Day 8 – 11 miles – We awoke to a cold, cloudy morning. Our clothes were still dripping wet and cold. I made breakfast and slowly did my thing. I put on wet socks and shoes, then a wet shirt and tucked my other wet shirt into the mesh pocket of my pack. Tim and I got on trail and eventually dried out for the most part. We got off on a spur trail for water and breakfast. My shirt had dried and I hung out my other shirt on a small tree to dry it while I ate and filtered water. Later on we ran into a Georgia AT Trail Ambassador by the name of Fred. Thankfully so, because they informed us there was no phone signal to be had at Dicks Creek gap. We had to call ahead while we were on top of the mountains. We called the Holiday Inn in Hiawassee for a room & Moneychanger for a pickup. It was quiet in the Holiday Inn which we were happy about. We got food, did laundry, and passed out early.

Day 7 – 5.7 miles – We discussed staying another day in Hiawassee to avoid impending weather but ultimately decided that we needs to make up miles for the nero and zero we took the previous 2 days. We should have stayed.. Moneychanger dropped us off at Unicoi gap around 10am Saturday morning. The weather was cloudy and cool, perfect hiking weather. The target of the day was Trey Mountain shelter just beyond the summit of Trey Mountain a 4,430-ft behemoth. We weren’t hiking an hour before the rain started. Opting to forego my rain gear could have literally cost me my life in hindsight. We pushed on through high winds and torrents of rain to summit Trey Mountain in a mere few hours. Keeping moving was the only thing keeping me going. I was cold and wet. Two things that are manageable if separate but exponentially worse if experienced together. By the time I reached the shelter around 2pm I was exhausted as well. We stripped out of wet clothes, set up our pads and quilts in the shelter, ate, and then I cocooned myself in my quilt for quite while trying to warm my core and hands. After I warmed up and started moving around and snapped this pic of the shelter looking like a homeless encampment.

Day 6 – 7.32 miles – Up early, had breakfast at the lodge. Tim and I left about mid-morning to explore the town, get some resupply, lunch, etc. We ended up at Tilted Cafe for lunch. Pretty darn good food, drink, and atmosphere. After picking up, resupply items, new insoles and a few other items from Trailful and more beer from Bacchus we called Mountain Maw’s Dirt Cheap Taxi to take us back to the lodge. Upon returning we found out that some of our tramily was placed across the hall from us. Once reunited we all decided to have dinner at Daniel’s later that day.We ended up running into Mud Duck, and a few others. By the time we were seated there was a whole gaggle of hiker trash. Rounded out the night chatting with fellow hikers back at the lodge over some cold beers.

Day 5 – 9.7 miles – Stayed in a bit at Low Gap shelter this morning. Tim and OK Kid had their coffee while I broke down my gear. Left camp around 7am heading for Unicoi Gap and hopefully a shuttle,lodging, and resupply in Hiawassee. I stopped for breakfast a few hours into the hike by a waterfall. Tim passed me and I never saw him again until Unicoi gap many hours later. I thought to myself I should give him the name Speedgoat. OK Kid and I stopped for a late lunch at Blue Mountain Shelter, where I snapped this exuberant pic. I arrived to Unicoi to find Tim had procured a ride for us. I also found a church group handing out homemade cheeseburgers, chips, and drinks. Such a sight for sore eyes after a grueling descent to Unicoi Gap. As I ate I thanked the strangers for their generosity and timing. The wind picked up and we headed to the truck. We would continue to use this shuttle in the coming days. I 100% recommend using Moneychanger for shuttles in and around Hiawassee, GA. OK Kid & I split a room at Lake Chatuge Lodge and we headed that way. Tim opted for his own room as he had not been sleeping well. After getting cleaned up and running a load of laundry though we headed down the hill to have dinner at the BBQ place. The food was ok except Tim’s ribs were raw and the bar service was high on something. The bartender dropped our food and we had to wait twice as long.

Day 4 – 10.4 miles – Got up before sunrise this morning and broke down camp. Left Tim and OK Kid behind at camp. It was so peaceful and quiet I wanted to enjoy to myself. I stopped at a spot on a ridge to watch the sunrise and have breakfast. It was glorious. Shortly after I reconnected with OK Kid and Tim at a spring nearby. Later in the day we arrived at Low Gap shelter and it was empty. A creek ran straight through the site and I thought it would be a perfect place to sleep for the night. We opted to stay in the shelter instead of pitching our tents. I slept great, Tim not so much.