| April 02, 2005 |
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| Hogpen Gap - Unicoi Gap (Helen, GA) |
| Keith Bailey's father
shuttled Jay and me to Hogpen Gap. The weather was beginning
to clear in the valleys, but at Hogpen Gap the weather was just the
opposite - furious winds, cold and a rainy snow. Not a sign of a
good start. Left at 10:15pm. Most of the terrain between
Hogpen Gap and Unicoi Gap was undulating and not as rugged as
previous or so we thought! |
| By the time we arrived at
Low Gap Shelter there was about a half inch of snow that covered
everything. One could tell very easily which way the snow was
blowing since the West and North side of the trees were covered with
snow, including the side of this trail. The snow was
picturesque, trees that looked like white columns on Southern
Plantations. All we could see was black and white and green. |
| By the time we reached Low
Gap Shelter it was full, including a young group of kids who holed
up to keep out of the snow and blowing wind. We just stayed
long enough to eat and moved on towards Blue Mt. Shelter. |
| As we climbed higher in
elevation, there was more snow mixed with sloppy mud from the recent
rain storms, which made traveling difficult. We hiked trough a
beautiful snow covered tunnel of Laurels and rhododendrons that
reminded me of white umbrellas lined up side by side. After
leaving this area, and hiking over a 4,000 foot climb, the wind
roared and the snow was now mixed with ice pellets that was beating
against the left side of my head and face - I pulled my rain hat
down lower and trudged on toward Blue Mt. Shelter. |
| We now had 2 to 3 inches of
snow. The traveling was so difficult that all we could see was
white covered trees and shrubs, greasy mud and fog. We were
now under terrible windy conditions and drifting snow. Finally
reached Blue Mt. Shelter to get some relief from the wind and cold,
eat a snack and drink water. Couldn't stay still long for fear
of freezing. Jay and I had 2 miles of very rugged and rocky
terrain to go before reaching Unicoi Gap. Left the shelter at
6:15pm; wet ,cold, tired and hungry. |
| We ran into huge rocky
areas that slowed us down, and it was getting dark! Darkness
came, we continued stumbling, slipping and falling. I couldn't
see two inches in front of me let alone the trail. I followed
Simon as he maneuvered down the rocky trail. |
| We finally reached Unicoi
Gap at 8:05pm. Now we had a new problem. We would have
to hitch a ride to Helen or Hiawassee.
Trail angels were at work again. A boy scout leader
pulled into the trail parking lot. He offered us a ride into
Helen. We were in warm motel rooms by 9pm. A 14 mile
day. |
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Swing'n Jane and
Simon |
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