(Rock Top Spring (mile 34.2) - Chattahoochee Gap (mile 47.8))

I woke up this morning just before 7am. After digging my morning cat hole, I took down the bear bag and quickly broke camp. I backtracked down the trail a few yards to collect water from Rock Top Spring. After collecting a liter of water, I decided to do my morning stretches next to the spring. Hitting the trail at a little after 8am, I figured I would eat breakfast at Wolf Laurel Top, a scenic overlook and campsite about 0.8 miles down the trail. I also knew I needed to contact the Budget Inn in Hiawassee to check their availability for Sunday or Monday night. As I mentioned in my previous hikers log, the Budget Inn offers free shuttles from Dick's Creek Gap, which is at mile 69.2. That's about 35 miles from where I camped last night meaning I could make it there in three days (Sunday) averaging less than 12 miles a day. The only problem is I was unsure of when the shuttles run to Dick's Creek Gap. If they only run once in the early morning, I would really have to bust my butt to make it to Dick's Creek Gap by Sunday morning. In that case, I would likely be better off reserving a room for Monday night.

I made it to Wolf Laurel Top at about 8:45am and had just enough cell reception to call the Budget Inn, but unfortunately I did not get an answer. I figured it was before business hours and I would go ahead and eat breakfast before calling again. Breakfast was an amalgamation of granola and walnuts leftover from when I started, mixed with things I scavenged from the hiker box including hulled sunflower seeds and a very calorie dense instant hot cereal mix. As I was eating breakfast, two other prospective thru-hikers - Kyle and Evan, both of whom I met yesterday - joined me at the overlook. We chatted briefly about our respective plans for getting into Hiawassee. Evan is staying at Hostel Around the Bend, which is within walking distance from Dick's Creek Gap. Kyle is staying at the Budget Inn, but was also unsure about the shuttle situation.

After they left, I called the Budget Inn again and this time I got through. I asked them about their availability Sunday and Monday night as well as the shuttle schedule. Fortunately, they had availability both nights and the shuttle runs at 9am and 11:15am every day. They told me they can also do scheduled pickups if necessary. I reserved a room for Sunday night and told them I would try my best to make the 11:15am shuttle. This means that today and tomorrow I should probably increase my milage to ensure I have plenty of time to make it to Dick's Creek Gap on Sunday morning.

I started hiking again and soon ran into Evan at a water source. We started hiking together and he explained that he is an industrial engineering student taking a gap year from MIT. After a half mile or so, we stopped to chat with two day hikers and appreciate the view from an overlook on Cowrock Mountain.

We then continued hiking and discussed the different types of engineering, Evan's summer job at one of the National Physics Laboratories, and the future of electric vehicles. Soon we made our way down into Tesnatee Gap where we were thrilled to experience a double dose of "trail magic." First, an older gentleman named Roy offered us fresh fruit, including bananas, oranges, and apples as well as fresh water. I took a banana and asked Roy if he had thru-hiked in the past. He explained that he had never thru-hiked, but he was born and raised in the area and spent much of his younger days hiking on the AT. He has now fully embraced the role of "trail angel," spreading trail magic when he can.

Also in the gap was a yellow short bus that I recognized from yesterday at Neel's Gap. The bus belonged to two past thru hikers "Catch up" and "Lightning," a married couple who I met yesterday coming off Blood Mountain. Sure enough, Catch up was neeling outside the bus grilling hotdogs on a tiny Webber grill, surrounded by a pair of folding chairs, a case of beer, and bags of chips. I gladly accepted a hotdog and a beer while Catch up offered to take any trash we were carrying. Evan and I hung around and chatted with Catch up for a bit and learned that he hiked the AT with his son a few years back. His wife Lightning is also an AT thru-hiker, and I believe he said they met on the trail. Now he and Lightning live out of their converted school bus, fitted with an Ikea futon and kitchenette. They travel around the counrtry, performing trail magic and doing thru-hikes when they can. I told Catch up that I was applying to PhD programs, including one at the University of Central Florida, and he told me that he and Lightning had just finished thru-hiking the Florida Trail. He explained that even though Florida is without mountains, the biodiversity of flora and fauna makes the hiking fantastic!

After Evan and I finished our beers, we thanked Catch up and Roy for their generosity and began the steep climb out of Tesnatee Gap. At the top of the climb, we were rewarded with another great overlook and stopped for pictures. I was planning to do a longer day, so after a couple minutes I decided to hike on while Evan stayed to enjoy the view for a bit.

After a little over 4 miles, I stopped for lunch on Sheep Rock Mountain. I hung around to do my mid-day stretches and update the hikers log. Evan caught up to me and stopped briefly for a snack. He explained that he planned to hike another mile to Low Gap Shelter and I told him I planned to do another 6 miles to Chattahoochee Gap. He then headed off down the trail and I finished my stretches.

I continued hiking and shortly passed Low Gap Shelter. On the climb out of Low Gap, I passed Detox, a retired Navy officer I met my first night at Stover Creek Shelter. After just a few minutes, I stopped to collect water and take pictures at a gorgeous little stream cascading down the mountain (pictured in the banner).

The trail continued for several miles along the ridge and I arrived at Chattahoochee gap at about 4:15pm. I briefly considered pushing another 2.3 miles to Blue Mountain Shelter but decided against it. I was feeling good about my mileage this early on the trail and did not want to over exert myself. At Chattahoochee gap, I met "Painless" a recently retired dentist from central Wisconsin who despite his trail name, was feeling quite sore after his 17 mile day. We set up our tents on an old Forest Service road and talked for a while about canoeing in the Quetico and Boundary Waters. About an hour later, Daphne - an older lady I had passed earlier in the day - rolled into camp. Painless offered to collect water for us if I would show him how to hang a bear bag. It was a fair exchange of services because the water source was at the bottom of a VERY steep ravine.

Another hiker named "K bar" arrived while Painless was collecting water. When he returned from the ravine, Daphne and K bar both joined us for the bear bag hanging lesson. I found what I considered to be a perfect branch, but Daphne quickly exclaimed that it was too high and that she would use a different branch on a nearby tree. I told her that the branch she chose was definitely not high or strong enough, but her mind was set, and I did not feel like arguing with her. I got my bear line over on my third or fourth throw and hung my first purebred PCT hang of the trail. After that painless and K bar both tried for my branch a couple times, but their lines kept getting tangled. I could tell they were both tired and were quickly growing irritated. After a few frustrating minutes they both decided to hang from Daphne's branch. I helped painless hang his bag, which ended up being more of a bear pinata than a proper bear bag, but I could tell he was satisfied to be done. I hadn't eaten dinner yet and light was fading fast, so I asked Painless if he felt comfortable helping K bar get her bag up. I then returned to camp to eat dinner. About 20 minutes later, painless and K bar returned and declared that they had given up. K bar said she was opting to sleep with her food.

After I finished my dinner, I added my cold soak container, spoon, and trash to my bear bag. I then helped Daphne hang her bag in a modified PCT style, but the finished product left much to be desired in terms of height. At this point, the sun had completed it's decent over the mountains, and I retired to my tent for the night.

Tomorrow I hope to do another 15 miles or so. That should put me about 7 or 8 miles from Dick's Creek Gap, which if I leave camp early enough on Sunday, should be doable before 11:15am🤞

My first trail magic:
free hotdogs and Natti Light -
the trail does provide