Day Five: Henry Gap to just past Wolf Laurel Top

It was another early start to the day. Chuck had tried to pick our campsite so that we might (okay, correction - HE might) see the sunrise. Although he woke up early, the mountains that were surrounding us  effectively blocked the sunrise. Despite his disappointment, Chuck was nice enough to let me sleep a little bit more because today we needed to go over the ominous-sounding Blood Mountain (which would be my highest elevation point on my hike). No one is sure how the mountain got its name.  Some believe there was a battle on the mountain between the Cherokee and Creek Indians, and yet others think the name is based on the lichen and Catawba that grow near the top of the mountain. I have no idea how lichen or Catawba relate to blood....actually, I don't really know what Catawba is. Regardless of how it got its name, our guidebook made it look like a steep climb.  

The prospect of a difficult climb tends to make me nervous about my capabilities as a hiker. I know I am slow, and Chuck tells me it's fine because the longer he spends on the trail, the better. But, I worry that there may be such a thing as "too slow" and that I will prove it. I remind myself that I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and I will get to the top (eventually). 

Although the first three miles were a gradual climb, all too soon we started to climb Blood Mountain (an average 13% grade. Yikes!). With Chuck far ahead of me, I decided I needed to pull out my tried-and-true counting technique. My brain likes to count - it's a distraction technique. I try to guess how high I can count before I reach the top, and I tell myself "you only have to keep going until you reach <insert estimated count>." The funny thing is I almost never pick the right target and yet as long as I just set a new revised goal, I can keep going.

About half way up, I encountered another hiker who had been taking a break. He looked about ready to get started again, and so I suggested that perhaps he should go ahead of me so he wouldn't have to pass me later. To my surprise, he told me he thought he was likely slower than I was. A few minutes proved him right. Hurrah! I graduated from snail to turtle! Finally, I reached the top and reunited with Chuck, who had been patiently waiting. We spent a few minutes admiring the stone shelter there. It looked like a house!

The views from the mountain top were amazing, even though it was a cloudy day.

A little below the top

As we started down, we were walking across rocks, kind of slippery rocks (no dirt path here). My hiking boots had proven less than reliable on stone on the Pennine Way, and the grade of the descent made me start worrying that my knee might start hurting again. So, it was back to turtle pace for me. But here I kept repeating "step lightly...walk like a cat..." (both were pieces of advice Chuck gave me in England). It seemed to work, and again I was not the last one down the hill! Banner day for Ruth! 

At the bottom of Blood Mountain is Neel Gap, our first re-supply. There were lots of thru-hikers hanging out at the picnic tables outside the store (the Walasi-Yi Interpretive Center). A few were leaving the trail to head back to school after Spring Break. 

We put down the packs, enjoyed talking with others, and just relaxed.  Eventually, we took turns doing our shopping. I was still not completely sure how to judge how much food I would need for the next several days. I bought a few meals to cook, tried to figure out how many snacks and bars I'd need, and picked a few treats. Hopefully I won't starve before Hiawassee!

There was an option to stay at Neel Gap in a hostel, but we'd only walked about six miles so far. So, we decided to hoist our packs and start off again. Our first steps back on the Appalachian Trail were actually through the Walasi-Yi Center... But, after that, we were immediately back to climbing again. As I had eaten a decent lunch and had a little sugar, I was ready to tackle the hills again. The trail was quiet, most people stopping at Neel Gap, and so we had time to pay attention to the little things - specifically, the little red bugs we'd been seeing.

Some kind of mite

We ended up going about four miles past Neel Gap, stopping when we ran into a fellow hiker, Chris, who we had camped with at Justus Creek. We were soon joined by Mitch, his adorable dog (Bella), and Caboose.  With the potential for rain, we settled into our tents early and called it a night.