Woody to Neels Gap

Had breakfast at the hostel before leaving, and ohmygosh do they do it up! Pancakes, eggs, grits, oatmeal and drinks around. Most of us decided to "slack pack" today to Neels Gap. Chef decided to get back to it today also. So, we rented the day packs from Hiker Hostel and packed the days food/water and rain gear. Josh dropped us off at Woody Gap and brought all our full packs to the outfitter at Neels Gap. It was so great to hike without the full pack weight! At first, we were all hiking together in the beginning of the day, and we were able to get some great group photos. As the day progressed, we started separating. Queen Becky and I kept close to each other though through the day. And my feet were happy most of the time! The last couple of miles were hard and I developed new friction blisters on the bottom of my feet from the hard down after Blood Mountain. I have to say though, that was the toughest part of the day, for sure. The ascent was great and the view up there was spectacular. I took a million pictures before heading down. Queen Becky and I gave a good yell of triumph while we were up there. The weather was great and the views on top were beautiful. It is a treat when there is a view right now, as the weather is so flippant. Slack packing is the way to go when you can! My feel really hurt by the time I was hobbling down into Neels Gap. Bluto saved me a bunk thankfully because they were booked. We ran into a few people that we thought we lost from taking a zero day, so it seems the group is back together. I also met Birdie and Bubbles, a married couple that have grossly heavy packs. I liked them right away. They are both young, quirky and super friendly. I started taking down e-mail addresses today of people I've met now that I've already lost contact with some I wish I'd gotten before separating, like Waterboy or Flying Turtle. It is true, you could intend on seeing someone the next day and then POOF! they are gone. I'm so happy to be here to get new gear tomorrow and hopefully make things a bit more comfortable. This bunkhouse is a dump and I'm really surprised for everything good I'd heard about it. It is pretty dirty, damp and smelly. BUT a bed is a bed and I was thankful for the shower. I would have rather saved the money and slept out back though for sure!