Day 7

Deep Gap Shelter to Dicks Creek Gap (US 76) - 2.5 miles

We woke up at 6am to the voices of the other hikers eating breakfast and getting ready to get back on the trail. After a  half hour of listening to them talk about sports, they finally left, and we were feeling more awake than we wanted to be at that hour. Yet another reminder why we aren't too fond of shelters. Eventually we got up, had breakfast, checked out the shelter log, and broke camp. It was an easy couple of miles to the road and it was obvious that we both had town on our minds (not to mention that Mike had the start of some kind of poison ivy, oak, or sumac that was in need of some treatment). At Dicks Creek Gap we began our attempt to hitch a ride into Hiawassee (13 miles away?) and were failing miserably until we spotted a day hiker and his daughter returning to their car after a morning hike on the AT. Mike asked if they were headed into Hiawassee and if the two of us could catch a ride with them. Luckily they were headed that way for a quick lunch, and took pity on us because 'he could tell by our accents that we weren't from the area' (what accents?) . We all piled into the car and took off for town. After a quick greasy meal (Laura ate her first triple cheeseburger- Mike was totally impressed) we checked into the Hiawassee Inn, did some laundry, made some calls, had some beers, then called it a night. Showers expected for tomorrow but we're ready to hit the trail again tomorrow afternoon, and we finish the GA section in ~10 miles. North Carolina here we come!

Day 6- Blue Mtn to Deep Gap Shelter- 14.5 miles

Long, hard day but filled with trail magic. We awoke to another clear, beautiful morning on Blue Mtn. ready for the hard downhill to the road crossing then back up Rocky Mtn. (1000 ft. down then 1000 ft. back up in a 2 mile span= not an easy start to the day). When we reached Unicoi Gap we were suprised with some trail magic (turkey sandwiches, chips, cookies, and coca-cola from Linda and Dwayne-thanks guys- best breakfast on the trail yet!!!). Next, we headed out of the gap and 'ran' up Rocky Mtn. (Laura even jogged in place, punching the air and shouting 'Adrian' to get in the spirit)- it was awesome. At about the summit we met Tortuga, a past thru-hiker from GA, who we hiked and chatted with for about a mile until around Indian Grave Gap. He decided to break for lunch there, but it still felt too early for us (and we were still full from the sandwiches we had ~2.5 miles earlier).  Before no time we reached the 'Old Cheese Factory Site', where we were once again suprised to find EVEN MORE trail magic. This time it was hot dogs, chips, fruit, and... 2 COLD BEERS from past thru-hikers Mary and Lou, the roman noodles, and their friend Jim. We have to say we've been pleasently surprised with how generous people have been down here in GA, and hopefully someday we'll be able to return the favor by providing our own trail magic to hikers. Next was Tray Mtn, which we reached in no time but couldn't stay at the summit for long- thermometer read 90*, and there was no wind and no shade. Spent the rest of the day taking our time and being sure to take breaks out of the sun when we could find shade.  Finally, with the day coming to a close, and after a hard climb up and over Kelly Knob (where we saw a gorgeous sunset), we reached the blue blazed trail to Deep Gap Shelter- our stopping point for the day. At the shelter we had some interesting conversations with a couple in their late 30's from Virginia, and a section hiker from Knoxville who told us a lot about the Smoky Mountains. Soon it was way past hiker midnight (9pm) so we said goodnight, pitched our tent (shelters are for mice!), and went to bed. The best part was we didn't have to hang our bear bag because the shelter had cables- mike was pleased.

Day 5 - Chattahoochee Gap to Blue Mtn - 3 mi

Before we went to bed last night we decided that we would take a "near-o" day today (a day when you do little hiking and just relax; one step up from a zero day). We woke up whenever we felt like and spent most of the afternoon relaxing and catching up on chores (washing our dishes, writing in the log, etc). The sun was out and the wind was blocked due to us being on the eastern side of the mountain. Eventually we were hot and sweating - our Campmor keychain thermometer read 90* in the sun - which didn't go unnoticed by the insects... they were out in full force. Spring has started. In the late afternoon, after noticing numerous wolf spiders running around in the leaves we were camped in and then found a wood tick on our tent, we decided to pack up and get the heck out of there. (Oh and there were flies. Lots of them). We hiked a leisurely 3 miles to Blue Mtn. Shelter where we were suprised to find Baltimore Jack. He gave us advice and a tip on a campsite where we eventually decided to spend the night. Lots of flying bugs but otherwise pretty awesome. We basically have a 360* view of mountains and the night is clear and not too cold. We built a fire earlier in the evening, thought ahead to hang a bear bag (before it got dark), and tried out the beef stew that 
Mike's sister and her boyfriend Joe bought for us (which turned out to be somewhat lacking in... goodness. Mike ate it all, with the aide of hot sauce. Saw lots of stars and went to bed.

Day 4

Swaim Gap to Chatahoochie Gap - 13.5 mi

Woke up in clouds and cursed Baltimore Jack for telling us yesterday that today and the next three were supposed to be all sunny and up to 80*. Soon enough the clouds moved out and/or burned up and, along with our breakfast, we were quickly eating our words. Weather was clear, cool, and breezy but with nice warm sun. Enjoyed many nice views on the way up Cowrock Mtn. Had a good chat with a hiker named Matt, a marine back from his 2nd tour of duty in Iraq, who had become disillusioned with the entrapments of daily life and consumer society so he grabbed his dog Amos, wrote a note, and got a ride to the trailhead with one intention - of walking north until he didn't want to anymore. Great guy, incredible story. Took a break on Cowrock for the views and a snack. Headed off with our next intended stop to be a water fill up at a stream. As we reached Tesnatee (or Tes-Nasty as Mike keeps mistakenly saying) Gap we were greeted by 3 people from a local Baptist church, a guy by the name of King Tut among them, who gave us trail magic in the form of Fanta sodas, candy, chips, cream pies, and new toothpaste! (Oh yeah, and a trashcan!) Chatted and signed their trail registry, said goodbye, and kept on in search of water not wanting to take all of Tut's water supply. Stopped one mile later at Hogpen Gap, got our liquid, and headed on with the intention of camping somewhere right around Low Gap Shelter a little over 4 miles away. In no time we reached the shelter and yet again it was pretty packed and we weren't ready to stop. Just past the shelter the trail merged for a while with an old roadbed which made for a nice grade and easy mileage. We passed a couple of spots, unfortunately taken, and kept walking. Before we knew it we were watching the sun set from a mountain ridgeline and happened then to come upon Chattahoochie Gap where we decided to make camp. We spotted the roadbed again that we had been following earlier, tucked away to the southeast beside the trail, followed it for a short distance and found a discreet campsite.

Day 3 (expanded)

Henry Gap to Swaim Gap - 8.5 mi

Slow to break camp, had only a couple of miles to go to Neels Gap, our first re-supply, and we were a day ahead of schedule. Climb up Blood Mountain was easier than expected, and we were befuddled to find ourselves at the shelter on the summit before we thought we had even started the "tough part of the climb". Checked out the shelter (one of the oldest still standing on the trail circa 1934) and signed the shelter log. The shelter itself was all stone with a fireplace and had two rooms; every inch of wood beam inside was marked with the signatures of past thru and section hikers and visitors. Though there were no views, all clouds, it was a neat spot. Rushed to Neels Gap, not expecting our mail drop to be there yet, but looking to grab a shower, do some laundry, and eat something we didn't have to carry or make ourselves. We were pleasently surprised when they let us use the shower in the hostel (real shampoo!), treated us to an amazing tuna melt, and told us we could spread our gear out and do our thing for as long as we'd like even though we weren't staying at the hostel (which was way above and beyond - so very appreciated). After we warmed up to the situation a bit we had a good time meeting the other hikers, meeting Miss Janet who was more than willing to attend to our every need, and we had an awesome time talking to Baltimore Jack who imparted us with a ton of useful information and words of encouragement. It was cool to meet them since we had heard and read so much about them and even used some articles written by Baltimore Jack for our preparation. Very nice and generous people. Got all of our chores done by 5:30 and decided to push on and not stay at the hostel overnight, much to the dismay of our new friends. We made some phone calls as we left and hiked another 2 miles to our camp, enjoying nice views with beautiful lighting along the way (stuff the people at the hostel were missing!). Great day filled with great people. Clouds rolled in in the evening and Mike had trouble finding branches to hang the bear bag amongst the clouds/fog. Laura had indigestion from all the amazing food. Still a great day. 

Day 3

Neels Gap

Whew... 4 days in and it's still awesome! Reached Neels Gap at around 2pm, stopped to shower, do some laundry, and pick up some supplies (thanks Sooze and Alan), then headed back out into the clouds. Next town stop is Hiawassee, in 3-4 days. More updates soon/ as we're able. Thanks to everybody for your support, and we'll check back in asap.

Day 2

Sassafras Mtn to Henry Gap - 13 mi

Woke up to the sound of rain. Opened the tent and found ourselves in the clouds. Hiked 2.5 miles to Justus Creek to find Nate and Tyler (a hiker we'd met yesterday) stopped there. We chatted, pumped water, brushed our teeth, and parted ways. Stopped at Gooch Mtn Shelter to eat some snacks out of the rain and found 3 other hikers there. Two were teachers and one was a local that had thru-hiked last year but since had pretty much just lived on the trail. He lectured us for a little while about the importance of having the right gear (an area we are confident in) while offering to take some of our food for himself. We left. Stopped later at Woody Gap for lunch in the clouds in a parking lot. There we found Nate and Tyler with the guy who offered to eat our food whose name we found out was Moose. Headed up and out to Big Cedar Mtn where we got the first good view all day as the clouds broke, then rolled back in. 2 miles later we made camp at Henry Gap.