It was our longest day yet at 14.7 miles. It certainly wasn’t on purpose. We thought we would go from Bagg’s Creek to Chattahoochee Gap, a 12 mile loop to make tomorrow easy. However, some unfortunate wildlife encounters convinced us to press on to Blue Mountain Shelter.
In fact, this time we were the first to leave camp! It was a nice small group, so we had our little morning chat and headed out. We’ve become pretty aware that almost everyone is going to pass us by, so we’ve become pretty efficient about packing and getting an early start.
Today’s walk was a bit monotonous. There were some standout views early on, but most of the forest we walked through was filled with barren trees and dusty trails. The trail seemed to barely go up for a looong time, and then slightly descend for a looong time.
That excludes Tesnatee Gap, which had one of the most memorable climbs so far. I could never actually remember the name, so I kept calling him “Tet Nasty” until the end. It was a pretty nasty climb, but from there it was practically a cruise.
Jessie and I chatted most of the way, but as the trail progressed, our feet started to hurt again. In the end we decided to put on headphones to keep going. It’s amazing how effective music is to forget that you are suffering.
We met up with our friends about a half mile before Chattahoochee Gap and all walked together toward camp. The place seemed fine at first, flat, probably too close to the trail, and HOT. It was probably the worst vibe campground we’d seen so far (it was boring enough that I didn’t take a photo). We thought we were tired enough to at least try.
While we were setting up the tent, I noticed the first tick of the trip creeping up on our rain fly. I told everyone and tried my best to kill him with a knife, but those bastards are just tough. I tried stabbing it, cutting it, crushing it, but it kept crawling. I hate them with a passion.
Lyme disease is not something we try to mess around with, so we made sure to check the rest of the equipment before throwing it in the store. A few seconds after we were ready, our two friends shouted that they had found ticks on their things too. It seemed like we had found an area infested with those things.
We made the decision as a group to pack up again and simply move on to the next area. We found two more ticks while packing, which greatly reinforced our decision.
The next shelter was two miles ahead, which was a bit heartbreaking after an already long day. I didn’t dare put my hiking shoes back on, so I chose to wear camping socks and flip flops for the remaining miles.
I was a little upset to discover that walking in barefoot shoes felt a hell of a lot better than my $150 pair of trail running shoes. I’ve walked in flip flops for much of my life, but I didn’t think it would translate to a full hike.
We drove away and the two miles were over quickly enough. The Blue Mountain Shelter is quite beautiful and is a nice place to relax.
I’m excited to get into town tomorrow and get medical attention for some of Jessie’s blisters. We released them tonight and, frankly, it was unpleasant. A day in the city to rest and make some adjustments should do us some good.
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