After sleeping like a baby in my tent, I woke just as the sun started to rise over the mountain horizon. I quickly went to work to get my morning chores done so I could soon start my first full day of hiking. I made a quick breakfast and some coffee, then began to pack up my tent and my backpack.
Before I left, I needed go to the near by creek to wash my cooking pot and also filter some drinking water for the day. Once I finished all my morning chores and was ready to start hiking, I noticed that everyone else was already gone. My thought was that I either needed to wake up earlier or work faster.
I have planned a 12 mile day which at the end of my day will meet up with my cousin and fellow AT enthusiast, Mike York. The plan is to meet Mike at Woody Gap where we would take a shuttle to the local Hiker Hostel for the night.
Once I started hiking I quickly realized that I neither needed to wake up earlier, nor work my chores faster, because my hiking pace was allowing me to catch up with and pass just about everyone from camp. After about mile 10, I started to feel a little funny. I noticed that my vision was becoming slightly compromised. I would look down at the ground and then back up at my surroundings as a way to check my vision. Sure enough, a sickly feeling that I am all too familiar with was starting to set in. I was getting a migrane headache.
I haven't had a migrane headache in years, but here I am on Day 2 of my hike and can feel the headache setting in, as I try to lug out the last two miles of the day. Once I got to Woody Gap, I immediately took my pack off, swallowed a couple ibuprofen, and laid down. It would be only a few minutes later before my cousin Mike and the shuttle arrived. I said hello to Mike and began to load my bag when my nausea level jumped to about a 10. I quickly stepped away and went over to the scenic overlook's edge and let it go. There went my breakfast! I will spare you the details. Almost immediately my body started to feel better and my headache started to fade. I'm sure this gave Mike lots of confidence about hiking with me the next couple of days.
After a very curvy shuttle ride down the mountain and successfully holding down the rest of my breakfast, we found ourselves pulling into a beautiful log cabin known as the Hiker Hostel in Suches, GA.
Mike and I were given a bunk bed and educated about the hostels many amenities. I immediately decided it would be in my best interest if I laid down for an hour or so while Mike and the other hikers went into town for supplies and dinner.
The next morning at 7:30am, our host made us an amazing breakfast of pancakes, eggs, grits, and fruit juices. It was just what I needed to recharge my energy after a migrane. After breakfast we loaded back into the shuttle headed back to the trail. I felt like a new man!
We had plans to hike over Blood Mountain and set-up our camp just past the Mountain Crossing Outfitter store in Neels Gap. It was shaping up to be another beautiful day for hiking as our hiking. Right after lunch, we found ourselves hoofing it up Blood Mountain. As we climbed in elevation, we noticed that a dense fog was sitting on top of the mountain, limiting it's 360 degree views to only a few feet. Time to get out the Jackets.
The next morning at 7:30am, our host made us an amazing breakfast of pancakes, eggs, grits, and fruit juices. It was just what I needed to recharge my energy after a migrane. After breakfast we loaded back into the shuttle headed back to the trail. I felt like a new man!
We had plans to hike over Blood Mountain and set-up our camp just past the Mountain Crossing Outfitter store in Neels Gap. It was shaping up to be another beautiful day for hiking as our hiking. Right after lunch, we found ourselves hoofing it up Blood Mountain. As we climbed in elevation, we noticed that a dense fog was sitting on top of the mountain, limiting it's 360 degree views to only a few feet. Time to get out the Jackets.
A picture I took of myself with Blood Mountain Shelter in the Background.
Blood Mountain is the highest point of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. It got it's name after a bloody battle between the Cherokee and Creek Indians. It is said that the mountain ran red with blood afterwards.
As we descended the mountain and the dense layer of fog, we came into a little town called Walasi-Yi. Walasi-Yi in Cherokee means 'Land of the Big Frogs'. Walasi-Yi, also known as Neels Gap offers a full service outfitter and hostel which the AT literally goes right through (Notice the White Blaze on the wall in the picture above).
Once into Neels Gap there was lots of commotion in the air pertaining to a mischievous Black bear in the local area. But since logding at the hostel was already completely full, our best option would be to continue hiking and make camp a Bull Gap a little over a mile away.
Even the trees tried to warn us about the bear activity.
We finally arrive at Bull Gap around 7:30 p.m. It is a nice open level spot that has plenty of room to set up our tents. There is a stream down the hill where we can get more water and a fire pit that others have used, where we can finally make a campfire for the night. We see a few more hikers pass through on the trail before one of them decides that he will stay at Bull Gap too. He says his name is Brandon (no trail name yet), but Mike quietly refers to him as "Bear Option #3". We were glad to have him join us for the night. Brandon seems to be well educated in the outdoors and tells us about his fool proof bear bagging system for hanging your food in the trees. Since neither of us had much experience to challenge this fool proof system, Mike and I decided to put our food bags up with Brandon's. So at the end of the night, we hung our food in a tree about 100 yards from our camp site.
The next morning I hear Mike moving around and he finally walks up to my tent and says, "Grayson, I've got good news and bad news!" he added "The good news is that you're still alive! The bad news is that we've been raided by the bear..."
I immediately jumped out of my tent to assess the damage. To my surprise, I noticed that one of the three bear bag was still hanging in the tree. But the others were reduced to two different piles of trash covered in a thick layer of bear saliva.
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner! I'm not sure why, but the bear who devoured all of Mike's and Brandon's food supply decided to leave my food bag untouched and still hanging in the tree. I guess he had gotten his fill. Luckily I had enough food in my bag to share with Mike for the remainder of our Hike.
After we cleaned up our mess and packed up our camp, we said goodbye to Brandon as he needed to back track to the Outfitter store to restock his food supply. We continued north.
As we continued on our hike, we quickly assessed that if we add an additional 4 miles to our already planned 15 mile hike for the day, we would end up at Unicoi Gap where Mike's car is parked. At first, I was a little hesitant to hike 19 miles after already getting a late start, but once Mike mentioned a warm hotel bed and a hot dinner at a restaurant, I was all for it! As we marched up and down through mountains following the white blazes, I dreamt of a bear free hotel room and a hot meal, that I didn't have to prepare. This thought fueled our motivation to get to Mike's car as soon as possible.
Around 8:30pm we finally finished our 19 miles and made it to Mike's car right as darkness set in. We were both exhausted and walking a little funny from our sore knees and feet. We quickly piled in to his car and started following the yellow blazes (road lines) towards the town of Helen, Ga. Once in town Mike quickly fulfilled his promise of a hotel and hot meal, all my aches and pains quickly subsided. I was happy to be off the trail for the night.
I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to hike with my comical and wise cousin Mike. Throughout our 31 miles of hiking together we talked about many different topics. He told me stories about our Grandfather and my Aunt Loretta (Mike's Mom) who both passed away before I was born. Mike had me laughing throughout the entire hike with his very funny personality. I was truely sad to see my journey with Mike come to a conclusion.
The next morning Mike treated us to a big pizza lunch before taking me back up to the trail head at Unicoi Gap. We shared our sober goodbyes and parted way. I joined back to the marriage of my adventure, as where Mike returned home to his family (4 kids from college age to 4) and loving wife.
I can not thank Mike enough for all of his support of my hike and my mission to raise money for the Children's Heart Foundation, but Thank you again Mike!
You can read Mike's Blog of our hike at:
Please help me to raise money for the Children's Heart Foundation by donating to the link below.
Happy Trails!
Grayson
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