First Four Days (Short version)

Call me Ishmael. Just kidding, call me Elfmeister because that is my trail name.

I just spent the night in a cabin, in a bed at Blood Mountain Cabins and it was amazing. I am about 40 miles from the beginning of the trail at Amocalola Falls where my walk started.

My signal is terrible and I won’t be able to post pics until I get to a better one.

Day One started at the lodge and I walked to the Springer Mountain parking lot where I said my farewell to Danielle, grabbed my pack and raced the rain to Stover Creek where I spent my first night listening to downpour after deluge pound the metal roof of the shelter. Shelters are the best asset on the AT.

Day Two took me about 15 miles to Gooch Mountain structure. Not as big of a shelter, but loaded with great people. (I’ll talk more about these people in a later post. Right now I’m focused on shared a bit of the locations. I am preparing to pack up and head out the door to today’s beautiful destination.) lots of snoring, bad sleep… one of the best hiking days I’ve ever had! Oh, and I rained on me. All day.

Day Three. At Woods Gap there was trail magic! I had a couple waffles and a cold can of coke and just about ran the last of the day’s 12 miles up to Woods Hole Shelter. You have to have a bear canister in these parts. Such a cool shelter. I left the shelter early and got to Woods Hole shelter in time to strip naked and have a baby wipe bath. Slept in my tent for the first time. Sang songs around the campfire. It was a great trail night.

Day Four. This was a short, short day. Only about four miles. There was a big storm coming so I got up early and headed over Blood Mountain to Neels Gap. There is an outfitter on the trail there. I restocked some food, bought a long spoon (short spoons are not good for eating from a ziplock baggie) and had a doughnut and a coke. Then I hiked a half mile or so to the Blood Mountain cabins where my friend and I rented three cabins for the night. Everyone we knew on the trail wanted off because rain was coming. As they arrived, we told them where the cabins were and split the cost up. A few of us from Wild Boar (cabin name) took a ride to Walmart in Blairsville and picked up PBR and the awesome trail chef Martini whipped up homemade pizza. Incredible. We ended the night with about 18 hikers in the cabin, drinking beer and talking about trails and of course talking about why.

Anyway, gotta pick my bag and get walking.

Peace. Love. Hiking.

– Elfmeister