well we did it. The rain in the morning going up blood mountain made it feel like maine again. then the rain stopped for a while. the sun even poked out a little bit. a stray hound dog joined the hike for a little bit. we called him gooch because he joined us at gooch mountain. explosions went off in the distance as we passed the 20 mile mark over hawk mountain. the trail smoothed out and widened through a hemlock forest with only 5 miles to go. the steady ascent up springer went by quickly. 30 mile done and the four of us arrived at the top just before dusk. There were some yells and queen's 'champions' playing on the cell phone. even though it is probably one of the most anticlimactic peaks on the trail, it was a sweet moment.
hiking the mile down to the car in the dark did not even seem that bad.
the others, abe, drew and joe, (using the real names since we are officially off the trail now) stayed at the springer shelter at the top. I however could not resist the urge to sleep in a nice hotel room.
My dad and i drove down to the amicolola falls lodge, enjoyed a buffet dinner and some nice beds.
a quick breakfast in the morning and then to the visitors center to sign the register. then i did half of the trail in 10 hours. it goes by a lot faster in a car.
things are still a little surreal right now. i hope to ad some deep thoughts tomorrow. feelings right now are just... tired.
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Congratulations, Chris! I haven't spoken with Joseph yet but I did get the message that he made it home. Marty and I both enjoyed spending time with you. Best of luck on your move to the left coast. It was a pleasure to meet you!
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of you and your accomplishment! Aledra
Blood Mountain was one of my favorite spots on the entire trail....hope the rhodedendrons were just as amazing for your pass through...
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