Day 2

Miles: 10.8
Total Miles: 23.9

The day started with the sound of thunder in the distance followed by inevitable rain. Dad and I waited about an hour to see if it showed any signs of lessening but after so long it it only appeared to get worse. So we broke down our camp in a hurry and hit the road. We skipped breakfast and decided we'd eat at the next shelter 3.5 miles up the road. We made it there pretty quickly and ate breakfast in the corner of the small three-sided room while other hikers came and went through the rain.

The next shelter, Gooch Gap Shelter, was 7.3 miles up the road and considering the state we were in and the way it looked out we thought it'd be best to bunk there. So we trodded on through the constant rain and thick mud. Dad really regretted his choice in looking at this as a weekend trip rather than outdoor excursion when it came to packing clothes. He was wearing almost entirely cotton and spent a greater part of the day shivering because of it. We got to Gooch Gap at about 3:30 taking up spots 11 and 12 in a 12-man shelter. It's a big three-sided building with a covered area on one side with a picnic table and on the other side there's a platform and a story above that. We stayed up for a while eating and talking with some of the other hikers. I met Ben, a grad student from New Hampshire, Kelley, a 21 year-old from Atlanta, T-bow, a talkative AT vet from Gatlinburg, TN, and Garnder and his wife Hilary, a nice couple from New England in their late 20's. Everyone previously mentioned was thru-hiking except T-bow who supposedly can't cross the Mason-Dixon line and Gardner's wife who's just going to Neel's Gap, like Dad. Everyone who I've met so far has been exceedingly nice and interesting to talk to.

Now it's about 6 and I'm thinking of calling it an early day since.. what else is there to do?