Low Gap Shelter, Sunday, Mother’s Day

Nick was playing “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay”, “American Pie” and “Leaving on a jet plane” on his guitar. He’s been giving me cigs. He and Vanessa can really play. They played around the fire the other night and they also made this wonderful rice and sausage dish.  Salesman threw in some flour tortillas- delicious!

The guys from Canada, William and his friend in the turquoise striped shorts have tons of food and snack mix. There’s no room so they had to set up a tent and they’ve been cooking.

The girls from Australia really wanted to stay in the shelter so I talked Joseph from Sweden into scooting down so we could make room.

The two older men from the other day had passed me early on the trail and got to the shelter first. It has been raining all day long. I thought it would be fun to interview them, but they ate, changed into dry clothes and went to bed. Man it’s cold! I’ve been in my sleeping bag most of the day.

The walk from Whitley’s Gap was like walking through a garden. There were mountain laurel and beautiful trees with large lavender blossoms, little bushes with white flowers. Even in the rain you could smell their wonderful scent. I inherited my appreciation of fauna and flora from my dad and Grammy Johnson. Grammy put in a flower and vegetable garden every year.  She would put up 1500 canning jars of food every summer. People would drive by her flower garden and stop to enjoy it.

A couple passed me twice in the last few days and they really know their flowers. They do short hikes and then go back to work. They are a really nice couple. They stopped at Low Gap for lunch and then continued hiking in this rain. “Too slow” Chuck is doing the trail and he just showed up. He’s disappointed that it is a full house. It just keeps raining.

Walking through the “saddle”, there was a beautiful view overlooking a valley full of trees. Last night it was misty and kind of spooky. This morning it was still misty, but magical.