Neel Gap

So, after four days in the Georgia wilderness, I've arrived at my first pit stop, Neel Gap. I had initially planned on doing a short term resupply, and maybe grabbing a shower, before hiking out to the next campsite. However, a very long, cold, and rainy night at Lance Creek convinced me to shell out the $17 for a bunk in the hostel beneath the store. No regrets!

To recap my last four days: cold, cold, cold and wet, wet. So, in general, it was a good time!

I hiked up Springer Mountain on the first morning, then pressed on for another 8 miles, where tented at Hawk Mountain the first night. Temperatures dropped down to 30° minus wind chill! That was a cold night.

On the next day, I hiked a pretty easy (with the exception of Sassafras Mt., which was a rough slope) 8 miles over to the Gooch Mountain shelter, where I slept in the upper loft. It was certainly warmer, but the mice, snoring neighbors, and hardwood floor made for a lot of tossing and turning.

Day three was another smooth day off hiking from Gooch shelter, through Woody Gap, and on up to Lance Creek, where just about everyone and their dog decided to make camp when a spring storm rolled in. The rain really hit about 4pm, and I spent the next 16 hours stuck in my tiny one-man tent. Not having taken a shower in three days off mountain hiking, that was an... interesting experience. The outside temperature was in the low 40s, but being wet made it feel much colder!

Today's hike included over 3000 feet of elevation change over the course of 6 miles, all in mild rain. Yikes! Blood Mountain is the highest point on the trail in Georgia, so the worst is over...at least until after Fontana.

After a hot shower and a hotter meal, I'm just about ready for bed!

Below are some photos, in no particular order, to slow a taste of trail life so far. This Blogger app won't let me insert them into the text.

Check in soon.