Trail Update #2: Embracing the Suck of Bad Weather

The first few days on trail were B-E-A-UTIFUL thanks to amazing weather. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and that includes the weather. Hot Tea told me about a seminar she went to hosted by the owner of Top of Georgia Hostel where he emphasized ’embracing the suck.’ It is safe to say we are getting a good hands-on lesson on this topic.

Day 5 – Neel Gap to Low Gap Shelter

Miles –  11.5

Group – Heather, Philip, Tin Cup, Hot Tea, and Jukebox

Awesome things –

• Trail Angel at Tesnatee Gap with water
• Listening to music on Spotify to get me pumped up

Less-awesome things –

• Steep climb up Wildcat Mountain (no one warns you about that one)
• Noisy night at camp

Day 6 – Low Gap Shelter to Rocky Mountain

Miles – 11.1

Group – Hot Tea, Tin Cup, Philip, Heather (Jukebox said goodbye and hiked ahead of us)

Awesome things – 

• Beautiful weather
• Early-morning solo hike
• Magic at Unicoi Gap (water, Gatorade powder, and Tootsie-Pops)
• Team Electro-lit (we drank a lot of electrolyte drink while resting)
• Sunset on Rocky Mountain

Less-awesome things – 

• Dry water sources (I had to carry 4 liters of dirty water up a .75 mile hill at lunchtime)
• Trash at Blue Mountain
• Terrifying 2-hour long thunderstorm/gale-force windstorm (I was fairly convinced that I was watching the end of my life, which is why I didn’t take any pictures).

 

Day 7 – Rocky Mountain to Tray Mountain Shelter (4.3 miles)

Miles – 4.3

Group – Team Electro-lit (Philip, Heather, Hot Tea, Tin Cup). We also met quite a few others at the shelter.

Awesome things- 

• Tent stayed up and dry during storm  (thank you, Big Agnes)
• Philip got his trail name – Gandalf
• Day hikers gave us an orange on Tray Mountain
• I ate so much food 🙂
• Short day…I even got to nap!

Less-awesome things –

• I was tired from being up all night with the thunderstorm
• Cold, windy night in Tray Mountain Shelter (I heard 15 degrees was the low)
• Philip broke a trekking pole, then had a walking staff hence the name Gandalf

 

Day 8 – Tray Mountain Shelter to Moreland Gap (10 miles)

Miles – 10

Group – Team Electro-lit

Awesome things – 

• Lots of downhill hiking
• Excellent warm fire to help stay warm as it snowed
• Good company!

Less-awesome things – 

• Cold weather sets in and snow starts
• I burnt a hole in my shoe (it took me a while to realize my toes was TOO warm)
• Tired from bad night of sleep in shelter

DAY 9 – Moreland Gap to Dick’s Creek Gap

Miles – 1

Group – Team Electro-lit; a hiker named Mule also made camp with us for the night.

Awesome things – 

• Easy hike in the snow
• Tin Cup mistakenly threw a snowball at Mule thinking it was Gandalf
• I got my trail name! I found a wrapped mini Snickers in the parking lot at Deep Gap, picked it up, and ate it wit out shame! Now, I am Snickers. #hikertrash
• Tin Cup remembering that he left his tin cup at camp and was able to retrieve it before we left for town.
• Laundry, hot shower, tent-drying and TV-watching at Budget Inn
• All-you-can-eat Southern food buffet

Less-awesome things – 

• Wet gear
• Slightly creepy guy hanging around Dick’s Creek Gap (not a hiker)
• Spending $$$ on resupply
• Long, cold wait for shuttle to Budget Inn

Day 10 – Dick’s Creek Gap to Muskrat Creek Shelter

Miles – 11.8

Group – Team Electro-lit. We met Bun along the way, and found a packed shelter with some familiar faces.

Awesome things –

• Gandalf got new Leki poles from the Outfitter near Budget Inn
• The Outfitter was hilarious
• Gandalf and I sent home some luxury items to reduce pack weight
• Crossing into North Carolina

Less-awesome things – 

• Spending $$$ for new trekking poles
• Long day of hiking with a late start
• Cold, damp, snowy weather
• Courthouse Bald climb (so much up)
• Georgia ended the way it started…so much pointless ups and downs!

Day 11 – Muskrat Creek Shelter to Carter Gap Shelter

Miles – 12.5

Group – Team Electro-lit plus lots of other hikers we met at the shelter

Awesome things –

•  No one got frostbite

Less-awesome things –

• Woke up to 3″ fresh snow
• All the wet things turned to frozen things
• Couldn’t hike long enough/fast enough to get off the mountain
• Temperatures continued to dip (never got above freezing)
• Water frozen in my Platypus bladder and hose, so it was a dry hike.

Day 12 – Carter Gap Shelter to Rocky Gap (12.1 miles)

Miles – 12.1

Group – Team Electro-lit; most of the people who were at Carter Gap Shelter also moved our way

Awesome things – 

• I woke up with all my fingers and toes looking a natural color (they didn’t stay that way once we got outside)
• We summited Mt. Albert and celebrated 100 miles on the AT
• The sun came out
• We ended up in town with a warm place to sleep
• We ordered pizza for dinner!

Less-awesome things –  

• Bitter, frigid AM temperatures (a hiker in the shelter had a thermometer that read 0 degrees Farenheit)
• Fear/panic about frostbite due to painful, cold, purple fingers
• I cried for the first time due to feeling a little hopeless
• I slipped and fell over some roots on the trail
• My whole left leg hurt

For the sake of my parent’s sanity, we are holed up in a hotel for a while to stay safe. I have never been so grateful for coffee, clean sheets, and heat!