And 3 More Days on the AT In Georgia

If you haven't seen them already, you might want to check out my other two posts about my Georgia trip: This one first, and then this one.  

When I planned this trip, I figured on six days of hiking between Amicolola Falls and Hogpen Gap.  If all went perfectly, I would hike the approximately 9.5 miles to the Springer Mountain Trailhead along the AT approach trail, and Monday through Thursday I would hike about 38 more miles between Springer Mountain and Hogpen gap.  Friday, if I felt like it, I might explore some other trails in the area and maybe do some geocaching. (I got to do that on Wednesday.) Saturday I would pack up and make the 6-hour drive home. With the weather looking iffy for Tuesday and Wednesday, I rearranged that schedule.  Since I was relying on shuttle drivers and their schedules to get me to and from the trailheads, I ended up hiking the different parts of the AT in mixed-up order.

Here's how the rest of the week went down:

Thursday, June 9

Woody Gap to Neel's Gap, 10.4 miles

I met my driver bright and early at the Byron Reece parking area at Neel's Gap, and he dropped me off at the trailhead at Woody Gap.  The morning was still foggy from the rain, and for the first few miles I got to hike through a magical, misty forest.  

About a mile past Woody Gap is Preacher's Rock, which is known for its sweeping vistas.  Today all I could see was fog.  I would be climbing Blood Mountain later, and I hoped that would all be gone by the time I got there.  Meanwhile, I settled into a rhythm as the fog slowly dissipated.

(Everything looks like a bear.  Every dark stump, log, and rock. Can you spot the thing that almost gave me a heart attack?)

(Pretty sure that's Blood Mountain.  Yikes, I have to go up there??)

I had heard that the trail up Blood Mountain is brutal, and I was a little nervous.  I didn't know how wet the trail would be, and I knew it could potentially be slippery, especially going down.  Rocks and steep descents do not mix well with water.  I passed several hikers who had just come from there, and they all said the fog was gone and the views were amazing. The climb to the top wasn't as hard as I'd feared, and the view did not disappoint.  I decided this would be a good place for lunch!

(I have an app on my phone called Peak Finder.  It tells you the names of the mountains you're looking at.  I was so excited to find Springer Mountain that I stopped a couple of hikers to show them!)

As I began the steep climb down the other side, I was relieved to discover that the rocks were mostly dry.   It was far from an easy hike down, though!  Lots of switchbacks and steep rock "stairs" and scrambles.  It was very slow going.  By the time I reached the 0.7-mile blue blaze leading to the Byron Reece trailhead my quads were burning and my feet ached.  And guess what?  It was more downhill climbs from there.  By the time I got to my car I was ready to put my feet up.  Luckily it was a very short drive back to my cabin!

(Lots of rocks on the downhill, which make for a challenging but beautiful hike.)

Friday, June 10

Cooper Gap to Woody Gap, with a repeat visit to Preacher's Rock. 10.1 miles.

This was the section I had to skip over because of the weather and the shuttle drivers' schedules.  The driver met me at Woody Gap and dropped me off at Cooper Gap, where I had started my hike to Springer Mountain on Monday.  There are several geocaches hidden on this section of the AT, and I hoped to look for some, as long as they weren't too far off trail.  Once I got into a hiking rhythm, though, I pretty much forgot about geocaching.

By the time I remembered, I had already hiked past all of the geocaches!  Fortunately, I had only overshot the last one by a couple hundred feet, and it was only about 50 feet off the trail.  I guess I'll have to go back sometime for the others.  Maybe.

(I saw so many of these little guys throughout the week!  Spotted this one near the geocache.)

At Woody Gap I encountered my first ever trail magic!

Trail magic is the term used when a kind person (called a "trail angel") does something nice for hikers.  In this case, it was a local couple who had a spread of snacks, fruit, and drinks.  Even though I was on a day hike, and my car was parked there, they insisted that I partake.  They said they lived nearby, and come here a lot because they love AT hikers!  I happily took some fresh watermelon and a chocolate sea salt Kind bar.

Since this hike was a little bit shorter than the previous day, I decided to continue a mile northbound and return to Preacher's Rock.  When I reached the overlook, I was very glad I had gone the extra two miles out and back to see the view I had missed!

Saturday, June 11

Hog Pen Gap to Neels Gap, 8 miles

Since I had a nearly six-hour drive ahead of me, I wanted to get an early start.  I had arranged for the shuttle to pick me up at 7:15 am at Hog Pen Gap and drive me to the Byron Reece trail head at Neels Gap, where I ended my hike on Thursday.  I would hike back to my car and be on my way home by lunchtime.  I texted the driver when I left the cabin to let him know I was on my way.  I arrived about 5 minutes early and waited.  A few minutes later I got a text, and had the following exchange: 

It appeared I would be hiking this section southbound, just like for the first two hikes of this trip.  Not a big deal, it would just put me on the road a little bit later than I'd planned.  I was also trying to hike a little bit faster in order to meet the shuttle.  

Tangent time! I like to listen to audiobooks, especially when I'm travelling.  On this trip one of the books I was listening to was Breathless by Amy McCulloch.  It is a murder mystery/thriller that takes place in the Himalayas.  I won't say much else so as not to spoil the story, but there is one scene where the main character stops to admire her surroundings during a difficult climb.  She makes sure to take the time to burn an image of the beauty around her into her memory before getting out her camera for a photo.  That really stuck with me, and I try to remember that whenever I want to rush to capture an image with my phone.  Take a breath and be in the moment first.

About two miles into my hike, I reached a beautiful overlook on Cowrock Mountain.  Remembering what I had recently heard about taking in the view, I stopped and stood there for a couple of minutes.  Eventually I got out my phone and took some photos.  

I probably checked my Peak Finder app too.  I might have even checked to see if I had cell service or if I had any messages. (Smartphones are both a blessing and a curse, I tell ya.)  As I was putting my phone away and preparing to continue hiking, I saw some movement.  It was then that I noticed the bear, who looked right at me before turning around and high-tailing it back into the woods.

I knew it must have been in the photo somewhere, and I've been squinting at it until I'm practically cross-eyed.  Certainly it's hidden behind some brush, and based on where the bear was for the few seconds I saw it, I might have found it, but maybe not.  If your eyes are better than mine and can pinpoint its exact location, I'd love to know!

(Maybe the bear? Or not?)

Once I'd determined that the bear and I were heading in opposite directions, I continued down the trail.  Suddenly I heard music.  Was that a harmonica? When I rounded a corner, I discovered the source of the sound.  At another overlook, two section hikers had just packed up and were preparing to head down the trail.  The harmonica player stopped when she saw me, and explained that it was a ritual they had every morning.  How fun!  I warned them about the bear, and they were actually excited!  "Bears are always nice to us.  It's snakes that we don't want to see!"

By the time I was approaching Neels Gap, the weather was turning warm and I was happy to be almost done.  The trail goes through a breezeway between the Mountain Crossings outfitter and the hostel, and it's a popular place to take a photo.  It's also a virtual geocache!

(Can you see the white blaze on the building?)

(According to the AT Conservancy's website, only 25% of people who start a thru-hike successfully complete it.  Apparently Neel's Gap is a popular place to quit, and it's tradition to throw your shoes into the "quitting tree" before going home.  Quite possibly, some hikers buy new shoes here and throw their old ones in the tree! Mountain Crossings had Altra Lone Peaks on clearance in my size that day. Very tempting, but I'm not ready for new hiking shoes just yet.)

Another mile to the Byron Reece blue blaze, and 0.7 miles to the trailhead where my shuttle was waiting for me, a few minutes early.  The first thrity-eight miles of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia are done.  Now I'm working on a plan to tackle the rest of the Georgia section. Stay tuned!