Brian’s Mystery – Day 3

6am came early this morning. After two late starts, we were both eager to get going. Most of the other hikers were planning to go to Lance Creek Campground. Because there are few places there, we decided to go further. We took down the camp as quietly as possible to avoid disturbing the rest of the tent city. The darkness of dawn prevented us from seeing many other tents, but snoring came from multiple places around us.

After we finished knocking down, we tiptoed over to the spring to have breakfast and fill our waters. It would be four miles to the next water source, and it would be hot today. Luckily breakfast didn’t take long and after a quick bathroom stop we were on our way.

Just as we were leaving the grounds, we passed a hiker who had an otter tattoo. I caught him just as he passed us. I patted Chilly on the shoulder and told him I thought it was Otter Tattoo.

We may have finally found the mystery man, Brian.

The morning air was cool, but the humidity still felt heavy in the air. Chilly and I shared headphones and played music when we started. Today seemed like it was going to be a good day.

We sailed through the first part of the morning, crossing Gooch Gap and climbing into view shortly thereafter. We stopped briefly and met Tom and Gar, older hikers, who strongly encouraged us to stop at Big Cedar Ledges. I made a mental note to stop there for lunch. We said goodbye and continued walking along the ascending and descending ridge lines.

The landscape was beautiful.

We climbed and ran ridges for most of the first half of the day. The North Georgia mountains are incredible. Although everything is too brown and without many diverse colors, the views are impressive. The mix of vibrant deciduous plants and the bareness of still dormant trees make for a very interesting time to walk.

Continuing past a few more views of rock ledges and stopping briefly to talk to Travis, another hiker, the sun began to set. Lihat ksha untuk info lebih lanjut. The downside to starting early in March is minimal foliage blocking the sun. With the temperature reaching 74 degrees, I could feel my skin starting to burn.

Finally, we reached Woody Gap and the start of the Chattahoochee National Forest, around 11am As we descended towards the gap, we saw Privy. We had seen it start the same day as us and had been ahead of ourselves for the first three days.

As we approached him sitting at a stone picnic table, I decided to start a conversation. He looked like he was from the previous army and was carrying a military surplus package, so I asked him if he served. Privy had been in the military and served in Afghanistan. I had hiked the trail three times before; the first time he reached the halfway point and the last time he reached the top of Katahdin.

As we were talking and mentioned that we were from PA, Privy pointed to the guys behind us and mentioned that they were from PA too. We approached them and introduced ourselves.

David and Amos.

They are both from Bethel, not far from us. It was a little bit of home hearing the Pennsylvania Dutch accent.

We chatted for a while until Bri showed up.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if we’d see her again today, but it was great to see her light up when she saw us and hear her amazing accent. I had decided to take a bus to a shelter to avoid the lack of tent sites and the possible storm that was coming tomorrow.

Just as we planned to leave, a white van decorated with Appalachian Trail decals pulled up.

Miss Damn Janet.

Miss Janet is a well-known angel of the trails and a very kind soul. She made us some Nutty Buddy’s and bananas.

Not a second after his arrival, Max Forester stopped.

Max is an enigma, to say the least. An old man with a black cowboy hat, black cowboy boots, and a big white beard. He’s like the Santa Claus of the AT.

He was previously a photographer, which made a lot of sense because the way he coordinates people to take pictures, snacks and equipment is full of laughter, light knocks and clear instructions. Both he and Chilly clicked immediately. He has daughters and granddaughters, so he takes special care of the women along the way.

With great insistence, she made sure that all the women there came out with a whistle, hair bands of any color, and fluorescent tape to find their way in the fog.

He is an amazing man in the most loving sense.

After Max left, we started saying goodbye to everyone. Bri was taking a transport to the city for the night, and Privy was also taking a transport to the other side of Blood Mountain. Most likely we will see them again along the way.

As we turned to leave, Kirt, Travis, and two hikers we hadn’t met yet came down into the gap.

And one of them was this morning’s “maybe Brian.”

We stayed to chat for a while. They seemed to be covering similar miles and had become one of the first trail families. While we were talking, I finally asked Otter Tattoo what his name was.

We finally found Brian!

He mentioned that his dad had texted him about two hikers who were also tattooed, and that he had thought it was us too this morning.

In the few moments we spoke, I had a feeling he’d be a cool guy to walk with after Chill Out ended. If they ended up doing longer miles, I’d probably join them for a while.

It was full of energy, food and life when we left the gap.

The next section was buttery smooth. The trail was wide, the sun was shining, and the breeze was perfect.

We went up to Big Cedar Ledges for lunch. The rock face had been baking in the sun all morning, but it allowed a beautiful view of the mountains.

However, before long the sun became unbearable and we had to keep moving. I was turning red and we had no idea how exposed I would be for the rest of the day.

Finishing the climb to the top of Cedar Ledges Mountain, we saw some of our first spring buds. The vegetation would be here soon, but for now all we would see would be the reddish terrain.

The descent of the mountain took us to Lance Creek, the last campsite before Blood Mountain. As we got closer, we saw Cody, Alex, and Turk.

Turk was a black blur as he ran to greet me.

I love that dog. What a sweetheart.

Cody and Alex tried to convince us to stay with them at camp and push Blood tomorrow, but we had a goal and a plan in mind to move forward. Anything less would be like quitting smoking that same day.

Jesus came down from the mountain and joined us. It’s a shame they haven’t finished hiking because it’s been great getting to know him and the rest of the J Crew over the past few days.

In the end we wished them the best and said we would see them tomorrow at Neels Gap.

The final push of the day took us through what I would describe as a forest of bones.

All around us there were fallen branches and the sticks on the road rattled like hollow bones. The sun shone harshly on the forest and a minimal natural environment surrounded us.

The entire forest felt dead.

Finally, around 5pm, we arrived at the base of Blood Mountain. We were greeted with the last water source before Neels Gap and the stone stairs leading to the top.

After filling the creek with water, we began the 0.8 mile, almost 1000 foot climb to the top.

The truth is that I expected the climb to be harder than it was. The stone steps made my quads work hard, but then the path turned back to dirt and I started moving forward again.

The large sinuous branches of the rhododendron created an emerald arch that we could follow to the top. It was quickly becoming one of my favorite climbs so far.

The trail wound back and forth along the south face of the mountain. The rockiness of the climb increased and soon we were passing deep green moss covered rocks.

The wind picked up as we climbed, and in a couple of hundred more meters we spotted the shelter.

Tank was already there and we informed him that Privy would meet him at Neels Gap. Five minutes later he was back on the road heading to meet his friend.

We had the entire mountain top to ourselves. Most of the others must have stopped at Woods Hole Shelter or the Lance Creek grounds.

After unpacking, we headed to the rock outcrop to watch the sunset.

The day’s haze began to consume the mountains in the distance as the sun sank lower. The clouds moved above us, moving and flowing over us, casting shadows and shaping the sun’s rays through the gaps.

The sun finally set completely and we finished the last of our tasks before going to sleep.

What a day!

We found Brian.

We go up to Sangre.

And tomorrow we arrive at the TOWN!!

–

Route statistics

Starting Location: Gooch Mountain Shelter

Final Location: Blood Mountain Shelter

Miles traveled: 13.2

Weather: Sunny and warm, high temperature around 74°F with sun exposed through leafless forest

Mood: Full of energy, social and fulfilled

Notable People or Wildlife: Chilly, Privy, Bri, David, Amos, Miss Janet, Max Forester, Brian (Otter Tattoo), Cody, Alex, Turk the Dog, Jesus, Tank