Date: 2005-09-05
From: Woody Gap

To: Baggs Creek Gap
Miles today: 13.8

I started the day well-rested thanks to my second night at Hiker Hostel hosted by Josh and Leigh Saint. My goal was to make it to Neels Gap for a short-term resupply to Hiawassee, then possibly hike a little further. I ended up making it about 4 miles past Neels Gap. The most striking thing about the beginning of my hike today was how stunningly quiet it was. No breeze, no traffic noises, no birds. Just me. I started out limping along with blisters in 4 places on my right foot, but once I was warmed up, they felt fine. A few things distinguished today's hike. One, it wasn't too crowded despite the fact that it was Labor Day. (I'm already forgetting the date, so I'm keeping it in my journal.) I'm starting to believe that even though the Appalachian Trail is the most heavily used long-distance trail in the country, it's still underused. I am eternally grateful to the people who spend countless hours maintaining it. Two, the hiking was much easier than yesterday's. This wasn't obvious based on the information in the data book, so it was a pleasant surprise that only the descent down Blood Mountain was truly difficult. Each time I made an ascent, I referred to the data book and saw, gratifyingly, that I had climbed a bona fide "mountain." Three, Blood Mountain offered a panoramic view of the surrounding range, so I could finally see where I have been hiking. I think my photography at the vista points was a bit overzealous...I can see myself describing the pictures in the future as "blue mountains rolling off into the distance," "more blue mountains rolling off into the distance," etc. I wish I had a better sense of my bearings so I could point out the peaks that I have actually climbed, but the view is beautiful nonetheless. Four, no spiderwebs. I forgot to mention that on yesterday's hike, I knew I was the first one through in the morning because I had to break through hundreds of spiderwebs. I whirled my bandana and broke through 14 in one 2-minute span. Today, though, I passed a hiker going the other way early on, and I think he may have taken care of the problem for me. There were a couple of things about today that weren't perfect, though. Georgia trail section 14 is quite undermaintained at the moment, especially near Neels Gap. During the descent from Blood Mountain (named for a Cherokee-Creek war, though I heard some hiking horror stories about it too), I did something to my left ankle, and now it hurts to flex or extend my left foot. Not particularly convenient for hiking. It does, however, take the emphasis off my blisters. Because I was feeling sore, I opted to go to a campsite only 4 miles after Neels Gap, and I'm glad I did. I wasn't prepared for the level of bushwhacking involved. While I never lost the trail, at times I felt I was wading through a dense fog, since my visibility of the trail was only about 3 feet. I didn't encounter anyone in this section at all, so I'm camping alone for the first time tonight. The campsites in the data book seem rather hit-or-miss. I passed up an unlisted one that was a pristine mountaintop site with a panoramic view, but the listed one I stayed at wasn't so nice. The water source was a tad iffy -- it's an underground spring running into a creek not more than an inch deep, with little dead white things in the water. The white things look like a cross between pillbugs, giant lice, and tiny crustaceans. I think my loneliness has translated into a general paranoia about the state of the campsite. I am even worrying about bears tonight. (After much deliberation about whether to hang my food or keep it with me, I decided to keep it in my tent, in Ziplocs in a waterproof duffle in my waterproof backpack. There are no bear cables here, and there are some signs ( e.g. hanging ropes) of botched hanging attempts in the past.I'm also busy worrying that my campsite is full of poison ivy. I think I may have used some as a bathroom, in flip flops. There are so many things to worry about when my mind is set on it! I was so tense, I just wanted to crawl into my sleeping bag without eating or washing up, but routine got the better of me and now I'm much happier, warm in my burrito-coccoonlike sleeping bag. If I do have trouble sleeping tonight, at least I now have a paperback book ("A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson, of course) to keep me company. I am hoping that at least tonight I will be spared the likes of yesterday's bizarre dreams of being trapped but unable to scream, or being given a job reference letter from Queen Elizabeth...