Neels Gap Hostel

For those following me where I'm on the trail, I hiked from Woodys Gap to Neels Gap today. It started out as a moderate 7 miles and became strenuous the last 4 which included conquering Blood Mountain, the highest elevation in GA. I would suggest doing a Google search and seeing some of the beautiful views that I missed.  This is the second time I've hiked the mountain and the second time that there has been no visibility due to weather.  At least I didn't run into any rain.  Oh well, guess I'll have to come back!

I've met up with another hiker named Sky Walker (aka Joe). We've decided pair up for a little bit as we're going about the same pace. We hike together to start the day and then take rests a different times so that we can still hike alone which is nice. It's good to have company but not be obliged to stay with them the entire time.

I also ran into 2 wonderful people as I was finishing my day. They were Teacher and Snacktime, a grandmother and her grandson out on the trail for a home schooling activity. They had some questions for me and the other hikers passing through. They also were kind and gave out a little bag of "trail magic" which included some candies and toilet paper among other things. It was a nice gift.

The day got even better when I arrived at the hostel. I was able to check in and take a shower (a luxury in the middle of the wilderness). The warm water felt great as it washed the salt off my body. I met a few of my fellow hikers who planned to stay the night, all of whom are various ages and all very interesting. The best part of the evening came when a family from a local Baptist Church in Cleveland, GA stopped by with dinner for us. The dinner tasted amazing and it was a lot of fun to hang out with them for the hour and a half they were here. The hospitality and fellowship tonight was just amazing.

I was able to restock some supplies here with some food that some section hikers from Florida left. I had passed these guys on the trail earlier in the day without much talking. They finished their planned hike today and left some wonderful dinners for us to take.

The rest of the night was spent hanging out with my fellow hikers. We had a TV,  but it stayed off all night as the company was far better than anything we could put on. Bedtime came around 9pm. It's just before 3am now and I'm gonna go back to sleep.

Continue to keep me in your prayers!

(Photos are of the sign at Blood Mountain and the view from Neels Gap)