Suches, GA (USA)

It rained all night so I stayed in town until it looked like things were drying out.  I watched some TV, read and ate a nice breakfast at the hotel (1015).  As a result, I didn’t leave Dahlonega until around 1030. I didn’t have far to drive (US-19 to GA-60) to reach the AT Trailhead and was actually hiking (NOBO) by 1100 from Woody Gap. What a difference a day made in the weather! There was fog below me and the trail was muddy - but the temps started out in the mid 50s, allowing me to wear a short sleeved shirt. The initial stages of the hike included a steep climb up to the Preaching Rock, an aptly named vista point above the Gap. I passed a young couple on a day stroll but didn’t see anyone else during the ascent. After passing this landmark, however, I encountered five backpackers - the last two (a pair of guys) were speaking a foreign language (Eastern European?) that seemed familiar but I couldn’t place it. The section ended up featuring a series of annoying PUDs and I stubbed my toes enough with buried rocks and routes that I started looking for an escape to use during the backtrack. After about five roller coaster hills, I finally arrived at my turnaround point, Jerrard Gap and reversed course immediately. I passed another hiker during one of the hills but we didn’t talk - I kept going for about two miles until I found a faint trace of a trail in the area I presumed to he Henry Gap (unmarked) - an internet AT parking site said a paved road was only about 70 yards away and, pleasantly, I discovered it was true. I wandered through many pretty vacation homes (I assume) until I reached GA-180 at a point about three miles from the town of Suches. I walked west for a few miles - the “hike” on the pavement was actually pleasant, not just for my feet but because I saw slices of North Georgia living that I’d missed when driving: four wheelers, cows, horses and chickens in the yard; Confederate Battle Flags and Uga statues; fishing ponds; and hunting dogs of various temperaments. I used a cutoff route around town (Glen Elliott Road) that took me to GA-60 less than a mile from my car. By then, the clouds had disappeared and I was treated to spectacular views of the mountains in all directions - it was so pretty! Even better, the gentle grade of the highway made it an easy climb to Woody Gap - I arrived after hiking nearly 12 miles by 1600. Before leaving the parking area, I ended up seeing the pair of Eastern Europeans, Andre and his friend from Eastern Ukraine, come out of the woods. They didn’t recognize me at first (because I’d gone around them with my backtrack) but then got really friendly (aren’t all hikers the same?). Andre told me they’d been speaking Russian and were waiting for his girlfriend to arrive from Charlotte four hours later (! “we finished too soon”). I was fascinated by their geopolitical perspective - they joked that “real Ukrainians” (from the west) made fun of them because they didn’t speak their native language “properly”. I offered water to help them cook but they declined (it occurred to me later that Rep. Adam Schiff might now call me as an impeachment witness...). I ate one of my delicious oranges (I need to bring these more often!) and then called Mollie to chat.  She told me that she and her sisters were going to have Thanksgiving dinner with Austin’s family.  We talked briefly about the University of Georgia Mountain Research Center I passed and she said she would check it out online.  I drove through the mountains and “Brasstown Valley” to Hiawassee and then looked around briefly for a place to make my new "headquarters" for the next few days.  When I checked at the Hiawassee Budget Inn (1800), it looked like a good place to stop - I paid for three nights up front so I had a shot at finishing almost the entire AT section of Georgia!  The hotel manager did give me a funny look when I told him I was hiking through the holiday - he actually asked why on earth I would want to be alone in the woods on Thanksgiving.  Isn't that a rhetorical question?  After getting settled, I drove a short distance to the Taco Bell (I'd visited this place several times before) and ate dinner (1840).  I also checked at several restaurants and stores to see if they would be open on Thanksgiving - almost universally, they planned to close by noon.  Fortunately, the employees at the one grocery store in town (Ingles) said they were open for their normal hours.  Back in my room, I watched some TV and read some more before going to bed (2230).  AT Today = 5.70 miles / G.T. AT = 1498.56 miles