April 2-3 in Georgia

April 2, 2005 | Day 6 | Miles: 9.4 | Total Miles: 50.5
End: Hiawasee Inn, Hiawasee, GA, via Unicoi Gap
Danielle:
Windy, cold and snowy!
Well, rain came in last night and got everything wet and dirty, but by the time we got up, it had stopped and was just cold, windy and overcast. Got out about 8:30 and after we had been hiking for about an hour, the snow started, which Ryan was psyched about. Until it kept on snowing and we went up and along a big ridge with the wind whipping and the snow flying into our faces. But what else to do but keep on going. So that's what we did. Had lunch at Blue Mt. shelter in the wind and snow and decided to keep on going down to Unicoi Gap and decide what to do then. At the gap, we had warmed up, but a couple told us the snow and windwas supposed to keep on through the night, so instead of being "tough" we decided to try our hand at hitching. We managed to get a ride with two guys in a pickup. I got to ride in the cab, while Ryan, Patch and Clearwater were in the back. I think I got the better end of the deal :-)

We are currently warm, dry and cleann and sharing a room with Bravo. There are at least 12 of us here. Good place to ride out the storm and pray for sunshine tomorrow :-) I was a bit unhappy in the snow earlier when I got really cold, but it's all part of the adventure, and I'm still happy to be here :-) Mexican dinner and grocery shopping plus TV in store for tonight then back to "reality" tomorrow!

Ryan:
snow, windy, brrrrrr
there's a saying - no rain, no pain, no maine. but, that never mentions snow. so, after it poured all night, we woke to what looked like clearing skies. they didn't clear. instead, it snowed. hard. it was great at first. i was psyched to see a little white stuff. but it just kept coming, and then it started coming sideways. the winds were fierce. so with 3 inches of snow in the mountains, and frigid winds, we made an unexpected hitch into hiawasee. two days earlier than planned. we're at the hotel we about 15 other hikers. we sharing a room with bravo. it's all about saving cash. we were smart to stay here. i'm sure we'll hear stories of misery in the days to come. the hitch was interesting, though. two guys up from atlanta to hike for the weekend stopped in unicoi gap to check out the weather. seeing it was miserable, and we needed a ride, they offered to take danielle, clearwater, patch and i into hiawasee in their pickup. 6 packs and three guys in the back of a pickup on a cold, snowy day...now that was fun. danielle got to ride in the cab. the good news is that my zeal for the inital snowfall helped to spawn my trail name - snowman. plus, my pasty whiteness helped. so, i'll be snowman for the next couple months. until i melt in the summer heat.met git er done in the laundry room today. last night at deep gap shelter, he heard the mice scurrying around, and one got into his pack...and gave birth. when he pulled his clothes to do laundry here he found 4 dead baby mice in one of his shirts. um, yuk. then he showed them to me. more yuk. another reason we're probably going to spend most nights in the tent.

April 3, 2005 | Day 7 | Miles: 12.6 | Total Miles: 63.1
End: Deep Gap shelter, Tent
Danielle:
Sunny, cool and windy
A night in a real bed was a treat! How comfy after an evening of good Mexican food (and everyone else at the motel except us, Bravo and Get 'er Done chose the Shoneys AYCE Seafood Buffet-Yuck! We definitely won out there!). Ron dropped us off at the trailhead at 9am, and it was so windy and cold we hauled up Rocky Mt. almost without noticing. There was a lot of snow on the ground. We were definitely glad with our choice to go into town. Ryan made a snowman at the top, reconfirming his name as Snowman, chosen yesterday in the snow. I think it's fitting, as he thinks winter is the best thing yet-crazy boy, fall is best! The top of Rocky Mt. gave us our best GA views yet-very nice! It was nice to be out on a sunny day, even though it was windy. We skipped some trail magic a half mile off the trail in Addis Gap-we already had enough food on our backs. 7 days worth is HEAVY! But a few others did veer off at the mention of free beer and food. We ended the day with a stiff climb before we descended into the gap to the shelter. It was a tough one but we're here and still doing well, if tired. Ghost is here tonight-he stayed out last night through the storm. Wow! He was one tough guy to stay out. Glad he was OK, we were thinking about him yesterday in our warm motel room. On to the GA/NC border tomorrow! Yeah! :-)

Ryan:
sunny, not a single cloud, windy, cool
after enjoying the hospitality of ron and sam at the hiawassee inn, we jumped in their free shuttle back to the trail and were on the trail by 9. resupplying sucks. we're carrying 7 days worth of food, and it's heavy. we're not planning for a town stop until danielle's parents meet us at nantahala outdoor center on the 10th, so we gotta carry it all. we were supposed to resupply in hiawasee tomorrow, but the weather changed that. we enjoyed the snow that fell yesterday while we hiked today. some of the drifts were well over a foot. by the way, we're in georgia. i made a couple snowmen today, one on top of rocky mountain and one on top of tray mountain. i am snowman, afterall. today was hard with three big climbs and a heavy pack. ready for some good zzzs and the blue skies forecasted. ghost reappeared at the shelter tonight, and it's real good to see him. tough sob stayed out in the snow.