The Gap of Neel (ECT Day 92)

• Hiked Today: 22.1 mile
  • Appalachian Trail (24 – 35)
• Total Hiked: 1,959.5 miles
• Total Paddled: 99.5 miles

Weather: 55 – 65°F, foggy – in the clouds, quite windy especially at night, and light rain/mist/big drops from trees throughout the day 

Elevation: 2,870 – 4,445 feet

Lance Creek Restoration Area to Wolf Laurel Top

My main goals for the day were to get up and over Blood Mountain, visit Mountain Crossings Store at Neels Gap, resupply, recharge mentally and electronically, and then find a place to camp a few miles beyond.

Things started outside the fog, but soon it enveloped me.

The consensus, which I would later corroborate with other hikers, was that Blood Mountain was not as bad as feared going up, but the journey down was pretty gnar. On the way down it was steep and bouldery, which was intensified by the rocks being wet and slick. I could definitely see how some injuries might happen over this stretch of trail.

Here’s near the top…

Blood Mountain Shelter. I peaked inside and chatted with a guy briefly who was waiting for his friend.

A bit chilly up there.

And the way down…

Around 10:20 am, I crossed Highway 19 at Neel Gap and through the fog viewed the famous tree complete with worn out shoes dangling from just about every limb!

Neel Gap is an iconic stop on the AT. I could feel the significance of the moment for myself as well as for the other hikers I interacted with today. On the PCT, I’d say the equivalent would be reaching Mt. Laguna store and for the CDT making it to the town of Lordsburg, NM. There’s something about getting through the first section to a resupply that means a lot.

Before even going inside, one of the staff at the store made me feel welcome by givinge the layout of the place and what all the Mountain Crossings Store offers. I plugged my power bank in right away, then went inside to scope it out. The first go around, I just got myself a coffee and some rope for hanging my food going forward. 

The blue walkie talkie was to let hikers know when their pizza was ready. They made a lot of em today.

Pretty quickly I got settled in to a little alcove where some others hikers were already staged. I met Ian and Sara from outside London, UK and then Ally, and eventually Avan. We all hung out there for a while and it was a wonderful time. I boiled some water and made oatmeal and we each went about our tasks while chatting.

I planned to stay until my power bank and phone were all charged up. This meant a lot of other hikers came and went. I really enjoyed talking with folks. Eventually, I went inside to do my shopping and felt good about my resupply choices.

Prepping and taking inventory before my shipping spree

I also felt very good about my Vanilla Coca-Cola Classic and Red Baron Supreme Pizza I’d ordered. One of the fun perks of the store is they have an oven somewhere in the back and will chef you up a pizza. There’s some microwave items too but y’all know me, I was all in on the za!

Isaac, who I’d camped with the night before, had an even better idea… eat inside the warm store!

I stayed until 3:30 pm and got a lot done in that time. A whole new group was with me at the end including Tree and Peregrine, who also had been at the campsite last night, and hikers I met there, Lone Wolf, Heather, and Behind the Scenes.

Turns out a friend of Tree’s shipped or maybe dropped off a goodie box and also… an icey cold cooler of beer! He was super kind to share with everyone and gave an inspiring toast for the AT class of 2025. Such a fun experience. Y’all can follow him on YouTube at TreeExpeditions 

It was kind of fun that the trail went right through the open area part of the building where we were all hanging. I originally chose that spot to sit because that’s where I could get Wi-Fi, but it was also nice to welcome and congratulate newly arrived hikers and wish good luck and happy trails to ones heading out.

One guy had these awesome rain guards he made out of a plastic orange juice jug. I got a kick out of them, although it’s up for debate on whether they’d help or not.

Alrighty, finally I dragged myself away from all the good vibes…

This is part of the trail… See the white rectangle blaze?

I didn’t go too far past Neel Gap, maybe 3 or 4 miles. There was a campsite at a spot labeled Wolf Laurel Top and it looked good to me. The fog was still very much present.

This would be my first bear hang of the journey and I’ll admit, I was a little rusty. The throw went great; I got it on the first try even, which never happens. My issues came when I tried to use a specific technique. I always heard it called “the PCT method” and forgot it sort of requires a carabiner, which I didn’t have. Rather than just give up and tie it off to a tree or something, which I think is the more traditional method, I stubbornly kept fighting with it. After much frustration (about 45-mine worth) with knots and thorny plants and things not going my way, I succeeded! It might be a bit too close to the ground, but I was satisfied.

Inside the tent after an nice day on the foggy AT!

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek’s ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!

To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.