So it did rain last night, but with our rain fly plus siltarp setup, our tent stayed nice and dry. It was quite a storm, wind, rain, and thunder and lighting.
We were awake by about 5:30am, got the site all packed up, and were on the trail by about 6:30. It was still dark out, so we had to start the hike off with headlamps. It was an eerily beautiful morning. Up high where we were camped there was fog, and a chilly wind was still blowing. To the east, the sunrise was turning the sky a soft pink color. As the sun continued to rise, the mountains and ridges to the west started to catch the sun, but was softened by the thin layer of fog… it was dreamlike, almost like a painting.
Unfortunately, we were hiking fast, trying to get to Unicoi Gap by 11, so I didn’t get a chance to snap any pictures. I really just got the two below during our morning hike.
While the hike this morning was beautiful, our legs, knees, and feet have had just about enough. It was a painful climb up Blue Mountain… mainly knees and the tops of our feet. The parking lot at Unicoi Gap was a welcome site. We did the 8.3 miles in just over 3 hours.
Just after 10, a van from the Hiawassee Budget Inn showed up, and delivered us to the inn, about 12 miles north of the gap. Our room wasn’t quite ready, so we grabbed some chairs and hung out in the sun in the parking lot, watched other hikers board the shuttle back to the trail, and dried out our rain fly and tarp.
Right after we got our room, we walked next door to get some lunch at Subway, grab a few things at rite aid, and, most importantly, some beer. We have already taken showers and started some laundry, now we’re laying around icing our sore knees. It’ll be good to get off the feet for a day or two. In chatting with one of our fellow hikers last night, we learned that too many people ignore the signs that their bodies give them and hike right into serious injuries. It’s much better to take a day or two off now, than to try and push on for another couple of days and end up with a more serious long term injury.
Also, I recently learned it’s national beer day! So cheers to everyone from Hiawassee!
Cheers to you too! Hope you get a good healing rest. What are you trail names?
No trail names yet. But we’ve been hanging out with some other hikers, so I’m sure we’ll get some eventually. We’re open to ideas from all of you following us too!
Is that a good local brew?
It’s not bad. I’ve had a few terrapin beers before. They’re a larger brewery out of Athens, GA, but they distribute well outside the state.
cheers to the 2 of you
Glad to see you’re getting some well earned and needed rest. Cheers!