Neels Gap. Civilization, of sorts.

This morning I woke up at about a quarter to 5 and thought about packing up before the rain came. Then the rain started and I rolled over and went back to sleep. Rain on your tent is one of the greatest lullabies there is. About 8 the rain stopped and I packed my stuff up. Freshbrew cooked the "Leapfrog Cafe Crew" blueberry pancakes. Apparently the CB enthusiast stayed in the parking lot all night periodically turning his truck on and disturbing the guys sleeping down there. I had a pretty isolated site, so I slept fine. I started out this morning with three followers, Greenbean, Flex, and Tillamuk. Greenbean and Tillamuk soon got bored with my pace and sprinted off, so Flex and I hiked together a good ways. She went on while I got some water, so I hiked alone for a long time, which was quite pleasant. Eventually ran into Longhaul, who just got out of the 82nd last month. He was carrying over 50 pounds. Side note, Skinny D is carrying a pack that is 14 pounds, including food and water. I know, right? Anyway, Longhaul and I hiked up Blood Mountain together. This is the rockiest trail I have ever seen. Everyone seemed apprehensive of the mountain, but it was nothing compared to the approach trail. The downhill side was a killer, though, and my right knee started acting up. Fog was everywhere. A lot of places were supposed to be great views, but all I saw was grey. The temperature dropped also, but I was only a mile or so out of Neels Gap, where the rocking Mountain Crossing outfitter store lies directly on the AT. They run a hostel there, which is $17 but it includes a shower, and power outlets and wifi. But honestly I was pretty confused about where the camping was, so I figured if I gave them money they would tell me what to do. Several other people are staying here, including Longhaul, Skinny D, Brash, and several other people I hadn't seen before. Flex, Greenbean, and Tillimuk are camping about 100 meters farther down. Looking at the weather I am glad of my choice, it's really cold, and the mist is really thick. Probably everything outside will be soaked. These guys totally jack the prices on food up here, but they got the only game in town and they're not too unreasonable. They ran out of pizzas, though, which was a minor blow to my soul. They had one Italian sub left, which they toasted for me and I put a ton of mustard on. Apparently mustard has a ton of potassium in it so it is good for cramps. Who knew? Anyway, covered 10.7 miles today, but a lot of elevation change. Bed time.