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.