Although a sizable puddle formed beneath my sleeping pad, and my tent all but soaked, I was fortunately able to stay dry, along with the majority of my gear. After a sleepless night on her end, Sarah and I were up and determined to get off of Blood and were moving by 7am.An hour later we reached the friendly confines of Mountain Crossings nestled in Neels Gap, in the shadow of Blood Mountain. I entered and immediately saw a friendly face, now working there as she waits for her PCT thru-hike later this Spring - Star Crunch. After a quick hug, we jumped into catching up. She gave me a discount on a pillow I purchased to hopefully help with my lack of sleep. Even after nearly two years, she knows the way to my heart after giving me a Coke for free. Appreciate you, Star Crunch, and best wishes in your upcoming trek. After a quick snack of Funions, Lays, and two Star Crunch snacks, I wandered over to the sad sight that is the bathrooms for the outfitter and attached hiker hostel - a row of yellow porta potties. After adding my share to the growing collection, I was able to look back and admire the artwork of previous hikers - a variety of colors ranging from burnt umber to Dijon Mustard yellow. I also noticed work left at sharp angles compared to the seat and wondered at what force something must exit the human body in order to create it.After just over an hour of recouping from he night before, Sarah, Odin, me, and a about a dozen other hikers made our way back into the mist and high winds of the mountains that would last the rest of the day. The remainder of the day would consist of relatively minor ups and downs, and groups of hikers playing tag as we flip-flopped one another on the trail. Odin continued being Odin and is fun to have around, as he provides entertainment running all over the nearby woods, easily doubling the miles we have walked each day. At 12:45pm, the clouds finally broke for the day, and the winds subsided just enough to allow us to break in a sunny patch along an overlook. With tent gear spread along the ground drying, we lounged in the unusually warm March sun and relaxed. Just over an hour later we were able to motivate ourselves to get back to it.A minute later, we rounded a bend where the trail briefly opens up to exposed flat rocks as it begins its drop toward the next gap and Wildcat Mountain beyond. An older gentlemen named Andy, though youthful in character and heart, standing with a few other people, asked us if we were thru-hikers as soon as we approached. After we confirmed we were, he said he needed to talk to us. He then presented Sarah with a hand-carved oak walking staff as a gift. He explained that he makes several each season, and gives them as random forms of trail magic in hopes the hikers will travel with them to Maine or, at minimum, as far as they're able to go. All he asks is for the hiker to occasionally update their Instagram with their whereabouts. Having been without twerking poles and co soldering getting some, Sarah was surprised and very appreciative. As she chatted with Andy, I chatted with a friend of his who is spending the year in northern Georgia. Having always wanted to learn about the hiker community, he hopes to get out to the trail as much as he can over the next month to meet hikers. I fielded questions for him and told him he was most definitely in the right place.Sassafras seems to get a meaner rep than Wildcat Mountain, but Wildcat is one of the few that stuck with me from my previous hike. Though both are eventually seen as mere bumps in the long run, they represent some of the first decent ascents in Georgia. Though easier than my original climb, Sarah and I summited and enjoyed a much-needed drink of water. Knowing this was the last decent climb of the day, the remainder of the afternoon was more gradual ups and downs as the trail gradually descended towards Low Gap Shelter. With high winds rushing over the summits and drowning out most other noises, I spent most of the afternoon listening to my music. We eventually began our final one-mile descent into Low Gap Shelter, arriving at camp just before 6pm. With plenty of hikers hulled up at the Mountain Crossings Hostel the previous night due to the storm, the area was dotted with a patchwork of tents - greens, blues, reds, and yellows. Fortunately we found an area large enough for our two tents nearest the trail, and not lower down in the gap near the shelter.We sat near the shelter to scarf down dinner - more crackers, tuna fish, and chocolate for me, along with a bite of cheese and summer sausage offered by Sarah. Odin won't touch his Kibbles unless flavor is added to it - most likely due to all the handouts he receives from hikers - so Sarah mixed it with tuna fish, and I tossed in some peanut butter crackers. This pleased Odin, and we were deemed worthy in his eyes for another evening. We then joined a group of ~10 hikers around a campfire, with names like Peanut, 2.0, Pyro, and Tank - chatting about the day, the next, or food.With the valley already beginning to darken for the evening, Sarah and I made our way to our spots and set up our tents in order to escape a little of the cold wind that began funneling down from above. The moon is nearly full tonight, illuminating the surrounding woods in an eerie light, casting long shadows -day at night. It's, once again, about 9:30pm as I'm wrapping this entry up. So far my feet are good, legs are good, mind is good. Something is obviously not good with Odin, though, as he lets out a few barks at bumps in the night, most likely irritating some sleeping hikers.Cold weather is soon approaching as Sunday calls for potential snow and a few days with highs in the 20's-30's, and lows in the teens. Me and my gear will most likely be put to the test.