I did two short walks today without my backpack. One to the outfitter (about 1 mile) and one to meet Julia and her cousin as they hiked down Blood Mountain (about 3 miles). The knee with brace handled the four miles well.
Blood Mountain is the tallest challenge so far. Julia and her cousin made it! If the mountain wasn’t challenge enough, it rained most of the day and never got above 45 degrees.
I hiked back to Mountain Crossing Outfitters and picked up frozen pizza for dinner just in case Julia didn’t make it before the store closed. You can see the difference in weather conditions from yesterday until today as the next two pictures are the same crossing the trail makes over US 19.
The building in the background is Mountain Crossing Outfitters. The tree in the foreground, and the second photo, has discarded boots hanging from the branches. The word is that the boots/shoes belong to hikers that quit after going over Blood Mountain. If you think hiking the AT is difficult with about 30 pounds (or more) on your back, just multiply that a few times over. Next to childbirth, this is the most difficult thing I’ve attempted. Those of you who followed my C2C know I hated Texas Hill country because of the difficulty level. This is harder for me. So I can understand why some people reach Neel Gap at 31 miles and bid the trail farewell.
The pictures below are from my short hike up Blood Mountain. I stopped frequently to take pictures since I only went up about 1.5 miles.
The rock formation is called Balance Rock located near Flatrock Gap and it wasn’t much further down the trail that I ran into Julia. With the twists and turns in the trail, coupled with the fog, she was pretty nearby before I actually saw her.
