Date: 2005-03-14
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Woodly Gap (GA Route 60)
Miles today: 5.0

DAY 3Once again I got little sleep and had to get up several times to answer nature¢s call. It also began to rain during the night. While I was dry in the shelter, I couldn¢t help but think that today¢s hike would be even more difficult than yesterday¢s.It was a miserable looking morning. The thought of hiking a little over twelve miles to the next shelter, Woods Hole, was not very appealing. I was sore from my heavy pack weight from yesterday, when I had only covered 7.3 miles. What was today going to be like in even more mountainous terrain and wet weather? So, I decided I would hike to the next paved road at Woody Gap, a distance of only five miles. There I planned to hitchhike back to Hiker Hostel. At the hostel I planned to decide whether to give up my thru hike attempt or just shed some pack weight. Josh of Hiker Hostel could shuttle me back to the Trail if I decided to continue.When I mentioned to Rocky that I was thinking of getting off the Trail, she was surprised and tried to talk me out of quitting. She told me I seemed to be doing so well. Perhaps I was doing well in terms of hiking speed, but was the pain worth it?I left the shelter as soon as I was packed, without cooking breakfast. I ate a pop tart as I walked. This was going to be my breakfast today. After walking about a mile and a half I experienced Trail Magic for the first time. The father of one of the younger hikers was waiting at USFS 42. He offered me a soda. Now, on a chilly day, a cold soda may not be the greatest thing. However, I was touched by his kindness and I could use the hydration. So I accepted a ginger ale, with thanks, and continued on my way to Woody Gap. It was a fairly easy walk to Woody Gap, as there was an elevation gain of only 500 feet over 3.6 miles to the highest point of the day¢s walk. It was late morning when I reached the road at Woody Gap (GA 60). There were picnic tables and a parking area there. There were few cars on the road, so I was not able to get a ride for some time. While I was waiting for a ride, an older couple, ¢Runaway¢ and ¢Ah Youth¢ reached the road, also looking for a ride to Hiker Hostel. Eventually all three of us got a ride to Hiker Hostel. Unfortunately, the hostel owners were out and the doors were locked. The three of us spent an uncomfortable few hours, on the cold, damp porch waiting for Josh Saint to return. When Josh did return in the afternoon from shuttling other hikers, he let us in. However, all the beds were already taken or spoken for. Josh assigned me a spot on the floor of a basement room which was not yet finished. It certainly is better than a wet night in a tent. As other new hikers arrived at the hostel I was caught up in their enthusiasm, and decided right there that I was not going to quit. I assembled over seven pounds of gear to send home: sheath knife, sun glasses, a wool shirt, sneakers, tent footprint, sleeping bag liner, extra socks, t-shirt, a 32 ounce fuel bottle, and a bound notebook. Josh¢s wife, Leigh, mailed these items home for me. In place of the 32 ounce fuel bottle, I picked up a 16 ounce fuel bottle that another hiker, ¢Sandman¢, was discarding. About ten of us went into Dahlonega tonight for dinner. It was a fun dinner. I am particularly struck by the optimism and enthusiasm of two twenty something hikers; ¢KTR¢ and ¢Cupcake¢. Cupcake is on her second thru hike attempt as she was injured last year. There was a bit of comedy when the waitress asked Ah Youth for ID to prove he was old enough to order a beer. Ah Youth is in his late 70¢s or 80¢s and looks it.I am now back at Hiker Hostel, where I will be sharing the room and the floor with a female African-American hiker, ¢Vision Quest¢. She has been on the Trail three days, also. Josh came down to our room and did a ¢shakedown¢ of her gear to see what she could do to lighten her pack. I have gotten one good tip out of her shakedown: carry tent poles inside the pack to minimize the chances of breaking them.Josh will be shuttling me to Woody Gap tomorrow morning, and I will be slackpacking to Neels Gap. He will pick me up at the Walasi-Yi hostel and I will spend a second night at Hiker Hostel.-Swamp Fox