Mile 69.6
Elevation 2,675
Miles Hiked 16
I decided to slackpack a portion of the trail. The hostel drove me back to Unicoi Gap this morning, and at 9 AM I started slackpack hiking to Dick’s Creek Gap. Distance is 16 miles. I made it by 5:30 PM. The people at the hostel said that stretch of the AT is the most difficult in Georgia. I don’t know if that is true. All I know is I’M SORE, and I had trouble stepping up into the hostel’s van when they came to pick me up. It will be awhile before I do that again.
Top of Georgia is really a great place to spend a night or two. Included in the stay is a talk by the hostel’s owner who is a thru hiker. All the hikers that have made it this far are still a long way from being seasoned, so the talk focused on what to expect in the coming days and weeks. One thing he made clear was that 25% of all hikers will probably not make it to the Georgia – North Carolina border. Hopefully, I won’t be one of the ones that drop out.
Hot Chocolate at the hostel
During his talk, another hiker who was more of a homeless person than a hiker was drunk on cheap wine, which he was drinking within the hostel building. There are strict rules against doing that. The guy was very disruptive during the talk, and I was surprised and disappointed that the owner did not at least say something to him. What should have happened is the guy should have been thrown out. Many of the other hikers who I talked to about the situation later agreed.
