3-27-2009 Fri - Soaked to the bone

Start point: Sassafras Mtn
End point: Two Wheels Only - Motorcycle Resort
miles hiked: 9 (plus a 2mile walk to town)

Woke up cold at around 7am and it was about to start raining so I just packed up camp and left without making breakfast, thought I could just make it 4 miles down to Gooch Mtn Shelter and eat there. That was my first mistake, shoulda just ate in my tent before I left. My second mistake was I left on all my clothes that were keeping me warm during the night, and didn't put on my rain pants. The past 2 days my pants weren't really getting that wet so I thought I could do without. It ended up raining alot and I ended up getting soaked, and all my clothes eventually got soaked all the way through. The crappy thing about that is in this foggy rainy weather you can't dry anything out. I eventually made it to Gooch Mtn Shelter and stayed there awhile to dry out. That shelter is pretty cool, its a double decker:

So the top part is kinda like a loft. I tried to dry out as much as possible, ate lunch and took a nap. Around 4:30pm I left to try and make it 5 miles to Woody Gap, where there is a county road that goes to town. I finally made it right around dusk, but called the Hiker Hostel that is nearby and they were booked. I was kinda pissed, and didn't know what to do, so I just started hiking the 2 miles to the nearest town, Suches, GA. Came across Two Wheels Only, which is a motorcycle resort. They have cabins and tent sites, but you can't come in a car, only motorcycles. They are somewhat friendly to hikers, I think it helps if you're a nice guy like me. ;) Met a guy named Adam, he gave me a couple beers and told me to check inside, they stil might have the kitchen open. They said they could fit me in, I bought dinner and it was the best 12 bucks I've spent all week; a dinner salad, a hambuger steak, broccoli, and some fresh fruit. Asked if I could put up a tent and they said no problem so I was back in business. This weekend there was a Buell Motorcycle get-together going on there so I talked to Adam and some other bikers about Buell's, they are really cool bikes. Gonna try and catch a ride 9 miles down the road the other way to the Hiker Hostel and see if they have any openings for tomorrow. I've been in the rain 3 days, my clothes, socks and shoes are all wet, I just wanna find a way to dry my clothes and get out of the rain for a day.