Sat, May 21 2016 - Key swap Hogpen Gap-Unicoi Gap 14.3 (View Original Event Details)
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What an extraordinary day! We met at the park & ride, revealed team assignments, and were on the road by 7:00 am. Our mission: hike the 14+ mile section of the AT between Unicoi Gap and Hogpen Gap with half the group starting at Unicoi and half at Hogpen, swapping car keys in the middle. Our goal: avoid the need for a time-consuming shuttle or mundane out-and-back.
Team Lisa's lickety-split lightning bolts lunged onto the trail at Hogpen, warming up with an easy climb to Wolfpen Stamp. The air was eerily quiet as we made our way through dense fog to Strawberry Top and up Poor Mountain. The trail undulated through Wide Gap, Sheep Rock Top, and Low Gap as the fog intensified, then finally cleared. As the sun appeared, birds came to life with song, including a barred owl with her distinctive "Who cooks for you?" hoot. The never-ending carpet of lush fern was dotted with wildflowers, colorful azaleas, and old growth trees. Somewhere around Cold Springs Gap we heard, then glimpsed, Team Wynn approaching through the trees. Smiles and fist bumps were exchanged, then we sat down to share a sumptuous repast including blueberries, turkey sandwiches, trail mix (with m&m's!), fig newtons, Cape Cod chips, and bacon. We executed the all-important key swap and continued along. Trail-wise Jeff heard the rain coming, giving us a few seconds to don rain gear before doffing it just minutes later when the shower subsided. We picked our way gingerly across slippery rocks before hitting Chattahoochee Gap, ascending Blue Mountain and then descending down its steep slope.
Meanwhile, back at Unicoi Gap, Team Wynn's wandering wonders waltzed up Blue Mountain and... (Dear Reader, just work your way backwards through the preceding paragraph to trace Team Wynn's footsteps). About 4 1/2 miles in, they encountered a log jam of hikers stalled by an enormous, recently-felled tree. (ha ha, "log" jam!) Climbing over, crawling under, and bushwhacking around, they all made it safely past the obstacle and continued along to rendezvous with Team Lisa. Team Wynn must have then opened up the throttle; although they had more ground to cover after our snack break, both teams made it to the Old Bavaria Inn in Helen at nearly the same time. We toasted our success and tucked into some "authentic" German food whilst sharing tales of past, present, and future treks.
Shout-out to Tricia, Susan, Gail, and Jeffrey for completing both legendary key swaps (the first being Woody Gap to Neels Gap back in March). And kudos to Bunnie for nailing her first D5 with style. Many thanks to all participants for cranking out this event like a well-oiled machine. We are awesome!
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