Sunday, February 26, 2006

Goose Creek Cabins, Neel's Gap

In the megamid, 7:45am It's been raining and thundering since 5a. I've heard two people hike past my tentsite. Thought I'd wait it out but I think I'll just go for it. Might be Blood Mtn tonight if it's too wet.

Goose Creek Cabins, 4:45pm

Well, it certainly was wet! It rained all day—thunder and lightning in the morning, which was pretty scary. As I was packing up this morning the lightning was moving in and I was nervous about that metal pole holding up the 'mid. I pretty much went straight through to Blood Mtn and stopped for about 20 minutes at the shelter there. I didn't stay longer because I was getting cold. Man I was beat. But from there it was only 2.5 miles down hill to Neels Gap and the Walasi-Yi Inn. The hostel was closed but the woman there said a shuttle was coming from the cabins, $25/night. Yes! I threw my stuff in along with some other folks that I've been running into since Hawk Mtn, and we went to Goose Creek Cabins. Everybody was coming off the trail so it's crowded, and I'm sharing a cabin with "T" and "CW" (cry wolf) and his dog Rowdy. She's a good girl. T's the guy who, at one point, passed me going uphill and made some comment about the rain, and I said, yeah, but it's better than being dead. He thought that was pretty funny. When I showed up at Walasi to find a crowd of hikers waiting under the awning for the shuttle to the cabins, T was there and said to the rest of the hikers, "Here comes my inspiration!"

Pretty funny to be sharing a cabin with two strange men, huh? I can't wait until I get to hitchhike into town!

Now I'm showered and in dry clothes and sipping tea with the guys, chatting while we wait for the dinner shuttle into Blairsville. Five restaurants in town? We'll see.

Our driver recommended an all-you-can-eat buffet; most of us went there. I wore slippahs at least two sizes too big I found in the hiker box at the registration desk. Now, everybody working at the cabins is extremely nice, but wow: their office is crammed with DAP (dead animal parts) and a big ol' Confederate flag. I am a stranger in a strange land for sure!

So the AYCE was good, except for the chicken-fried stead and poor dessert bar, and only $6.41, ice tea included. Folks, I've spent that at Starbucks on mornings before heading into the office.Now, why is sweetened ice tea the default instead of unsweetened? Bought granola cereal and two bags of tuna at the grocery after dinner. With help from CW and T I've figured out my route/mileage from here to NOC, which should put me in Wesser early (noon?) on the 12th. Plane leaves ATL the 13th. Will get fuel and arrange a ride tomorrow at Walasi.

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