Date: 2006-05-26
To: Day Nine On the Trail-Neel Gap to Whitley Gap
Miles today: 6.5

May 26, 2006   DAY NINE ON THE TRAIL ¢ Neel Gap to Whitley GapDay 9. Neel Gap to Whitley Gap (6.5 miles)I woke up about 7:30, but everybody else slept till 8:30.   Check out time was 9:00, so we had to hurry a little bit, but nobody got too excited! Dennie and I ate our breakfast of pop tarts and Carnation instant breakfast and finished packing. I went up to the Outfitters store and bought a can of cherry coke. Great way to start the day! We posed for a group picture, said our goodbyes, and headed out. The Trail actually passes through a covered alcove between the Outfitter and the hostel. This is the only place where the Trail goes inside a building. At the top of the first hill Noah and Aaron passed us and disappeared from sight. Their goal was a 16-mile day. Walasi-Yi Center is 3125 foot elevation and we climbed up to Levelland Mountain at 3942 foot elevation. Then the rest of the day was filled with MUDS (mindless ups and downs!) until we passed through Tesnattee Gap and then climbed Wild Cat Mountain. It was as high as the others and steep at the top. To give Dennie¢s feet a rest from his new shoes, we decided to make it another short day and we headed for the Whitley Gap Shelter.   Plus, there was a storm threatening, lightning and thunder were nearby. Another storm blew in about 6:30 with lots of lightning and thunder, but only a little bit of rain. This was a nice shelter with water fairly close, which is ALWAYS a plus. This shelter also has a newly-designed privy WITH DOORS! Wow! Modern and private! The only downside to this shelter was that it is located 1.2 miles from the Trail and the water is another .3 of a mile and is down a very steep hill into the valley. That meant that in the morning, we had a long walk just to get back to the Trail.I fixed Mexican rise and sausage for dinner. Although I force myself to eat plenty during the day, I still don¢t have a good appetite. Dennis has a serious blister on the side of one foot. My only problem is that my toes are tender from the downhill walking. But, I think the new Superfeet insoles and new pair of socks might be helping. Everyone has been waiting to hear about adventures with local wildlife¢¦here¢s the first story! As we were walking down to the shelter, the trailside exploded with the shrieking of a mother bird, and there was lots of peeping as baby birds scattered everywhere. The mother bird feigned injury and squawked and flopped on the ground as if she had a broken wing. We just ignored her and kept on hiking. When her tactics failed, she tried another plan. Now, I was able to recognize the bird as a Ruffled Grouse. The hen puffed out her neck feathers to the size of a dinner plate and charged! I mean, she acted like she was going to get us! I was all set to bop her on the head with a hiking pole if she got too close.   After her third bluff-charge failed, she flew away. Meanwhile, back at the shelter, night was approaching, it was chilly and there really wasn¢t anything else to do. So, we went to bed at 8:30!   We had just gone to sleep when a group of seven hikers arrived at camp. They are known as the Turtle Crew, mainly because some are stragglers. They set up several tents and three made their beds in the shelter with Dennie and me. The Turtle Crew was composed of Jack (the father), his son and four of his friends plus a wife. They tried to be quiet and we were all asleep by 10:00 o¢clock. Note: We had been passing through heavy poison ivy all along the Trail and I have a small spot on my right arm. Ris« will have medicine. So, nothing to worry about.