Day 17 - Friday, June 4
What a day!
We broke camp at 7am with Chris walking to Starbucks and me heading towards Gooch Gap which is a mountain top trailhead to the Appalachian Trail. Lucky was not able to finish breakfast so I left him inside thinking he could rest but as I left I heard him wailing and balanced what he really wants against what I really think and went with my gut - I opened the door and let him out. He followed dutifully as if he was 100% normal up the 13.5 mile / 2,000 foot ascent - happy as can be. And, when i was worried about water for him at mile 10, magically a stream of fresh water flowing down from the mountain top appeared and Lucky drank to his hearts content.
I finished and waited for Chris who was finishing up a business call when 2 women appeared on the AT (Appalachian Trail). Turns out they are from Jacksonville - Karen & Dawn - out for 3 days on the trail and they were kind enough to give me some recon on what is ahead and Karen was kind enough to give the mooch 3 of her mozzarella sticks.
What is ahead on Saturday is a stretch from Gooch Gap to Springer Mtn where the AT begins on the southern terminus. What most hikers do in 2 days I will do in 1 and it is very remote and difficult terrain. When Chris arrived, we decided that we would drive the route and see where the AT met the road to determine if we could support the run. There are 3 points where we can meet: Coopers Gap (5 miles) then HIghtower Gap (5 miles) and finally Springer Mountain. We felt confident that we could support the run with small pack so i could meet and refuel.
The roads in this area are forest roads and now we know, not ideal for an RV. So when we arrived back at our end point of the day at Gooch Gap, we realized the motorized step at the door had ripped off AND the back window of the RV had popped open and all the dust that was kicked up on the dirt roads had covered the inside of the RV! The kitchen, couches, floor and beds were covered in dirt so much so it looked normal to us but realized it was a different color - dust! Chris and I cleaned every inch of the RV and threw all bedding and clothes into laundry. Afterwards Chris jumped in the shower only to realize there was no water!
On the bright side, Chris made lamb burgers with feta cheese and olives on brioche buns with slice of tomato that were out of this world.
We have no water, major laundry from the dust and supply needs so we will need to restrategize for tomorrow’s difficult day. We are thinking that we will break camp at 7am and I will plan on being out on AT until 4pm while Chris heads back to Dahlonega to address mission critical items.
Finally, two interview today - first a really interesting interview with 12 year old Gabe with whom i was so impressed because he already new what he wanted to be but more surprisingly, the why. And second, two brothers living the dream on the AT.
All for now,
Cheers,
David.
