Hiawassee, Georgia

After 7 days on the trail we were running low on food and needed to go into town to reprovision yesterday.  Dick's Creek Gap is a convenient place to do this, as the Top of Georgia Hikers' Hostel is located only half a mile from where the AT crosses a highway.  The Hostel offers bunk beds, hot showers, continental breakfast, and a free shuttle the 11 miles into town, Hiawassee, Ga.

We were able to get 5 days supply of food and some Vitamin I for Bruce yesterday evening, but unfortunately his knee would not allow him to continue walking this morning.  We registered for another night at the Hostel and settled into a leisurely day.  After catching up with some reading and emails we took the shuttle into Hiawassee for another few hours.  We enjoyed a smorgasbord at Daniel's Steakhouse.  Not only was it quite good, but we were only charged the senior's rate of $8.50.  Of course we ate like 20 year olds, so it was great value.

Afterwards, we strolled around part of Hiawassee.  Jesus is quite popular here.  There were religious slogans posted everywhere at the restaurant.  Jesus was also at the gas station ...

... and at the medical clinic.

After several periods sitting outside the supermarket waiting for the shuttle we have become acquainted with a number of locals.  They are amazingly friendly and welcoming.  Several have offered to give us a lift back to the Hostel.  Oh, did I mention that Deliverance was filmed in this area?

Bill Bryson writes about Hiawassee in his book, "A Walk in the Woods".  He said he knew it was time to leave when he was taking an interest in the Employee of the Month postings at the fast food restaurant.  We would also like to leave tomorrow, but the remnants of Hurricane Nate are coming through tomorrow with an anticipated 4 to 6 inches of rain.  And we have been told that they will be serving turkey and all the trimmings at Daniel's Steakhouse tomorrow, so maybe we will be getting to know Hiawassee even better.

Blue Mountain Shelter to Tray Mountain Shelter

There are liberal numbers of shelters available along the AT.  We typically pass one or two of them each day.  They date to all periods since the AT was established in the 1930s.  The typical design has changed from the early days, when they were constructed like small enclosed cottages.  The Blood Mountain Shelter, built in 1934, is an example of this style, which would be recognizable by European and Canadian mountaineers.  Most of the shelters, however, are open to the air on one side.  When I read of this design during my planning for the hike my first question, as would be for most Canadians, was "What about the bugs?"  The short answer is that there aren't any.  I have not seen a single mosquito or biting fly in the week that we have been here.  Not only does the U.S. get Trump as President, but there are no bugs - how lucky can one country get?

The typical three sided Shelter has a flat area for laying out Thermorests and sleeping bags, often nominally for 7 people.  There is also generally a roofed but open air area for cooking with backpacking stoves.  Ancillary amenities generally include an outhouse and a cable system or lockable metal trunk to keep food away from bears.  Most, but not all, shelters have a stream or spring nearby to provide water.

It is possible to walk the AT without a tent by using the shelters.  This is not recommended, however, as shelters may be fully occupied.  If you are carrying a tent, as we are, there is also the opportunity to camp at one of the many camping areas.  These usually have no amenities, but there are many more than there are shelters.  In most parts of the AT there is also tolerance for wild camping just about anywhere.

Finding a shelter fully occupied is not currently one of our concerns.  Despite the fine weather it appears that for the second night in a row we will be the only occupants of our shelter.

PS to the blog: A family of 8 showed up at the shelter an hour before dark and Bruce and I fled to a campsite where we  erected our tent.  The sound of screaming children and disciplining parents fills the forest

Rattler

Bruce was the lead hiker early this afternoon as we crossed a sunny, dry ridge.  Suddenly he lurched backwards saying "Whoa" and pointed at the trail just ahead of him.  I leaned forward and examined the magnificent snake stretched across the trail.  It was about 4 feet long and as thick as a commercial garden hose.
"I think it's a rattler," I said.
"Nah, I almost stepped on it.  It would have rattled if it it was a rattlesnake," replied Bruce.
"Isn't that a rattle on its tail?" I asked.
"Mmm, yes, I guess it is a rattler" he conceded.
We and the rattler admired each other from a respectful distance for more than 10 minutes.  We finally did a detour around the snake and left him to his sunbathing.

The experience did give us the opportunity to consider what we would have done if Bruce had been bitten 5 miles from any road.  It involves me jumping up and down and singing "better you than me", but there would also be a telephone call or a jog to where there was cell coverage.

Less threatening wildlife sightings today included a deer, a grouse or turkey, and many chipmunks and squirrels.

We only met three other hikers today and it appears that we are the only guests at the Blue Mountain shelter tonight.

Progress is slow

We were only able to cover 10 miles today, even though we started at 9 am and walked until after 4 pm.  The miles are generally slow on the AT and today was a particularly challenging day.  We started with a climb up Blood Mountain, at 4400 feet the highest point we will see for a few weeks.  (The place names are colourful in this area: we climbed Blood Mountain from our camp at Slaughter Creek, before finishing the day at a campsite at  Hogpen Gap.). There is a beautiful stone AT shelter on the top of Blood Mountain, built in 1934 it must be one of the oldest on the AT.  The remainder of the day was a series of climbs and descents, the former aggravating the blister on my heel and the latter inflaming the numerous blisters on Bruce's toes.

There is a dearth of good water sources on this stretch of the AT, creating challenges for camping.  We did find a spring at Hogpen Gap and as a result we are wild camping here.  We are trying to avoid the legendary stench of the AT hiker by bathing whenever possible.  We used our single cooking pot to dump the spring water over our heads, sudsed up, and rinsed with the same pot.  All of this was done some distance from the water source to avoid contaminating it.  Bathing was a bit of a problem because the water was quite cool, but afterwards we felt human again.  And we smell so good the locals may not believe we are AT hikers.

Into the Woods

Bruce and I are a day and a half into our walk in the woods.  Bruce's brother picked us up at the airport in Chattanooga, Tennessee and the next day he and his wife delivered us to a parking area a mile from the summit of Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (AT).

We are walking through a southern mixed forest of elm, hickory and oak trees, with the odd conifer to justify the characterization as "mixed".  There are large areas of native rhododendrons, which are reputedly beautiful in the spring.

The temperature is perfect for hiking, varying between perhaps 14 and 24 degrees today.  It is the dry season, but "dry" in this area is much more moist than a summer in Victoria.  The remnants of Hurricane Irma roared through here a few weeks ago, leaving noticeable damage in its wake.  However, the trail crews have already been out and cleared the blown down trees on the trail.

There is a tradition of "trail names" on the AT.  Today we met an experienced hiker and I asked him about his trail name.  He said it is "Wet Dog," and provided the following explanation of its genesis.  "I'm a military brat, and in the vocabulary of the military feet are 'dogs'.  I like to take my boots off and soak my feet in a stream while I am getting water.  I think the cool water is good for your feet when you are walking.  This led to being called 'Wet Dogs,' which I shortened to 'Wet Dog'."  He has certainly earned the right to a trail name, as Wet Dog has walked the entire AT 3 times.  He has also walked the longer Pacific Crest Trail twice.

Gord Heads to the Appalachian Trail

Ruth: Today I dropped Gord at the ferry to head off on an adventure - gulp - without me. A very rare thing for the two of us, but something I will have to get used to now that he has retired. He and his friend Bruce are flying to Georgia to walk for a month on the Appalachian trail. Not a trip I could or would do so I am happy to watch this one from the sidelines.  No really I am happy for him. 

Just because I am not on the adventure does not however mean that I won't hijack the blog once in awhile to bring the focus back to me.  

Gord it will be great to hear about your adventures and if you forget to blog I will jump in and just make stuff up! Safe and happy trails! Russell,  the boys and I will miss you. 

Heading Home in a Lobster Haze

Gordon, Doris, Herman, Marie Anne and Hervé

Ruth: After seven lobster meals in five days we are stumbling onto our flight home in a lobster haze.  Nothing to complain about, but I do look forward to eating some vegetables and perhaps toning down the gluttony just a wee bit. 

We have had a lovely visit in Moncton reconnecting with Gord's mom's sister and two brothers. There is something wonderful about hanging out with a group of people that range in age from 82 to 93. Hearing that Gord just turned 60 made them long for those salad days of youth. Doris, who is 93, thought it would be great to be as young as Marie Anne, who turns 83 today. The common theme from all of them was to live each day to the fullest.

These proud Acadians have lots of stories of the hard lives endured, especially by their mothers, to simply survive and put food on the table for their families. Gord's aunt Marie Anne told us that without the transformation of the province under Premier Robichaud the Acadians would still be desperately poor. 

Our time here was not entirely spent eating, we went on a bike ride each morning on the beautiful trail system that winds from Dieppe along the river marshes into downtown Moncton. Moncton has a lovely farmers market with many local specialties including fantastic cinnamon buns.  It also has some attractive areas of character housing, and the older parts of the downtown are quite charming.

No trip to New Brunswick can happen without a number of visits to their provincial institution - Tim Hortons. Within 20 minutes of arriving in Moncton Hervé had us loaded up in his car to show us where the nearest one was located. Our last moment with them was shared at the Tim Hortons (what else could it be?) at the Moncton airport.