Day 2 and 3 technically

Yesterday was much better than the cold and rain we had on Monday. We woke up on Tuesday morning to gale force winds roaring through the valleys below us; it was hitting us pretty hard too. I can honestly say I've never heard wind so loud. We froze getting out of the tent and packing everything up, but once we got moving it was much better. It turns out we stayed on top of Sassafras Mountain. We went to bed early Monday night and woke up early on Tuesday to make up miles. We left yesterday (Tuesday) at 8am. We reached Gooch Gap by around 11am. That's where Gary had ended up staying Monday night since he continued on in the rain after we had stopped. We decided not to hike to the shelter at Gooch Gap because we figured that Gary had left by then. We kept going and finally stopped for lunch around 1pm or so on Ramrock mountain which had an amazing view. We sat there and rested for awhile, took off our boots and socks, and to our amazement, Gary and Liz (a friend of a warrior hiker) came huffing and puffing up the side of the mountain and joined us. Not long after that the warrior hike cinematographer, Danny, comes and joins us too. We pushed ourselves yesterday and made it to Lance Creek. Sassafras Mountain to Lance Creek was are 13 to 14 miles. I was beat. The camping area at Lance Creek was full so, Gary, Liz, Cody and myself all set up tents and "cowboy camped" (at a non-designated campsite) with another couple of thru-hikers. Today we were off by 8:30am to get to Neel's Gap this afternoon. Warrior Hike had Blood Mountain Cabins rented for us again tonight so we had warm showers and cold beer as motivation. Not to mention beds and a buffer from the wind. Today we did 7-8 miles to Mountain Crossings Outfitter (The AT literally runs through the building) LOTS of climbing today. Blood Mountain was really brutal, lots of rocks and stairs. The view from the top was amazing though and the shelter there was very nice. The descent was rough on the toes because it was pretty steep and rocky too. Pictures are on my camera so it will be awhile before I can get them uploaded. We're now at Blood Mountain Cabins again, Warrior hike has the fridge full of food. Two frozen pizzas, hot dogs, and eggs and bacon for breakfast. George the Blood Mountain cabin owner is washing our laundry for us. Amazing! We've all showered and smell MUCH better; we were getting really stinky. I stood in the hot water and took my sweet time. Everyone is getting their laundry done so we all look funny wearing the clothes we have that are clean or don't need washed. I'm rocking my rain pants and fleece jacket. 

On another note, the Warrior Hikers are becoming famous on the trail. Everyone recognizes their green shirts and some have seen the website and have been following their journey. It's pretty cool that they come across people and they say, "hey I know you! I've seen your picture online!" 

Everyone we've met on the trail have been incredibly nice. You pass people on the trail, or they pass you and everyone looks everyone else in the eye, everyone says, "hello" or "how are you doing?" They ask our names and stop to chat. It's pretty refreshing. Everyone is a genuinely nice person. Despite climbing ridiculous inclines at crazy elevations no one is rude. It's really awesome. Everyone lends each other a hand and is concerned for each others well being, even complete strangers.