Hawk Mountain Shelter to Gooch Mountain Shelter

Day Two - Saturday, October 1
7.3 miles in 6.5 hours
Hawk Mountain Shelter to Gooch Mountain Shelter

We awoke at daylight (7:30), prepared our breakfast of oatmeal with raisins (and peanut butter for Wait-Up) and coffee, packed up our bags and left camp at 9:00 a.m.

We were the first to leave Hawk Mountain this morning and the last to arrive at Gooch Mountain tonight.  But that’s okay, we got there.  The two D’s were waiting for us when we arrived, and they were just as tired and cold as we were. 

We thoroughly enjoyed walking in the forest and enjoying the beautiful views from the mountaintops as we listened to scripture on our Ipods.  We felt very close to our Creator out here in the wonder of his world.

On the other side of Horse Gap we had a pretty steep climb up Justus Mountain (551 feet in 2.2 miles).  One guy passed us as we were resting at the top and said, “That was a doozy!”  I agreed with him.

Right before we arrived at the shelter marker we stopped in the trail for a drink of water.  As Wait-up was bent over to get his water bottle, I looked up ahead and saw what looked like a large fat black dog approaching the trail from the right.  I was expecting his owner to come into view behind him, but no one appeared.  The animal loped across the trail and continued down the hill into the gap below and disappeared.  OMG – that must have been a bear cub!  If it was, fortunately it was the only bear we saw in 80 miles.

Gooch Mountain Shelter had a nice source of water coming out of a pipe.  We saw water sources like this several times on the trail. 

The Georgia Appalachian Trail Club does a magnificent job of maintaining the trails.  It was amazing the number of downed trees that were strategically placed right where one might need to stop and rest after an incline.

Another cold night.  The two D’s and other campers built a fire in the fire pit while we set up our tent and went to bed again at dark.  The next morning we were the first to leave camp along with two fellows who were going south while we went north.  In a little while they passed us again going north, they had gone the wrong direction on the trail when they came out of the shelter trail J. 

We learned quickly to keep our eyes open for the white blaze marks on the trees all along the AT. 

The trails leading off the AT main trail for water, campsites or shelters were marked with blue blazes.

 Wait-up was beginning to earn his name.  I watched his back most of the trip.  I suppose Catch-up was earning her name too.



See him way up there?