Day 8 – Unicoi Gap to Addis Gap

“… Raindrops keep falling on my head

But that doesn’t mean my eyes will soon be turning red

Crying’s not for me

‘Cause I’m never gonna stop the rain by complaining

Because I’m free

Nothing’s worrying me” – B. J. Thomas

Rain likely before 9 a.m., then rain showers between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., then rain. Cloudy, with a high near 51. North northwest wind around 12 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

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Up at 7:00. Rainy and 48 degrees. Will get colder later today. Nice breakfast of bacon and French toast with the big group at the hostel. We are all deciding what to wear in this weather today. Trying to balance rain and cold vs sweating too much in rain gear. More on that later.

The Green Dragon Hostel was awesome. It is less than a year old, so everything is nice and new. The two-level bunks all have memory foam mattresses, fully enclosing curtains, electrical outlets, and a small overhead light. One shower and two bathrooms. Lights out at hiker midnight, which is 9:00 p.m. There is a separate small building, like a detached sunroom, for socializing and eating so that you can stay up late and not bother others. That’s where I hung out last night to finish blogs. Nice breakfast and laundry is included with each night’s stay. The three owners are very nice and knowledgeable about the trail in the region. There were about 12 of us here.

Got packed up and ready for the complimentary shuttle back to the trail at 8:00. Decided to wear lightweight thermal bottoms, long-sleeve heat gear shirt, rain coat, and rain kilt. The kilt covers down to my calves and does not generate the heat/sweat that rain pants do. If it were in the upper 60s, I’d skip the kilt and just deal with getting wet, but it’s gonna get damn cold later as a cold front moves in and we gain a lot of elevation. Will also put on my 8-mil Nitrile waterproof gloves before I start hiking.

Oh, what a fashion statement I am!! Unfortunately, the zipper in the kilt ripped out 3/4 of the way from bottom to top. I’ll be sending the manufacturer a nastygram this weekend! Still usable, but it lets in some rain.

My hiking partner, Mike, was not ready, and we missed our shuttle at 8:00! At 9:00, I got very lucky and texted a shuttle that was going to pass right by us in 10 minutes on his way to Atlanta. We could have been stuck here till mid-afternoon. Ron picked us up at 9:15 and drove us back to Unicoi Gap. 

We ran into English Phil again at the gap. We chatted a bit, and he headed out a few minutes before us. We finished getting our rain gear on and headed uphill at 9:45. Mike is wearing Frog Togs top and pants. More on that later. We started a big climb up Rocky Mountain in steady rain and 45 degrees…so far. Hard climb, slippery, steep, humid, fog/clouds.

It’s really cold and wet and windy. My core body is fine, but my fingers are super cold. I put on my HEAVY sealskinz waterproof gloves over the 8 mil nitrile gloves. These were a lifesaver for me. My fingers became usable again within 10 minutes. Those heavy gloves are seen hanging from my chest strap in the picture above.

Summitted our second big mountain of the day, Tray Mountain, about 1:00. Elevation 4398 feet, very windy, temps down to the low 40s, we are in a cloud, and rainy. Mike is struggling a lot with low energy and cold. He did not eat enough so far today, and the cold saps the energy on top of two big climbs. We got into the Tray Mountain shelter and hunkered down from the wind and rain for an hour. The shelter blocked wind nicely. I hung out with a Canadian couple on a section hike while I fired up my stove and made hot tea. That really helped my hands and core. I also ran into Phil again and met a young couple from New Orleans on a week-long hike. Those later two were super chatty. Mike and I both ate lunch, and Mike was feeling better. As cold as it’s supposed to get up here, we have no choice but to head to lower altitude. 

Temperature started to rise as we descended Tray Mountain…thank god. Finally rolled into Addis Gap campsite at 5:30. Weather started to break at 5:00. By 6:00 we had some sun, but wind picked up and temps were starting to drop as the cold front blew in and moved the rain out. Got tent setup quickly due to cold. Put out extra tie-downs due to forecasted winds. Also got bear hang setup while it’s still light. We needed water and the stream was .5 miles downhill. Just what I needed, another mile of hiking to top off this lovely day. 

Met an older gentleman named Tom (tent on left) from NJ with a Boston accent who is hiking with a 50-pound pack. He is carrying an older model CPAP machine along with several large batteries for it. Yikes! Nice guy. Trying for a full thru-hike.

Made a hot dinner at 7:30, then closed up the tent against the cold. Wind is picking up and it’s 100% clear and a full moon. Pretty, but I ain’t standing out here long to view it. Supposed to get down to 38 tonight. Got my smellables hung at 8:30, called Dana and tried to sleep about 9:30.

My rain gear did really well. I stayed quite dry other than sweat. The thermal underwear and the heat gear top were dry by the time I went to sleep. As frequently happens, Mike’s Frog Tog pants split at the crotch sometime today. That seems to be a common flaw with those bottoms.

Surprisingly to me, I’m still in a very good mental place. As Pitcrew knows, I have been nervous about the combo of cold and rain in the early part of the hike. I planned and tested my rain gear several times in the cold this past winter, but you never know how it’s gonna work until you really need it to keep you from hypothermia and a generally miserable long day. 

Technical Notes:

• Watch 11%
• iPhone 66%
• iPad 50%
• Shokz 59%
• Garmin 44%
• Tea 0
• Bacon 200
• French toast 400
• Coffee 0
• Sausages 480
• Fritos 600
• Dehydrated Chicken 170
• Ramen x 2 740
• Water 2.5 liters
• Miles 14.42
• Time 8:21
• Elevation gain 3604
• Calories consumed 2590
• Calories burned 7000