D 4&5

Sunday 3/26

• Miles traveled: 6.7
  
• Shelter: Whitley Gap Shelter 1.2 miles off trail with Bear and Double Duty
  
• High point: hiking in the fog
  
• Low point: not many views

Gathered our things at the cabin and had leftover pizza for breakfast. YUM. We shopped at the outfitter at Neels gap (both of us noting how strange it was to be shopping through a store in the woods), checked out the famous boot tree and headed up the mountain into the fog. 

Can you find the hikers again? We walked through the fog most of the day stopping to look into the distance into nothingness. It was quite surreal and once it cleared as we walked through certain areas it was like putting on glasses. 

It cleared up in the afternoon and got a few views on our 1.2 mile trek off trail to the shelter.
 Shelter was small but nice. It had a good water source and lots of mice. They didn't get to any of our stuff so we figured they were nice mice (like Gus in Cinderella). We shared the shelter with Double Duty and Bear, both thru hikers from the Carolinas. It was nice to watch the sun set and have a warm nights sleep.

Monday 3/27

• Miles traveled: 12.1

  
• Shelter: tent at blue mountain shelter

  
• Highlight: arriving at shelter

• Low pt: PUDs

It was a very warm day. We hiked in t-shirts and shorts for most the day. We climbed out of the shelter about 8am, trying not to wake the others. 

We hiked down to hog pen gap for a glorious breakfast of grits and hot sauce and we found some trail magic snacks behind the sign. 

We hiked up and over Poor Mountain but overall it was a cloudy morning with no real views. Lots of PUDS (pointless ups and downs). We stopped for lunch and realized the fuel canister was VERY LIGHT. Unfortunately the remaining food was rice which needs hot water and ramen which is OK cold (or dry as Russ likes it). We then proceeded to make our plans into town for fuel.

We ended up hiking 12 miles today. After looking at the weather and the threat for severe thunderstorms, we pushed passed the planned campsite (on a open ridgeline) and headed to Blue Mountain Shelter. We put our tent just outside the shelter and settled in for the night. We were pretty exhausted as the miles tend to catch up with you.