We were hit by a nasty thunderstorm last night and were glad that we were not camped out on top of this mountain. The rain, lightning, and thunder raged all night. Of course, my tent is soaked on the outside. It's keeping me pretty dry inside. Even with all of the heavy rain I've experienced. I'm Sooo ready for a warm/dry spell. The weather is really making things miserable. I hike over endless Mtns each day but the views from the top are all wasted because I'm walking thru clouds with no visibility. I'm over it! Bring on the sunshine!
I cooked some oatmeal and coffee and started packing up my gear. We hit the trail at 9:15 and began the slow trek up Tray Mtn.... There were several tough climbs today and we covered 13 miles to Dicks Creek Gap. The trail comes out of the woods and intersects a major county highway. Hiawassee GA is 11 mi down the highway and we had a tough time finding a shuttle to come pick us up. We stood by the road with our thumbs out for about 45 minutes and finally a very nice lady in a small truck stopped and picked us up. We piled in the back and started the cold ride to town in the open bed of her pick-up. She dropped us at the front door of the Holiday Inn Xpress and we were very grateful for her kindness... After a nice HOT shower we headed down to the Hardees for dinner. I scarfed down a Six Dollar Thick Burger, fries, and 32 oz Mellow Yellow in about 2 minutes. I was tempted to order an encore meal but decided to walk up to the grocery store first. I got my resupply for the next 3-4 days, picked up a few snacks for the room, and a sixer of Sierra Nevada Pale Ales. Back at the hotel it was laundry, snacks, beer, and bedtime. I've pushed pretty hard the past few days and my left foot is in a sad state. I need to take a day off to allow my blisters to heal. I can hardly walk on my left foot and it may be getting infected. Im taking care of it now and it should be fine. I hate to fall behind my new buds but my feet need to be healthy to make it to Maine and it's too early to push my body past it's limit. I can't afford to stay in towns like this all the way to Maine but I think it's a wise investment in these first few weeks. I'm still hopeful that I can make it to Fontana Dam by next Sat and meet up with Alex. I have less than 10 miles to go and I'll be done with GA. GA is known for being a tough state and it will be nice to put it behind me. I've hike 67.6 AT miles... Only 2113.4 to go!
Hang in there, buddy. Sounds like a pretty tough start, but you're doing well. Good call on the blister-healing day. When I went into the Army a looong time ago, my Dad told me to be sure that I took care of my feet. I did and things weren't nearly as bad for me as for others. Hopefully, the clouds will break and you can get some of the most-scenic hiking around as you head into North Carolina. Stay well and enjoy the hike.
ReplyDeleteYou're doing awesome! I thru-hiked last year with a similar start - cold, rain, exhausted, and beat-up feet. It's a great idea to take a zero! Also, the great thing about starting out in crummy conditions is that it will make you appreciate the nice days (bound to come soon) a LOT more! Wouldn't it be terrible to have nice weather the first week then get two weeks of straight rain?
ReplyDeleteYou got this.
-Monkey of the Traveling Circus