AT Day 4: Blue Mountain & Unicoi Gap

Daily Miles: 10.6, Total Miles: 52.5

A mix of a stroll through the woods and good climbs, especially Blue Mountain.

I met a few hikers along the way before dropping down to Unicoi Gap. I missed the free shuttle to town, courtesy of the city of Hiawassee. This morning’s rain held me up. But I quickly got a $10 ride straight to the motel from a guy calling himself Smoky Bear.

I dumped my pack off and headed straight to a tasty lunch of blackened chicken tacos. Picked up my resupply box and got a few snacks at the nearby Ingles grocery store. I was able to check-in soon after returning to the motel and started the cleanup process and hiker chores.

While washing clothes, a fellow hiker was drying his Zpacks Duplex tent and I noticed a big patch on top of the tent. On the first day out with his brand new tent, his buddy had attempted to swing a rock sack over a high tree limb. On his first try, the throw got away from him and the rock sack flew high in the air. It landed smack dab on top of his tent leaving a large hole. Not to plug Zpacks, but even though this was not the tent’s fault, they are sending him a loaner tent.

I went back to Tilted Cafe for a nice dinner and a local IPA. That’s all folks, time for a good sleep!