Hiking in the rain

Saturday morning the alarm goes off at 5:00...really? I shower, get dressed, pack my daypack for the day and head out into a dark, soupy mess. Yes, it has been raining all night, yes it is raining now, and the forecast calls for rain and thunderstorms all day. So what is a girl to do? What is that you said? Yes, I thought so. If the girl is a Traildame, they set off to meet other delusional traildames to hike a section of the AT. I left the house around 6:30 and drove to Woody Gap to meet the other dames.

Originally 28 people had signed up to hike, but in the end only Hemlock, Sandi, Monica, Denise and SHOE made it to the hike. We were going to hike Springer to Hightower, but with the smaller group, and awful conditions, we decided to change the hike to a section from Coopers Gap to Woody Gap. So we all pile in SHOE's suv, Hemlock braving the trip down the forest service road in the BACK of the vehicle, sharing space with all the packs and poles. We make the drive in short time, and are soon at Cooper Gap ready to hit the trail. SHOE is still having trouble with the foot, so she drops us off and says she will meet us at Gooch Gap, 4.8 miles away.

We take a group shot, and off we go. Decked out in our assorted rain gear, I can imagine we were quite a sight! Shortly after heading up the trail, we came upon a natural phenomenon...tree foam. Seems these ladies are terribly intrigued by the stuff...I saw it, said cool and headed up the trail...honestly, stopping just made me cold, I like the foam stuff too, but I'll look at it longer when it is warmer outside.

I was in one of those moods where I needed some quiet woods time, so I picked up the pace and moved ahead of the other ladies pretty quickly. Nothing personal, I just needed to mentally work some stuff out, and what better place than the AT. The miles were passing pretty quickly, before I knew it, I was at Justus Creek.This is he first time I had hiked this section since the re-route. I liked the grade of the new trail, but I missed the stroll along the banks of Justus Creek.

I didn't check out the new tent sites they put in there due to the steady rain, I guess I'll have to go back and see them another time.

I did have a first on this trip....I fell. I would like to think I was graceful, but in reality, it had to look pretty funny. I was hiking at a pretty quick pace, went around a little, tiny, miniscule bend in the trail, when it happened. I took a step, my footing gave way, and down I went. I quickly jumped up, checked around to make sure no one had seen me, sighed with relief when I realized I was alone. The good news is that I didn't get hurt, the bad news was that my whole left leg and arm were covered with good old Georgia red mud. Lots of red mud. I debated on cleaning it off, but figured the rain would do its job, so I regrouped and headed down the trail.

Pretty soon, I was at the turnoff for the shelter, decision time. Do I stop and get out of the rain for a minute, or head on to the car? I decided to stop at the shelter for a minute, and I am so glad I did. I got to meet a group of thru-hikers who were already at the shelter. I was cold and wet, but I knew I would be sleeping in my warm, soft, comfy bed that night. My heart went out to those guys though...only day 2 into their hike, and they were miserably wet and cold. But all of them were in great spirits.

The other dames showed up a few minutes, we all ate a quick snack, and headed on down the trail. Maybe 30 minutes later, we made it to Gooch Gap, where SHOE was waiting for us. The rest of the group decided to continue on to Woody Gap, but I decided I had enough rain for a day, so I hung out with SHOE while they finished.

Despite the nasty rainy conditions, I had a great time, met a couple of new dames I had never hiked with before, and set a personal record....4.8 miles in less than 2 hours. Damn, this running program is really helping the hiking out. Hemlock, Denise, Monica and Sandi, you gals are great. I can't wait to hike with you again. SHOE, I'll be glad when your foot is well, we have lots of hiking to do!!

Oh yeah...gear report. The OR Sombrero did a great job of keeping my head and face dry. Well worth the money spent. The driducks however...I amnot sure if it was sweat or the rain just seeped through, but I was soaked. As long as I was moving, I was fine, but when I stopped, I was freezing. I don't want to spend alot of cash on good rain gear until I reach my goal weight, but I don't want to risk hypothermia either. Guess I'll have some figuring out to do.

Until next time.....

You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through- Rosalyn Carter.