Sat, Jan 24 2009 - Dayhike the GA AT - Section 3: Woody Gap to Neels Gap (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Jennifer Rush, Tony C, Ed Doran Participants: Tony C, Jennifer Rush, Ed Doran, Scott Looper, Hilke Neuerburg, patricia, Duane B, Noreen, Marshall, Gary Hubert

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Write Up:
The weather forecast was very questionable before this hike...rain was forecast for the morning and then mostly cloudy through the day and clearing late. We met at a drizzly carpool, but as we drove up north, the blue patches of sky grew larger and larger...a nice surprise and we couldn't wait to get started on the hike.

After dropping off some cars at Neels Gap, we took the rest down to Woody Gap to begin. After the obligatory group pic, we hit the trail. The climb up Big Cedar Mtn was a tough one, but we were rewarded with a couple of overlooks at the top with superb views to the southeast.

After a quick detour to Preaching Rock, we continued on...mostly downhill now, past the Dockery Lake trail and to Jarrad Gap. We had a very fast group, so we were ahead of schedule at this point and decided to make a little extra side trip to Lake Winfield Scott for lunch. So we headed down the Jarrad Gap Trail and found a nice spot and enjoyed views of the beautiful half frozen lake (see pics).

We could have enjoyed this lovely scenery for longer, but the sunset was less than two hours away, so we made it a quick break and jumped back on the trail. Our timing ended up being great and we hiked briskly up to the top of Blood Mtn, where we ran across a large group who were staying overnight at the shelter...complete with little children who were tough to be out there braving the cold.

Rather than watching the sunset from the customary overlook above the shelter, we headed down a hundred yards or so, to a more quiet large clearing. We enjoyed the sunset...perhaps not a spectacular one because there were very few clouds to enhance it, but every sunset that you can see from the top of a mountain is pretty special. And after the sun went down, the fading light was even better with the sky becoming purple, then darker, and then finally pitch black and just full of stars. There was no moon up, so the stars were especially bright and just profoundly impressive.

We were careful hiking down the last rocky section in the dark, but we all made it safely to Neels Gap to end Section 3...arguably the best of the sections so far, thanks to the weather and the challenge and beauty of Blood Mtn.

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