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Mile 30.1: Gooch Gap offered two things that morning: Fresh Ground’s banana pancakes… and a ride from a man whose questions set off every red flag. Only one of those things made the cut.
In the morning Dragon had a hard time getting up. She was tired and her feet hurt far too badly that day. We talked about getting a shuttle into town or to the Blood Mountain Cabins. The man overheard us and offered to give us a ride. He said his wife was picking him up. I said we would consider it but I didn’t know what everyone would want and I was the only one who was up and packed.
He said he’d call his wife anyway. He called, on speaker phone, and reached an automated voicemail. He left a cryptic message about needing to be picked up at Gooch Gap and possibly doing some trail angel stuff for some ‘young girls’. I felt a red flag moment right there. When Rob finished packing he pulled me aside and said, ‘as a parent, I can tell you right now you’d be safer calling a shuttle.
I bet you Fresh Ground would know who to call’ I nodded. He was right. I conferred with Dragon about what she wanted to do. She knew she couldn’t make the miles to the next site we were supposed to camp and a thunder storm was coming. We decided to politely decline ‘sketchy man’s offer and hike out to Gooch Gap to try to get a shuttle from Fresh Ground.
Dragon and I left The shelter around 8am. Dragon had to take it slow. Her feet were hurting and she was hobbling. My feet hurt too but I was itching for pancakes. She told me to go on ahead.
I got to Fresh Ground’s Leap Frog Cafe about an hour later and he made me a French press coffee and a banana pancake to start. It was the best I’d had to eat in days.
Rob, Will, and Michelin had all arrived before me and we sat and chatted during our breakfast.
Soon Noah appeared along with E-Dog, Ohm, and ‘Racha. I waited with bated breath for Dragon even though everyone said they passed her and she wasn’t far behind. She hobbled in about half an hour after E-dog and family. She was in a lot of pain.
We ate and ate and kept eating. Fresh Ground made us fresh French fries and grilled cheese and hot dogs and pancakes and it was all so satisfying. He gave me a number of a guy who hiked SOBO last year that has a shuttle service. The guy, Suches, came to pick up me, Dragon, and Michelin at Gooch Gap. He drove us to the Blood Mountain Cabins at Neel Gap where we would stay for two nights to heal Dragons feet and wait for Michelin’s new trekking poles to come in.
The cabin was perfect for the three of us and was the same price as a bunk in the hostel since we split it three ways.
We hung out tents on the railing to the loft and in the eaves. We got all of our clothes washed. We took showers. Cleaned our camp pots. We got rid of stuff in our packs that we didn’t need.
We went to Mountain Crossings and got Dragon new shoes and insoles. Later that night Suches brought us beer and pizzas for a small fee and we feasted. I slept the whole night for the first time in over a week.