Appalachian Trail - Day 006 - Hiawassee Zero Day

Day: 006

Date: Sunday, 30 April 2023

Start:  Dick’s Creek Gap (AT Mile 69.2) but staying at Hiawassee

Finish:  Dick’s Creek Gap (AT Mile 69.2) but staying at Hiawassee

Daily Kilometres:  0

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos from her afternoon run

Total Kilometres:  119.3

Weather:  Raining early and mostly overcast, cool and windy for the rest of the day.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Big breakfast at Huddles diner

  Lunch:  Microwaved Chimichangas

  Dinner:  Chicken burger & chips, ice-cream

Aches:  None to speak of.

Highlight:  Our big breakfast at the Huddles diner where our waitress had hiked a part of the Appalachian Trail and wanted to head out tomorrow with us.  Lots of friendly banter between the staff in the busy diner.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We had a good sleep in and didn’t get up until after 8:00am having both slept well.

After some sorting, planning and admin we walked to the western end of town and the Huddles Diner (part of a chain) that was one of the few places open before 11am.  We both ordered up big, ate well,  and had a good chat with our waitress who had hiked all of the trail we have done so far.  She was very envious of us.

We returned to our room, finalised our plans for the next 12 days, including what food we needed to buy here and where we would resupply and then walked to the nearby outdoor gear store where we bought a few items we need plus our dehydrated food for the next four days.  Then it was across the road to the large town supermarket to buy the rest of our supplies.

On our way back to our room we bought some lunch and then the afternoon was mostly spent on packing and admin, though Julie did manage to find the energy to go for a short sightseeing run around town.

It has been a restful day and we look forward to getting back on the trail tomorrow. 

Wireless access at the right time has been a problem for posting blog updates more frequently so far, but a different method will be trialled in the next few days to see if we can do better.

Appalachian Trail - Day 005 - Tray Mt Shelter Turn-Off to Dick's Creek Gap (then shuttle to Hiawassee)

 Day: 005

Date: Saturday, 29 April 2023

Start:  Tray Mt Shelter Turn/off (AT Mile 58.1)

Finish:  Dick’s Creek Gap (AT Mile 69.2) then shuttle to Hiawassee

Daily Kilometres:  18.2

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  119.3

Weather:  Mostly warm and sunny.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Trail mix/Energy bars

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Burgers & chips, ice-cream.

Aches:  Dave - too many niggles to mention plus very tired; Julie - nothing to report.

Highlight:  Arriving at Dick’s Creek Gap right on 2:00pm, by pure accident, to find the free Hiawassee shuttle for hikers, which is not supposed to run on weekends, about to leave for town.  We virtually hiked straight onto the minibus, the only hikers on board, and were driven directly to our booked motel, 11 miles away.  Sweet!

Lowlight:  Maybe a taste of things to come, the endless climb up to Kelly Knob (4,144’) in warm humid conditions with the sweat pouring off, was not much fun.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We were camped high on a broad ridge moderately covered with deciduous trees just starting to get their spring foliage, so it was easy to see some distance to the surrounding mountains.  Surprisingly, at night, on one of those nighttime excursions, there were also lights twinkling in many places in the distance as well, testament to the fact that though we have been passing through successive wilderness areas, we are never that far from the populated part of the US east coast.

Our location also meant that it was quite light when we woke at 6:30am to clear skies and a steady breeze which, unfortunately, was not strong enough to dry the heavy dew on our flysheet, so another day of carrying some wet gear.

As we began our day’s hiking at 7:45am, looking forward to a shower and bed tonight, we met a hiker coming the other way to retrieve the trekking poles he had left at his nearby campsite when making an earlier start.  After some lovely hiking, which included some welcome downhill, but also a stiff climb, he caught us while we were taking our “breakfast”  break around 10:00am in a beautiful sunlit saddle.  Todd was friendly and we had a brief chat before he continued on.  We saw him a number of more times during the day.  Maybe he regretted meeting us because, with a pack half the size and weight of ours (he was only out for a two-day/one-night hike), Julie was easily outpacing him, especially up the hills.  With me dragging the chain and hiking slightly slower than Todd, Julie would wait for me then, once I had caught up, go on ahead and catch Todd, have a brief chat, during which time he would always offer to let her pass.  She would decline and sit down and wait for me to catch up, then the process would be repeated.

On one of their brief chats, Todd very kindly offered to give us a lift from Dick’s Creek Gap, where he had parked a car, to Hiawassee if we arrived at much the same time.  The last time we saw Todd was at our lunch break, just before the lovely long descent to the Gap through sun-dappled forest and glades, when he told us where to wait for him if we needed a lift.

As it turned out, we got a ride immediately into town (see above) so Todd’s generosity was not needed.

We reached our very “budget” motel in Hiawassee, a small town in the hills, around 2:20pm and were able to check in to our half-price (honeymoon?) cabin with its spa bath and king size bed (but no TV!).  First order of business was to purchase some cold Cokes and chips from the adjacent service station then much needed showers (we were both “ripe”), followed by laundry and admin/social media.

Dinner was from a nearby fast food joint.  Looking forward to a day off tomorrow.

Appalachian Trail - Day 004 - Low Gap Shelter to Tray Mt Shelter Turn-off

Day: 004

Date: Friday, 28 April 2023

Start:  Low Gap Shelter  (Off AT Mile 42.8)

Finish:  Tray Mt Shelter Turn/off (AT Mile 58.1)

Daily Kilometres:  27.4

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  101.1

Weather:  Cool and foggy at first but mostly sunny and mild in the afternoon

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/Energy bars

  Lunch:  Trail Mix

  Dinner:  Soup & dehydrated meals

Aches:  Dave has some hamstring/sciatic problems with his left leg; Julie has nothing to report.

Highlight:  Despite being exhausted by repeated climbs, the afternoon sunshine in the woods atop Rocky Mt and Tray Mt was magic.

Lowlight:  Not too many today.  Maybe Julie having a mouse run through her hair while sleeping in the shelter last night qualifies.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We were very pleased to be greeted by dry weather when we awoke around 6:30am and all residents of the shelter were upbeat, incuding the guy who arrived in the dark at 9:00pm.  Despite trying not to disturb any of us, we were all wakened.  He apologised in the morning.

Julie and I were the first to set off, around 8:00am and enjoyed some rare gentle grades for a while on an eerily foggy morning.  At least it wasn’t raining and we enjoyed the peace of the forest.  Rhododendrons and laurel (don’t quoe me) lined the trail in places creating little glens.

The gentle grades disappeared after a few miles and we were back to bouncing between 3,000’ and 4,500’ for the rest of the day.  Blue Mt, Rocky Mt and Tray Mt all separated by low gaps meant that we felt like we were climbing and descending all day, sometimes on very rocky trail.  It was slow going, 2mph at best, so the miles sometimes dragged.  Dave continues to struggle a bit fitness-wise, and occasionally wonders whether he has bitten off more than he can chew, while Julie continues to saunter along up ahead, waiting patiently for him to catch up every quarter mile or so.

At one of our breaks, where we had reception, we booked a motel for Saturday and Sunday nights in Hiawassee, which will give Dave some recovery time.  We need to resupply anyway and would have had to go into town,

Tonight we are camped on the shoulder of Tray Mt at about 4,000’ as the sun sets.  Magic!  All is right with the world.  There is a cool breeze and we have been able to dry out our tent and all of our wet gear, apart from boots and socks.

Appalachian Trail - Day 003 - North of Neel's Gap to Low Gap Shelter

Day: 003

Date: Thursday, 27 April 2023

Start:  North of Neels Gap (AT Mile 31.8)

Finish:  Low Gap Shelter  (Off AT Mile 42.8)

Daily Kilometres:  18.5

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  73.7

Weather:  Cold, occasionally windy and raining all day

Accommodation:  Shelter

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/Energy bars

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Dehydrated meals

Aches:  Dave very tired; Julie nothing to report

Highlight:  Arriving at Low Gap Shelter in mid-afternoon to find there was plenty of room so we could get out of the weather and into some dry clothes.  There were two other hikers there, already in their sleeping bags for warmth, having also cut their day short because of the weather.

Lowlight:  Too many to choose.  Perhaps sitting, saturated, on a log in pouring rain and a cold wind for a much-needed break at Tesnatee Gap, watching motorists, no doubt dry and with the heater going full-blast, pass by. 

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

It rained most of the night and was still raining heavily when we woke up at 6:30am.  We packed as much as we could inside the tent and then, when the rain eased a little, packed away the tent.  Of course, everything was wet, including our clothes and boots, so it didn’t really make that much difference.  Our bear barrels were intact, so no bears last night as Julie feared.

We set off soon after 8:00am in the rain with Dave still feeling the fatigue from yesterday’s hike and dragging the anchor with Julie making frequent stops for him to catch up, especially on the hills.  The forest was very wet, with the many wildflowers seemingly drooping or sheltering from the downpour and the new foliage being battered by the raindrops which, at times, felt like hail.  The trails were under an inch or so of water almost all of the day and were rushing torrents on the ups and downs.

Fairly early on, it became apparent to Dave that he was not going to cover the miles necessary to get to a shelter 18 miles away so, instead, we targeted Low Gap Shelter at a little over 11 miles.  With our tent already pretty wet, camping did not seem an option in the rain forecast to continue all day and into tomorrow.

There were some technical ascents and descents but, fortunately, Georgian rocks and mud are not as slippery when wet as their Australian cousins, so it was a little easier than it often looked.  In the weather, it was just a case of sploshing on through the watery trails and hoping we didn’t get too cold at the higher altitudes where the wind blew.  For most of the day our elevation varied between 3,000’ and 4,000’.

With about four miles to go we crossed a road where we met two hikers sheltering under a sign and deciding whether to continue on in the weather or call for one of the people who offer shuttles to town from the trail for hikers.  It was a tempting option.  We didn’t take it, but are pretty sure the couple did, because a hiker who arrived later at our shelter said he had not seen them on the trail.

We arrived at Low Gap Shelter in mid-afternoon (see above), both happy to have an early stop and get into some dry clothes.

Appalachian Trail - Day 002 - Justus Creek to North of Neel's Gap

Day: 002

Date: Wednesday, 26 April 2023

Start:  Justus Creek (AT Mile 14.3)

Finish:  North of Neels Gap (AT Mile 31.8)

Daily Kilometres:  29.8

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  55.2

Weather:  Rained most of the day, cool to cold.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts & trail mix/Energy bars

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Pop tarts & trail mix/Trail mix

Aches:  Dave very tired.

Highlight:  Packing up just before the rain started.

Lowlight:  Dave really struggled for the last five miles of the day, which involved summitting Blood Mountain (4442’) after an interminable ascent, followed by a gnarly interminable descent.  We arrived at Neel’s Gap too late to organise a cabin nearby, though since we couldn’t contact the camp on any of their phone numbers, maybe it wouldn’t have made any difference.  Very wet and tired, we were looking forward to a dry cabin but, instead, had to hike a bit further on and camp in our tent.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

It rained a bit during the night, but was dry when we got up at 6:30am and began packing up.  We were again slow as we worked out better ways to pack our gear, and our tent fly-sheet was wet, but we were away by 7:45am.

Soon after it began to rain and it stayed that way for most of the day, wth a few brief dry periods in the afternoon.  The woods were often misty and there was no wind, just the gentle sound of the rain falling, an occasional bird, and a very quiet forest.  It was enjoyable despite the conditions though, gradually, everything became damp, includng our feet.

We saw a few hikers in the morning, but almost no-one in the afternoon, and suspect some of our fellow hikers were sheltering in place.

When the trail followed a ridge, it was very pleasant walking but, more often, we were ascending or descending on often rocky wet trail. Although Dave managed the morning OK, he gradually faded in the afternoon and the climb up Blood Mt was the final straw.  His pace really slowed and he couldn’t trust his muscles and joints on the descent, making it a slow last part of the day.

Having failed to get the hoped-for cabin for the night, we walked on past Neel’s gap and found a tent site beside the trail.  Despite dry bags and pack covers, we have some damp gear and are not looking forward to packing up in the forecast rain tomorrow.

As I write this, Julie says she can hear something growling around our bear barrels (containing all our feed) about 20 metres from the tent.

Appalachian Trail - Day 001 - Springer Mt Carpark to Justus Creek

Day: 001

Date: Tuesday, 25 2023

Start:  Springer Mountain Carpark

Finish:  Justus Creek (AT Mile 14.3)

Daily Kilometres:  25.4

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  25.4

Weather:  Cool to mild and mostly sunny

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Muffins and chocolate milk

  Lunch:  Chicken & bacon sub

  Dinner:  Chicken noodle soup & Spaghetti Bolognaise/Macaroni Cheese

Aches:  Dave’s whole body aches and, particularly, his left Ilio-tibial band (ITB).  Julie – nothing to report.

Highlight:  For Dave, as a “planner” starting our hike on the Appalachian Trail almost to the minute as planned months ago, after a whistlestop road-trip across the US from Los Angeles to Georgia, taking in some of the famous sights and managing to squeeze in a few running races along the way – one for Dave and two for Julie.

Lowlight:  Just the aches and pains associated with beginning a hike with full packs and four days of food

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Our Uber driver arrived at our motel in Gainesville, Georgia, on time at 6:30am and we set off on the 90-minute drive to the Springer Mt carpark from where we planned to start hiking.  I think the Uber driver assumed, without checking the destination, that we were going to Amicolola Falls (sealed road the whole way) from where many thru-hikers begin.  However, we chose a starting point just a mile from the official start of the AT, the summit on Springer Mt, to save some time and “unnecessary” miles.  Our driver was unimpressed when he realised he had 11 miles of unsealed forestry road to negotiate, but knew he had committed and soldiered on, slowly, talking all the way, as he had done since leaving Gainesville.

 We began hiking around 8:45am in beautiful cool sunny conditions and first hiked the mile to the official AT starting point before returning through the carpark where we had been dropped off.  We did consider hiding our packs somewhere while we did the mile out-and-back, but decided against.

Our packs felt heavy right from the start, but the fresh spring foliage, glimpsed views, and occasional wildflowers more than compensated.

 Our day continued in much the same way on trail that was occasionally quite rocky, but generally not too bad.  As we (Dave) fatigued, some of the later and steeper ascents and descents took their toll.  We took a break every ninety minutes and didn’t try to go too fast.

We saw a reasonable number of other hikers, some out for the day, some for a few days, and a couple setting out for Maine like us.  During the morning, one of the hikers asked whether we had seen a female hiker – light-skinned African-American – because she had apparently been reported missing on this part of the trail and the Fire & Rescue were out looking for her.  Sure enough, not much later we encountered one of the searchers who showed us a picture of the missing hiker, who we hadn’t seen.  If we did see her, then we were to get her to call 911!

During the afternoon, we came across a hiker engrossed in her phone with her back to us and, noticing that some of her gear was falling off, we stopped and helped tie it on from behind.  When she turned around, we realised she was the missing hiker!  She assured us that she was fine and had managed to get a phone signal and contact the authorities so we continued on.

During the afternoon, Dave got even more fatigued while Julie sauntered ahead, occasionally crouching down, with full pack on to photograph a wildflower, Kindly, every five minutes or so, she would wait for Dave to catch up.  Near the end of our day we passed a hiker camped by the trail.

Hiker:  “You should try and keep up with her”

Dave:  “No chance.  She’s an elite ultra-runner.”

Hiker:  “She doesn’t look to be struggling much.”  [i.e., Dave did look like he was struggling.]

Fortunately, the last few miles to our planned campsite were a bit easier and we arrived around 6pm and are camped close to a rushing stream.  As always, when starting a hike, we were quite inefficient setting up camp and cooking dinner, but we will improve.