Date: 2006-03-14
From: Wood's Hole Shelter

To: Tesnatee Gap
Miles today: 9.2

Wood¢s Hole to Tesnatee Gap. 9.2 Miles. 12 pieces of trash. The morning began at 37 degrees with a wind-chill which made it feel 22. Having slept so poorly and with no desire to face the frosty air, it took me a while to get moving. My breakfast consisted of a cream cheese bagel¢half of which was nearly stolen by a dog named Riley. If he had gotten away with my breakfast, I could have seen myself getting stuck with a trail name like ¢Bagel,¢ but fortunately my own bark scared Riley off just as he was beginning to sink his teeth in. I found the trek up Blood Mountain much easier than anticipated, and seeing the two roomed Blood Mountain shelter only made me wish we had made the extra trek the previous night. It would have only been an extra 1.3 miles and it appeared that there would have been plenty of extra room for us. Oh well. Besides the wind, the sky had been exorcised of all its previous demons of the night before. The visibility from Blood Mountain was perfect and we were able to study the thirty miles of mountains from which we had come. It was a very rewarding sight. The backside of Blood was a reminder that civilization was only a hop, skip, and a jump away, as we were flooded by a torrent of tourists going in the opposite direction. I was glad we were heading down and not back up. During one stretch, Teri and I passed a long line of elderly people. ¢Where¢d you come from?¢ one of them asked us. ¢Springer.¢ ¢Good job.¢ ¢Jeez¢there¢s a lot of ya,¢ I commented. ¢Sixteen,¢ the man answered. ¢Started out with sixty, but we had to bury the rest,¢ he joked. ¢Smells like a thru-hiker,¢ another one observed. ¢Well, you ain¢t smelled nothin¢ yet,¢ I threw back at him, giving Teri the giggles. It had been three days since I¢d had a shower, but I knew it was only the beginning. At Neels Gap, I traded in the book of matches for a ¢Leave No Trace¢ bandanna and ate three hotdogs within a three hour period. Teri stuck around long enough for me to restock my supplies from out of the trunk of her car, we said our goodbyes, and she began the long drive back to Gainesville, Florida. I was a bit nervous about continuing on alone but more so about the seventy miles of trail I would have to cross before my next town. I was tempted to stay in the Gap for the night, but the fact I had come less than four miles that day pushed me ahead. About a mile later, I met a married couple (forgot their names) thru-hiking with a couple of chocolate labs. The woman was having problems with her pack¢s waste-belt. It was apparently causing her a lot of pain, and she was unsure if she¢d be able to continue. The two of them were really friendly and I hoped the best for them, but my thoughts were doubtful. A group of boy scouts gave me a bunch of water at Tesnatee Gap. The sun was getting ready to fold for the day and the wind had yet to quit. It was going to be a cold one. A few of the boys were still sitting inside the warm van waiting for the other boys to arrive. One of the adult scout leaders couldn¢t believe I was going all the way to Maine. He opened up the van¢s door a moment later and told the boys: ¢This man¢s going all the way to Maine¢all the way to Maine¢I don¢t want to hear any complaints tonight.¢ ¢Don¢t tell them that,¢ I said. ¢I haven¢t made it there yet.¢ I was a little spooked that evening. In an attempt to avoid the wind, I campeddown a little ways from the Gap. I was in an unfamiliar place without another soul in sight and my tent site was just off the road. I kept my hiking poles inside my tent that evening and hoped I wouldn¢t have to use them. I listened closely for dueling banjos but there was only wind.