Day 6 SASH #10: Woods Hole Shelter to Neel Gap, GA – Blood Mountain

“There’s a place in a piney hollow; That no one but me can find; Some Choctaw built it in the hillside; Stone by stone in a simpler time.” Blue Side of the Mountain, SteelDrivers

3 April – Knowing I had only about 4 miles to go to reach Neel Gap by 1pm, I was in no hurry to get out of my sleeping bag after waking; especially, since this was the deepest sleep I had during this section hike. I remember dreaming – about what I do not remember – but I do remember dreaming. It was already daylight and I heard Lynn stirring across the shelter; so, I decided I might as well get moving myself. It was still chilly and damp, but it was not raining. Jessie and Stella wandered in from their hammock behind the shelter and it seemed like we all were slowly packing. There was time for breakfast – the usual hot coffee and Clif Bar. It was not long before we were all ready to get moving down the Blue Blaze back to the trail. Lynn left first, then me, then Jessie and Stella. I would see Jessie and Stella pass me at the spring – I had to get water for the day. She was heading south to Woody Gap; so, we said a farewell.

The day felt a bit warmer than the previous days, but the trail and the forest was still shrouded in fog. I should have had the foresight to try and use the privy before leaving Woods Hole; but an old man’s “constitution” ticks to its own clock. So, at the Slaughter Creek Trail intersection, I needed to find a spot for my best bear imitation. I left my backpack at the intersection next to the spring and walked down Slaughter Creek Trail a few hundred yards until I could find an appropriately flat spot. When I got back to the trail intersection, there was a young man filtering water. I casually said, “Good morning, Gustav!” He was quite surprised; so, I had to explain that last night at Woods Hole, Lynn gave a very accurate description of a young, blonde, Swede named Gustav who she had met on the trail earlier.

At Slaughter Creek, there is a nice set of rock stairs that signal the start of the Blood Mountain climb. A beautiful staircase, surrounded by rhododendrons. I paused for a moment to just enjoy being quiet among the greenery and fog. I was feeling pretty good with no trepidation that my hip would handle  the climb. In fact, I almost wished I had waited to text Nightingale about an early pick-up today. At this point, I was not going to ask Nightingale to change her plans again. But it felt nice to not be in pain for my last day of this Georgia section. I continued on and started thinking, this climb is hardly a climb at all. The ascent was gradual and I only took one break as three hikers came up from behind. I stepped off the trail to let them pass; they paused for a short chat – Mountain Doc (in a kilt) and two young men whose names have slipped my memory. The concensus of the conversation was that the Blood Mountain climb was failing to live up to its alleged difficulty. We agreed that the climb was over-hyped, bordering on “fear mongering” by the authorities. Yes, it is the highest point on the AT in Georgia and the first true mountain to summit for thru hikers. But given my proclivity for hip pain on climbs, I was pleasantly surprised by Blood Mountain’s ease. I concluded that the extra rest the day before at Woods Hole Shelter was exactly what I needed at the time. The trail up Blood Mountain from the south is a beautiful rhododendron grove, making it difficult to see the top. As I broke out of the green tunnel near what I believed to be the summit, Edna and Axel, my Berliner friends, came around a bend in the trail from behind a huge rhododendron! I think I was more excited to see them than I was to realize I was almost to the top of Blood Mountain! They had decided to spend another night at Above the Clouds hostel and had discovered the “art” of slackpacking! It was wonderful seeing my friends again, but we all had miles to cover. We said “tschüss” and went in our different directions.

Five minutes later, I was at the Blood Mountain Shelter. In the fog, this legendary AT landmark had an almost mythical quality. I spent a few minutes pondering its construction and its history. And a few more minutes searching for a white blaze in the fog to figure out in which direction the trail leads from the old stone shelter. I could not find a single white blaze and almost headed down a path to the west of the shelter. But I had not yet seen a proper vista point; so, I assumed the trail must lead on from behind the shelter. (It would not hurt for the maintainers to paint a couple white blazes or an arrow behind the shelter.) A few more steps through the rhododendron and loblolly pine and I came to the first set of granite slabs and the summit of Blood Mountain. Of course, there was nothing to see; only mist and fog. The granite slabs were wet, and of course, very slippery. The white blazes were painted directly down the middle of the granite. However, the slabs were also canted downward as the trail continued down the north side of the mountain. The safest way was to creep along the edge of the slabs, practically bushwhacking through the rhododendron and loblolly pine. After two or three sets of these slick granite slabs, the trail started down the northside of Blood Mountain through another misty green tunnel. This quiet and beautiful path did not last long; soon enough the trail turned into a boulder jumble and rock scramble, with no white blazes to be seen anywhere. Wet rocks, tumbled boulders, no blazes; it was almost a guess as to where to put your feet. I wondered (well maybe even “cursed”) why the Ridge Runner at Woods Hole did not mention this stretch of rocky trail at all. But, hey, the Ridge Runner insisted we know all about the rocks in Pennsylvania. My decision to stop early yesterday and rest my hip was looking like even a better idea now; I would not have wanted to come down this wet, steep, rock scramble with a painful hip. Conclusion: going NOBO, the climb up the southside of Blood Mountain is relatively easy; the scramble down the northside of Blood Mountain (especially when wet)  may have been the toughest part of the trail I encountered in this section.

Gradually, the rocks became a series of steps rather than a scramble. After the steps, the trail flattened and the remaining x miles into Neel Gap were easy. Off of Blood Mountain, the fog had disappeared; however, looking over my shoulder I could see the summit was still shrouded in a cloud. I made it to Neel Gap around 1pm; Nightingale was already there talking with thru hikers. She got to meet Lynn from Woods Hole Shelter and we both saw Plodder again. Gustav, Mountain Doc, and a dozen other hikers were there, many enjoying their Mountain Crossings pizza! Nightingale and I did not partake of the pizza. We took some time to look around Mountain Crossings (the outfitter is even more impressive than I expected), bought a couple t-shirts, and took some photos.  Then it was off on the 2 hour drive to Atlanta. Nightingale had been staying at an extended stay hotel. So, the evening was spent grilling a big ribeye on the hotel’s poolside grill, drinking some local IPAs, and throwing my hiker clothes in the laundry. Just your average night at a hotel after getting off the trail.