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Day 3: Changing Pace
On day three, I woke up to another nice sunrise through the trees.
After some coffee in my tent, I set off alone, but that only lasted for about 100 yards, when I ran into Julie, who set out from the shelter shortly before I did.
We struck up a conversation about foraging mushrooms and talked a bit about video games and before we knew it, we were hiking buddies.
Hiking with another person totally changes the way you experience the trail. Your pace changes and time passes differently. It was a nice change. My knee was a little sore after the first couple days of hiking and Julie had a little slower pace than I did. And, wouldn’t you know it, after a few miles, the pain in my knee went away!
The miles flew by as we played leapfrog with a few people from the shelter the night before. We found a nice spot for lunch and my feet got their first soak in a stream.
We eventually found ourselves at Cooper Gap where I met my first trail Angel, Max. He said he had some daughters and granddaughters, and so he focused his magic toward women and their safety. Julie stocked up on a few items and I got some water and we went on our way. About a quarter mile up the trail, I was kicking myself for not asking him for an interview and getting a portrait. I tried not to be hard on myself about it, but it’s not something I’m very good at.
Our destination for the night would be Woody Gap, where we heard there was some camping.
Trying to beat the sunset, we trudged on, eventually making our way there. As we emerged from the trail, who did we find? Max! Redemption! I ended up getting my interview and portrait and felt grateful that the trail provided for me.
I set up camp a little later than I’d normally like, but was kept company by an almost full moon above my tent.
Day 4: BLOOD MOUNTAIN (insert metal guitar riff, a strike of lightning, and a crash of thunder)
Blood Mountain is the first big challenge of the hike. It leads to Neel Gap and Mountain Crossings, where many people ultimately decide to end their hikes. I never once thought that would be me, but I can see how others can decide that this hike isn’t for them.
I’m glad I was hiking with Julie, because I think her pace kept me from injuring myself. The hike isn’t very steep, but it is a relentless up and down the mountain. Along the way, I met a ridgerunner names The Beast, who obliged to an interview! It was about to start raining, though, and I forgot to ask for a portrait. Womp womp.
We were at a pretty nice pace and eventually we made it to the top where the stone shelter is located.
We didn’t stick around long because we knew there was a storm coming in and we were going to try to get beds at the hostel at Mountain Crossings and they closed at 6:00 (dangerously close to our arrival at our pace). After a somewhat rushed descent, we made it to Neel Gap and Mountain Crossings only to find that there was only one bed available. I let Julie have it and I hiked about 200 yards up the hill to a campsite where I got my tent pitched in just enough time to beat the hail and wind that came down for the next two hours.
Look at that radar!
Although a corner of my tent blew in at one point, and I had to get out and reinforce my stakes with rocks, I made it through the night!
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