Blood and bears

 Blood Mountain, the highest point in Georgia on the AT is a beautiful mountain. On top there is a stone shelter that has wonderful views of the surrounding area. It was the last shelter before coming to Mountain Crossings, and marked the end of the mandatory bear canister ordinance.

 There have been issues with bears around this area in Ga. so all hikers were required to carry a bear canister if they were planning on staying on the trail from Jarrad Gap through to Neels gap. I don’t remember the exact mileage now but it was something like 5-7 miles. I along with many other hikers decided to just hike through the section and stay at Mountain Crossings, without having the additional cost of getting a bear canister.

  This point on the trail is a heavy use area, as it is only about a mile hike from Mountain Crossings. I had my usual late start the morning I climbed up the mountain. When I arrived the skies were clear and you could see for miles from the top of the rocks that surround the shelter. There were so many people and they all smelled like dryer sheets. I took a few minutes to rest and enjoy the view. I tried to find a place to enjoy the last of the recreational incense I had with me, to no avail.

  After getting accustomed to the odor of the forest the smell of perfume and dryer sheets stand out. One is able to tell a day-hiker from a mile away. It’s no mistake that there are few animals in these heavily used areas. If I could tell from a distance that they were day-hikers, I can only imagine how far away an animal with better senses can tell they were there. The only animals around are the ones that are expecting to get a free snack from one of the multitudes of people. This is also why there has been an issue with bears in the area.

  When you are out for a hike and you see the signs about feeding the bears, please pay heed to what they say. You may think that your snack is only a small amount and would make no difference in the grand scheme of things, but try to tell that to the people that were sleeping in the shelter one night when a bear came inside looking for food. The sense of smell on the average black bear is so good that it can smell a snickers bar from 3 miles away, so please carry out the trash from the things you have carried in.

  Careful on your way down the mountain, the trail gets a little tricky. After leaving the shelter area, the blazes are hard to follow. I couldn’t see where to go, so I thought I would wait for one of the more “professional”, hikers to come along. I stopped briefly to talk with some others that were enjoying the view. It wasn’t long and another thru-hiker walked by with confidence and I knew it was my chance to find the way down the mountain. I fell in step behind him and we went along down the hill. I tried to give him a little room to enjoy his hike, but I didn’t want to fall too far behind. It was about 5 minutes later when I rounded a curve in the rhododendron bushes that I seen him standing there with a bewildered look on his face. We had followed a water run-off, thinking it was the trail. The run-off had taken us a good distance down the mountain, then left us with an abrupt dead end. In a heavy accent he asked if we were on the trail. Another doubleback, and a few more hikers later and we both found our way down to the hostel.

A guide for understanding breast cancer: HERE

Living for something more than the almighty dollar.