Days 3 to 10 Hawk to Hiawassee.
The days melded together as the weather worsened. My motivation to write waned as the temperatures dropped. Dense fog made taking pictures seem like a moot point. So, a week later as I find myself taking another zero day, I decide to catch up on the writing.
Hawk to Gooch
On the 19th we hiked from hawk mountain to gooch gap. It was a pleasant day compared to the others we spent on the trail, with partly cloudy skies and about 50°f most of the day. Gooch gap was very windy when we arrived but it calmed down as we settled in and set up camp. Morris and I were joined by Woodstock, CookIN, Bubblegum, and Ryan. After camp was set and dinner prepared, (Our cat can stove was performing as poorly as ever) we sat down to eat next to out hammocks. The others joined us and we chatted about the trail. Morris gathered some wood for a fire but no one would really commit to lighting it, as we were all tired and about ready for bed. But after half an hour of standing in the cold, Bubblegum said "light the fire Stupid!" so I obliged.
Woodstock brought out a bottle of Irish whiskey that had been given him as a going away gift, and we took nips from it as we chatted into the night. The sky was clear and the stars were amazing to look at. It's remarkable to me how such a wonder can go unnoticed so often then all of the sudden I look up and I am captivated by the constellations above me.
As the fire died out we headed for bed. The prior two nights I had been very cold in my hammock so on this night I had stuffed my silk sleeping bag liner with dried leaves and used it as a mattress. I was warm and cozy all night on my leaf sleeping pad.
When we woke the next morning, Bubblegum was gone. CookIN was handing out flatbread that he didn't want to carry any further. We filled our water bottles but decided against breakfast because of our horrible stove. Then we packed our bags and hit the trail for Lance creek.
Lance Creek
Lance creek is a campground with no shelter. It is situated like a road winding on a hillside. When we arrived it was already starting to fill up. Morris and I set up on the hillside ( a great advantage of hammocks is not needing level ground) and I filled my liner with leaves again. The weather forecast was for cold temperatures so I wasn't taking chances. We were joined at the campsite by CookIN, Woodstock, Grey Loon, Lindsey & Jenna. Along with a lot of other hikers who streamed in later.
I noticed a group filing in with a dog, so later I walked over to ask how they planned to navigate the Smokey mountains where dogs aren't allowed.
I walked up to the group standing around a fire and announced "I'd like to speak to the dog owners." The group got quiet for a second and a few rolled their eyes. Apparently they had gotten some guff about the dogs before and they expected that I was there to complain. But the mood lightened when I clarified that I miss my dog and wish she was with me. I learned that one owner had a friend picking up their dog for a while and the other hiker had a service dog which allowed her to take the dog anywhere. I had a good conversation with them but declined to sit by the fire as I was eager to get back to my hammock for the night. I turned in soon after and spent another warm and cozy night in my hammock thanks to my bed of leaves.
The following morning was frigid with a light dusting of snow on the ground. The sky cleared as we left but the air was cold and a blustery wind cut through me like a knife. We climbed sassafras mountain and met Hawii as we admired the view. She asked us to pose with a sweet potato for her to take our picture, then ask me to photograph her in mid jump with the view of the mountains in the background. We talked for a bit then went our seperate ways as she was going south and we headed north toward Blood Mountain. The ascent of Blood Mountain was bitter cold. The wind whipped through the trees and threatened to cause frostbite to our exposed skin. As we hiked our water froze in the bottles so we stopped at Blood Mountain Shelter to heat water for breakfast. Our cat can stove failed us again and we were only able to thaw out the water before our fuel supply gave way. After half an hour I could not get the water hot, only luke warm. So I filled my bottle and drank as much as I could before it got cold. Woodstock was at the shelter but left soon after we arrived. Then Owf ( the girl with the dog "sable" who I had spoken with the night before) arrived and asked to buy a cigarette from me for a dollar ( I guess that's the going rate in the wilderness) I gave her one as she went on about how she loved this mountain. I offered her some candy and she said" Oh my god! Jolly ranchers! The last time I was here someone gave me a jolly rancher! Owf is so enthusiastic about hiking that her mood is infectious. We really enjoyed being around her. Then Boomin showed up and said it was warmer outside. So we went out and took a few pictures of the view before heading down to Neels Gap.
Since Owf had hiked Blood Mountain before, Morris, Boomin, and I followed her down, taking for granted that she knew the way. Well that was a bad idea as she led us about 300 yards off trail down an almost sheer cliff. 300 yards isn't that far unless you're going up a 55° rock face with 40+ pounds on your back.
Owf apologized but in truth we weren't angry, getting lost is part of the journey. With the right trail beneath our feet, Owf, Boomin, and Sable went far ahead of us at a much quicker pace. I met them again at Neels gap but just in passing.
Neels Gap
Neels gap is the first civilized place on the trail. There is a hiker hostel, overpriced outfitter store, and cabins to rent. Woodstock had secured us a cabin when he'd arrived earlier so we were set for the night.
I went to the outfitter store and dropped $300 on a new stove, fuel, sleeping pad, treking poles, and a rain coat. All of which I felt were essential to my finishing the trail safely. I also bought 2 hot dogs and a yoohoo.
The cabins were a few hundred yards down the road and at the end of a trail through the woods. After the descent from Blood mountain my knees were screaming so I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Raccoon cabin.
The cabin was really nice, especially for the thru hiker rate of $60 per night. They even did our laundry for us. There was another store by the cabins that had reasonable prices on snacks and drinks as well as an eclectic collection of touristy trinkets and t shirts. There was a seating area around a fire place where guests can sip free coffee and use the wifi. I sat for a while and talked to some other hikers, they didn't have trail names so I can't remember who they were. ( for some reason I have a difficult time remembering real names, yet trail names are easy for me. The only way I remember Lindsey and Jenna is by thinking " linseed and henna". yes it's stupid but so am I. )
* a note about my trail name:
It's surprising to me how many people are unwilling to call me stupid. "It just seems wrong!", "I feel mean when I call you stupid." and " you should change your name to something cool." Are just some examples of what people say in regards to my self debasing moniker. I try to encourage them to let go of preconceived notions, to just say "hey stupid!". "It's liberating" I tell them. "Don't worry I don't take offense! It's a joke, it's a fun way to break the ice."
A few have embraced my name and enjoy the license to call me stupid. Hikers like Bubblegum, Noodle, and of course Owf who when she learned my name exclaimed "Stoooooopid!" With glee. For some reason Morris the pussy....err I mean cat, refuses to call me stupid. He calls me Torry but spells it wrong every chance he gets. I have told him while sharpening my knife that I'm probably going to stab him to death before this hike is over. But I did tell his mom I'd get him home safe so I suppress the urge...for now.
Meanwhile back at the cabins....
Anyhow, we had a good rest at the cabin. I took time to root through the hiker box at the hostel, I picked out two matching tent pegs to replace the one I bent and the other I had lost. I also got a pair of winter gloves as well. When I returned to the cabin, CookIN had brought some spaghetti that hikers from another cabin had left over along with some fried eggs,sausage, and potatoes with green peppers and onions. Both dishes were delicious and I remarked that I wish I could thank the cook personally. CookIN said the hikers name was Noodle so if we caught up with him I could let him know I appreciated the meals.
Blood mountain cabins is a great place to be, due to the impending snow we stayed an extra day and enjoyed the hospitality. When we checked out I was low on cash so I collected everybody's money and paid with my debit card. I joked with Woodstock about skipping out on the bill, the surprised look of doubt on his face reminded me that he doesn't know that I would never do such a thing, so when I paid I was sure to get a receipt just in case the question came up later.
We left Neels gap on a foggy rainy morning that promised nothing but more fog and rain.
My knees where aching as I climbed the hill out of Neels gap but the treking poles I had purchased were a great help in taking the stress off my legs. I could finally keep up with Morris on the uphill climbs ( mostly) As the day wore on I started dropping back and soon found myself hiking alone in the fog. Visibility was limited to about 50 feet in any direction. It's like being alone in a tiny world. The fog closed everything out, sound was subdued. I could not see what was ahead or behind, it was surreal.
Eventually I crested a hill and decided to take a lunch break. As I stepped off the trail and sat on a log a fellow hiker passed and said "I think we're almost there." ( he was speaking of low gap shelter which was indeed just at the bottom of the hill) I responded simply "That's good." and began taking my lunch out. I had bought a summer sausage at Neels gap and began cutting it up and savoring it as the hiker disappeared into the mist. I sat on a damp log appreciating the silence and serenity of the mountain top. The sausage was really good and I washed it down with water I had collected from a mountain stream earlier in the day.
As I sat meditating on the beauty of my surroundings and the privilege of my freedom, other hikers trekked by on their way to Low gap. Most didn't even notice me sitting quietly about 15 feet off the trail. They walked up from behind to my right and circled in front of me and back behind to my left along the switchback trail. I was a silent observer, a calm, centered part of the landscape.
After 30 minutes or so my butt was getting cold, I stood to don my pack and my knees creaked like rusty hinges. I sat back down and rifled through my pack for some vitamin I ( as ibuprofen is called on the trail) 800 milligrams and another sip of the sweetest water ever and I was good to go. I headed down the trail singing a song to quiet my knees. ( This is your life. Music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff85lmPlmsw&feature=youtube_gdata_player)
Within minutes I was walking up to low gap shelter where Morris was attempting to light a fire with the wet wood that was available. He was doing a good job by using his knife to carve the wet wood from sticks, leaving the dry inner portion to build the fire. Noodle exclaimed "Hey stupid's here! Now we can have a fire!" I guess Morris had said I'd be able to do it if no one else could.
So I dropped my pack and began working on the fire. It took about 20 minutes but we got it going and then went to search for more wood to keep the fire up all night. I took my axe with me to look for a standing tree that was dead ( this is the best sort of firewood to be found in a forest that has been drenched in rain for days.) I found a good tree that was about 6 inches in diameter and chopped it down. Then I carried it back to the shelter and chopped it into 2 foot sections. This supplied our needs for the night. Noodle thanked me for the fire and I thanked him for the food days before.
Everyone was thankful for the fire and I felt very satisfied as I began to set up my hammock between 2 trees beside the shelter. As I set up Noodle, Nut, and another hiker came over to ask me about the hammock. I spent about 10 minutes giving a presentation that would make henessee hammocks proud to hire me as a sales rep. I pointed out the benefits of the setup as well as considerations in setting it up. One of the hikers called his wife to have her order one and send it to him right away. Little did I know that later that night my hammock would fail big time.
With my camp set I made chicken and rice for dinner and sat down to play a game of cards at the picnic table. Noodle instructed all of us in the rules of "crazy 8's Chicago rules" it was a fun game, a lot like uno but kinda cutthroat too. Noodle won the game and I was close second with molly in third.
After the game most people retired to their sleeping bags. I wasn't tired so I just sat by the fire contemplating the world until about midnight. When I finally tucked in I was pleased to find that my new sleeping mat was an excellent insulator and I was warm and cozy. I drifted off to sleep listening to the wind howling in the trees. A storm was brewing.
I slept soundly until 3 am when the cheap tent stakes I had gotten from the hiker box proved to be useless against the gusts of wind that accompanied the thunderstorm. My rainfly blew in the wind exposing me to the brunt of the storm. I was looking up into the rain as I blinked my eyes trying to figure out what the hell was happening. By the time I realized the situation and took action, my hammock, sleeping bag, and mat were soaked.
I secured the rain fly and then stood under the eave of the shelter wondering how well a wet down sleeping bag would keep me warm. I was already shivering, so I used a "sham wow" from my bag to dry off ( those things are as good as advertised) I smoked a cigarette then climbed into my wet bag. I was cold but I managed to fall asleep after an hour or so.
Morris had similar problems with his hammock so the next morning we decided to stick around the shelter to dry our gear. So we hung it all in the shelter after everybody left. The air was so misty that hanging stuff up just got it wetter, we could see the fog condensing on our stuff. So we decided to stay there that night because we had little chance of getting a space in any other shelter.
I laid out my bag and took a nap. ( I had read that in these conditions, my body heat could dry my bag. I was pleased that this actually worked quite well. By the time the sun went down my bag was mostly dry and I spent a warm night in the shelter.
The next morning we woke to snow and bitter cold temperatures. Almost everyone was moving about accept for morris and me. "I don't wanna get out of this bag." I said
"Me neither. " he replied.
After a while I began thinking about getting into town and out of the snow so I said " Let's get the fuck outta here." Then I got out of my bag and packed up within minutes.
Morris moved like molasses. I was standing there waiting for him when I was approached by Raider99 who liked my gear and asked about it.
Raider99
Raider99 came into camp the night before wearing a t shirt in the frigid cold. He had hiked 42 miles in 2 days. We learned that he was a retired Marine Sergeant Major from Force Recon. He was a great example of the warriors our country produces. Tough as nails and polite as can be, he earned the respect of everyone at the camp.
After talking with Raider99 I saw morris was still not ready so I told him I was going ahead. I knew he would catch up and I wanted to move to warm up.
I hiked alone for 30 minutes or so until morris caught up. We hiked in the gusty winds and blowing snow. The rocks were slippery and my treking poles saved me from falling several times. I was reassured that the hundred bucks I paid for them was well spent.
Morris is faster on the ascents, we match stride on the levels, and I usually pass him on the descents. Thats how I arrived at Unicoi gap ahead of him. There was a church group doing trail magic there so I got some free burgers and a hot dog along with a cup of coffee. Morris got his fill as well and asked them to pose for a picture.
After that we decided to hitchhike into Hiawassee to get a room. I have never hitched before but I did watch a series of videos on YouTube called "how to hitchhike across America " ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO3-AAVTeDA&feature=youtube_gdata_player) This series gave me some good advice and it worked like a charm. As soon as I threw my thumb out we got a ride.
Our driver asked us about the trail as we soaked up the warmth of his truck cab. He dropped us off at Mulls Motel and we thanked him for the ride.
Mulls motel was a welcome shelter from the storm. However, had there not been a freak winter storm, there is no way they could have gotten $60 a night for those shitty rooms. It was more like the kind of motel that rents rooms by the hour. The sheets hadn't been changed, there was pubic hair plugging the tub, and mold on the shower curtain. But as they say "any port in a storm"
To my delight Owf was staying their with her crew and so was Woodstock, CookIN, Boomin, and a lot of other familiar faces. Lots of hikers came off the trail to shelter from the freak winter storm 2 days into spring.
In Hiawassee we shopped for provisions at Ingalls and had a mediocre buffet at Daniels steakhouse where we saw even more familiar faces. I spent some time flirting with the waitress but gave up when Morris the asshole began making fun of my efforts.
We left the restaurant feeling overstuffed and a little sick. On the way back to the motel we bumped into Bubblegum who said we should have eaten at the Georgia mountian buffet across the street because the food is so good. We told him we planned to zero the next day so we'd have our chance.
Back at the motel we shared some beers with a couple other hikers before going to bed. Inside our room was hot because we had laid out our gear to dry and cranked the heat. I couldnt sleep so I grabbed my sleeping bag and bundled up in a chair outside our room. I sat watching the snow fall on the silent town as I smoked cigarettes and thought about life. I finally turned in around 1:30am.
When we got up the next morning we called the budget motel and secured the last available room. We checked out of Mulls and saw Turtle coming to check in. I offered him a space in our room at Budget along with a warning about Mulls but he declined. I shrugged and said goodbye.
The Budget Inn
The Budget Inn in Hiawassee was cheaper and nicer than Mulls. They also offer shuttle rides back to the trail for hikers. We had to wait for the room to be cleaned so we stood around the office for a while before bumping into Lindsey, Jenna and Whales who had a room together. We hung out in their room until ours was clean. Later we saw Lindsey in the laundry room and talked with her while the wash was going. We talked about getting dinner together at a Mexican restaurant in town.
I left Morris to finish the wash while I went to a local store to get a sharpening stone for my axe. When I returned Morris and I decided to go to the Chinese Buffet next door instead of a Mexican place across town.
The Chinese Buffet closed at 3pm. WTF! So we went to check out a diner just a block away. They closed at 2pm SOB WTF!!! So we walked the half mile to Georgia Mountain Buffet. The food was bland and overpriced. When the cashier asked me how our meal was all I could say was "It was food." I wouldn't go there again.
And now I sit on the edge of my bed in a comfortable rented room looking forward to hiking the trail again. Tomorrow we take the 9am shuttle back to unicoi gap and head north. Until next time, be good to yourselves :)
