Day 5 Sunday

We finished our first 5 day section in good time: we arrived at Neel’s Gap in time for lunch - and to claim one of the 4 remaining cabins. The last stretch, although only approximately 12 km, was tough: The name Blood Mountain sounded ominous enough: but the elevation profile was scary. Everyone seems to have started a little earlier, knowing that the cabins were limited in number and the hostel first come first serve. Starting out gently with a few kilometres of contour paths and the sound of quite a few industrious woodpeckers, we eventually arrived at the bottom of Blood Mountain, the third highest mountain in Georgia (4458 feet) and the highest on the Georgia AT section. The name Blood Mountain commemorates the battles between the Cherokee and the Creek on the slopes of the mountain. The name of the creek at the bottom of the mountain, Slaughter Creek, even more so. The ascent was tough, but way more gentle and less technical than the descent. We took a welcome break at the top, with awesome uninterrupted views of the surrounding mountains. The Blood Mountain Shelter is located here. With its fireplace it seems like a good spot to stay over, but regulations state that hikers without bear canisters cannot camp here or anywhere in the five miles between Jarrard Gap and Neel’s Gap. Bear canisters are expensive and extremely bulky and we decided to avoid the problem by hiking through the section instead of camping there.

After a long and technical descent we rounded the last mountain and saw the hostel around the bend. As we approached Kate and her buddy “Tune Up” came down the steps and we followed them to the cabins. At reception we were greeted by friendly and patient staff and a cosy fire. We ordered some pizza and unwound with some coffee. A bonus: one load of laundry included in the price of $72 for a very neat and totally equipped cabin for four with lovely views over the surrounding mountains and still stark trees. It must be awesome to stay here in autumn. We looked forward to a great night’s rest and some serious business at the hikers’ outfitters early the following day.

Kilometres completed: 65 km

Blisters: none

Bears: none

Squirrels: one

Turkey vultures: two

Blue birds of happiness: one

Day 4 Saturday

There is a cold mountain breeze blowing this morning. I wake up early and start preparing breakfast. Instant oats with honey and tea. Washing up makes your hands feel like they have frostbite. Someone makes a comment in the line of: “Isn’t this Georgia?”. Its uncommonly cold for this time of the year. We pack up and start making our way to the Lance Creek campsite. We cannot camp any more to the north since a bear canister is required for the stretch between Jarrard Gap and Neel’s Gap. Arriving early after hiking at a brisk pace, we set up a clothing line and wash some clothes. We greet the hikers as they arrive. Some hikers walk with dogs carrying mini saddle packs with their own food in it, complete with matching fleece for the cold. Cute. Dennis arrives and camps close to us. He used to play tennis and had knee operations done due to related injuries. Also used to sail until he had a knock down and his wife got scared. I spot a Woodpecker after hearing his knocking sound. I wonder if he ever gets a headache from banging his head against a tree? Jurgen arrives and makes a comment about how fast Dennis walks. Weather forecast is -2 deg Celsius. We put on more clothes and sleep with our socks on. Sleeping bags in cocoon mode, ready as can be. I’m still hearing strange noises in the night… The socks we left on the line are frozen the next morning.

Day 3 Friday

We’re up early and are on our way to the Gooch Shelter. We meet Dennis from Florida. He is in his 70s but still walks at a fast pace. He’s planning to do a “flipflop”. This is when you hike North to Harpers Ferry, fly to Maine and then walk South to Harpers Ferry. After hiking up and down a few mountains we arrive early at the shelter. The official camp sites are already filled up and we pitch on an incline (during the night we literally rolled to the side of the tent). We figure out how to hang our food bag in a bear safe way and start to chat with fellow hikers at the shelter. A smokey campfire is started. There are quite a few section hikers and some of the hikers we met at the previous shelter. Little Foot is on her second attempt after previously injuring her knee on the AT. She helps us by pointing out the next re-supply point after Neel’s Gap. There’s a guy (Mitchell) who quit his job at REI to Thru-hike the AT. He did environmental studies and this should be good for his CV. Tough job… Jurgen’s first attempt at hanging his food bag is heckled as a “bear pinãda”. At least lions have the decency to (mostly) stay out of your tent. I sleep uneasily, rolling to the side and hearing noises. Its really cold. What does a bear sound like anyway???