The Appalachian Trail- (D.7, 11mi)

Day 7 (Low Gap Shelter -> Unicoi Gap Stream) (11 mi, 51ish mi total)

Today we broke 50 miles! 

50 miles, Brooks obviously the emotional motivator of the trip!

At this point we feel like we have hit a sort of rhythm.  Our goal has now moved from hitting 50+ miles to moving through the GA/NC state line.  We wake up generally around 7:45ish and get on the trail at 8:30.  We walk till around 12:00ish, just in time to eat some tuna or protein bars for lunch ,hopefully at a shelter, then hit the trail again until we get to our camp for the evening.  The time generally moves pretty fast despite long elevations and sharp descents and we are glad everyday that we get the opportunity to move further through GA. 

Ed modelling as usual.

And we thought Ed was "Special." Contacts got annoying so rigged the glasses up.

Morning time at camp Day 7

The Appalachian Trail- (D.6, 10mi)

Day 6, (Levelland Mtn. -> Low Gap Shelter) (10 mi., 42.5ish mi total)

Today was a struggle, even with the rest from the day before our bodies were still stiff and not willing to make long miles.  We pushed ourselves though and made up around 10 miles despite our bodies distress.  Not much to say really, we were not in too talkative of moods and took few pictures.  However, at the end of the day we were really happy with the mileage and were glad to catch back up despite our day of rest. 

Cool view from Levelland Mtn.

We only wished our path was the one on the left, unfort ours is the one going vertical on the right!

Love it when the trail looks like this!

The Appalachian Trail- (D.5, est 2 mi)

Day 5 (Neels Gap to Levelland Mtn, 2mi for the day 32.5 total)

Today all of our injuries finally caught up with us.  I guess that is what you get for pushing yourself the way we did.  So today we hiked around 2 miles until Brooks ankle and Ed and I's lungs got the best of us and we had to make camp a lot early.  Nearo (Almost a Zero Day).

Ouch!

The Appalachian Trail- (D.4, 10.5 mi)

Day 4, (Big Cedar Mtn Campsite -> Neel's Gap (Wilderness Crossings)) (31 mi total)

Sunrise on the trail, great time to wake up.

Crew figuring out my camera timer on top of Blood Mtn

 

After a great night at Big Cedar Mtn we headed forward with hopes of tackling Blood Mtn (don't ask) and staying at the shelter there.  What happens on Blood Mtn. stays on Blood Mtn.  Ha, well I am going to break that and say what happened.  We huffed and puffed up to the top of the mountain (the tallest in Georgia, 4461ft) and found one of the coolest shelters we have seen yet.  We hit summit a little earlier that we had planned and decided as a group to make the 1000 ft descent and try and make it to Neel's Gap (Wilderness Crossings, super cool outfitters).  We discovered that there was a hostel at Neel's Gap hosted by Pirate and it was very affordable at $15/night plus a little tip for some provided dinn's and breakfast and two Busch Lights (BEAST)  for me.  Words can't express how unique this place was and the hospitality Pirate showed us was amazing.  Logan and the rest of the crew at Wilderness Outfitters were awesome and helped us cut some weight which was much needed.  Great Day!

Blood Mtn. Shelter (Built in 1811, super cool)

Dinner prepared by Pirate (Chicken Drummies, Chips, and Pirates special beans)

The man of the hour, Pirate our great host and friend. (P.eople E.ating T.asty A.nimals)

Ed exploring the hostel grounds.

The Appalachian Trail- (D.3, 7 est mi)

Day 3 (Justus Creek Campsite -> Big Cedar Mtn Campsite) (7 or so, around 22mi total)

Soft/Grassy terrain makes Robert a happy boy.

We had a lot of elevation to tackle today so we decided to take it easy and make a campfire and relax a little bit with the good water source.  We went from around 2550 ft to 3173 ft a little too quick for our inexperienced ankles/knees.  Peter finally departed with a group of 5 or so kids and their father headed to Woody's Gap and we left shortly after.  After the exhausting hike to Woody's Gap we took in the great views and chemical treated toilets (a lot better than the bee privy's) and picnic tables.  It only takes a couple of days without a chair or table to understand the greatness they possess.  We said our final goodbye's to Peter and his crew of children, they were going to drop him back at his car, but not before we received our first piece of trail magic in the form of some huge oranges.  Thanks to the family for that!  We also had a chance to meet a motorcyclist Roy who by the sound of it loved speed and the back roads of Georgia provided the perfect opportunity for that.  Our break was great but we had a major ascent before camp and it was time to move!

Our new friend Roy showing off his camera skills at Woody's Gap.

We've never been this excited about an orange, well except at half in a soccer match. 

Brooks and Ed discussing the future of Big Cedar Mtn.

My attempt at some Panoramic action!

The Appalachian Trail- (D.2, 11.5(est mi))

Day 2 (Stover Creek Shelter -> Justus Creek Campsite) (11.5 mi, 14.3 (total))

Today would be the first day that we had to put up or shut up and pull out a full day of hiking.  Originally, we didn't mean to make the 11.5 ish mile trip we did but unknown circumstance propelled us forward.  It was at this point that we realized how out of shape we really are.  The ascents tore at every muscle in our legs and the descents pounded on our knees.... the flats (when we got them) just left us dreading the next elevation change.  Fortunately for us Peter the Crazy Canuck was there with a good sense of humor and charm to keep our morale high.  We later discovered he had good reason after he told us he was only stopping for a couple of days then on his way to Myrtle Beach where he owns a place and sail boat.  Even though it was so early in the trip this left us a with drool on the lip, especially when the topic of seafood came up.  We stopped and ate at Hawk Mtn Shelter where we met Razor the volunteer RidgeRunner who goes to shelters along the Georgia St. section and packs out trash that hikers are too lazy and lame to pack out.  He was nice enough to take our trash that we had collected so far and then made his way.  Justus Creek came just in time with plenty of water and room for us to set up camp.  We were in bed by 8:30 and slept the night away for about 12 hrs straight ha.

Brooks running down a rabbit for dinn's.

Ed taking time to model after setting up camp and using his scouting skills to create fire!

 

Peter a.k.a. "Crazy Canuck" packing up with beach babes and sailboats on his mind!

A little bit of the trail, lots of different terrain for sure.

 

 

 

 

The Appalachian Trail- Here We Go (D.1, 2.8mi)

Hope all is well,
We are currently sitting in the Hiawasee Public Library..... Zaxby's meals in the belly except for Ed who thought it would be a good idea to down 2 large blizzards from DQ for lunch.  Needless to say brainfreeze was involved.  Alright so here is our attempt at summing up the last 7 days without boring you and actually recollecting some factual events.

Day 1 (Amicalola State Park -> Stover Creek Shelter) (2.8mi)
What we thought originally would take us an hour or so ended up taking the better part of the day.  So, it wasn't until around 4:00pm or later that Ed, Brooks, and I made our departure from the comforts of Leigh and her car.  We wanted to keep it relatively relaxed for the first day, especially since we had gotten such a late start.  So, soon after beginning (in the wrong direction) we righted our ways and got to the Stover Creek Shelter to set up our hammocks and make camp with our newly found friend Peter or the "Crazy Canuck."

The Beginning of the Appalachian Trail.....we are screwed!

Ed and Brooks making some dinn's, little different than the canoli's and steak we were eating the day before.

(Sideways) View of the Shelter we stayed next to.  Unfortunately our hammocks didn't fit in this one.