Porcupine » Blue Mountain http://ioerror.us Just another WordPress site Tue, 25 Jan 2011 22:59:58 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Helen, Ga., March 20 (Video) http://ioerror.us/2008/03/20/helen-ga-march-20/ http://ioerror.us/2008/03/20/helen-ga-march-20/#comments Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:01:44 +0000 Michael Hampton http://www.ioerror.us/2008/03/20/helen-ga-march-20/ Continue reading →]]> The last few days were pretty rough and strenuous, with two 4000 footers and one slightly injured left foot. I’m taking a day off the Trail to see if it gets better.

The ground has been much more rocky than it was at the start of the Trail and going up and down those rocks is rather tricky, at least for me. I’m sure I’ll get used to them soon enough, but for now they’re a real pain, literally.

When we last left off I was leaving Woody Gap on March 16 after taking a day off to wait out some severe weather which had brought hail to the mountains and a tornado through downtown Atlanta. Some pictures of Woody Gap follow.

Looking into the valley from Woody Gap, Ga.Parking lot at Woody Gap, Ga.Leaving Woody Gap, Ga. on the AT

First stop of note was Big Cedar Mountain, which has some nice views into the valleys below.

Rock outcropping on Big Cedar Mountain, Ga.View from Big Cedar Mountain, Ga.Spring descending Big Cedar Mountain, Ga.

That day I hiked some 10.6 miles from Woody Gap to Neels Gap, over Blood Mountain at 4461 feet.

Blood Mountain Shelter, Ga.View from Blood Mountain, Ga.View from Blood Mountain, Ga.Summit of Blood Mountain, Ga.View from Blood Mountain, Ga.The AT goes down this rock outcropping at this angle down Blood Mountain, Ga. I had to descend this.Descending Blood Mountain, Ga., was very rocky. I had to pass through here.

Coming off Blood Mountain, I arrived at Neels Gap.

Appalachian Trail plaque at Neels Gap, Ga.Neels Gap, Ga.Phone booth at Neels Gap, Ga.Mountain Crossings at Neels Gap, Ga.The AT passes between Mountain Crossings (right) and Walasi-Yi Hostel, Neels Gap, Ga.

I shot video of the day’s hike:

The next day my left foot started hurting and I only made about four miles to Baggs Creek Gap, where I tented to try to relax and see if it got any better. It did only after taking some Aleve.

On the 18th I pushed hard and tried to get as far as Blue Mountain, hiking the last part after dark, but wound up taking a wrong turn at the five-way intersection at Chattahoochee Gap and following a side trail for over a mile to I don’t even know where. I was too tired to backtrack all the way so I camped on the side trail that night. It’s probably just as well, since the 2.2 miles from Chattahoochee Gap to Blue Mountain Shelter was extremely rocky and would have been dangerous at night.

And yesterday I woke up to a light rain, packed up my wet tent, and hiked through the rain back to Chattahoochee Gap and then to Blue Mountain Shelter, where I spent the day waiting out what turned into a serious rainstorm.

My MSR Hubba 1-man tent pitched at Baggs Creek Gap, Ga.In rocky places the AT is marked with cairns instead of blazes, such as here on Wildcat Mountain, Ga.Waiting out the rainstorm at Blue Mountain Shelter, Ga.

The storm broke last night, but too late to do any serious hiking, so eight of us crammed into a shelter rated for seven, with half a dozen more people tenting outside.

Finally this morning I ascended Blue Mountain at 4025 feet and then descended into Unicoi Gap, where I hitchhiked into town and am taking a day off to rest my foot. I think I pulled a muscle in it somehow, but nothing seems to be broken.

I’ll hit the Trail again tomorrow and try to make Dicks Creek Gap (16.6 trail miles from Unicoi Gap) and the Cloud 9 hostel by Saturday afternoon. Then on Sunday it’s a nine-mile hike to Bly Gap and the North Carolina state line.

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