#007 Day 2: Cooper Gap to Gooch Mountain Shelter. ATMM 12.1 – 15.7

Those of us who stay in the shelter are not aware of the tornado warnings in the area.....

The next morning the rain continues to fall hard on us. I load my backpack while inside the tent to keep the sleeping gear and extra clothing dry. I put on my rain gear before climbing out then quickly disassemble my tent in the pouring rain, strap it to the outside of my pack, check to see if JS is still alive, and begin hiking.

I stop periodically to talk to other hikers who were trying to hide from the rain beneath slabs and boulders. One hiker had the lower part of her body in a large black garbage sack. She is as happy as can be wrapped in her plastic cocoon laying under an overhanging slab.

I hike about four miles to Gooch Mountain Shelter then stop to make breakfast. The shelter is full. Most of the people are taking a break, but plan to hike on. There is wet gear hanging everywhere inside the shelter. Might as well find a place to hang my wet tent as well.

People come and go throughout the morning and early afternoon. It’s early in the day, At this point I intend to hike on, but haven’t moved on that plan yet. JS shows up at the shelter but he’s missing his pack. He’s with a guy who has a car parked up the trail somewhere. There is an old gravel road near last night’s camp spot, they are going to retrieve his gear by car then stay in town for the night.

Mosey comes running down the muddy trail yelling my name, “JAASSONN!” It’s a funny sight: her red poncho flapping in the wind as she splashes through the mud. Everyone in the shelter gets a kick out of it. She stays for a while but even with her sleeping bag wrapped around her she can’t get warm. She decides to hike on to Woody Gap and hitch a ride into a town. She and Problem Child find each other in town and share a room.

Still not sure what I’m going to do, but knowing I will stay on the trail, I get to know some of my shelter mates as the rain pours down. The longer I stay the more friends I make. The more friends I make, the less likely I am to leave the shelter. I wrestle with my decision for a while because I only hiked a few miles today. Two people who I had made friends with yesterday show up. That seals the deal. Rocket Man and his friend are here; I’m staying.

During one of the day’s short-lived breaks in the rain a few people hang lines and attempted to dry out gear while others unsuccessfully try to build a fire. My two new friends and I play Frisbee. It’s not long before the rain begins again. It extinguishes any hope of fire and chases everyone back in the shelter.

Those of us who stay in the shelter are not aware of the tornado warnings in the area. Mosey texts my wife to inform her that the rest of them are all in town and that the weather is dangerous, while I am happily in my element, in a shelter full of people, trading stories on a cold and stormy night.

A.T. shelters are generally three-sided structures with one to three platforms to sleep on. Most have a plastic or metal roof and one open side for entering. This shelter is designed to sleep twelve people comfortably on two platforms. Seventeen of us are tightly tucked in on the two platforms. A few others sleep on the dirt (muddy) floor. Another dozen or so are scattered around the shelter in tents and hammocks. The rain beats on the metal roof all night.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t drown out the sound of the guy whose snores interrupt everyone else’s sleep. (There is always at least one guy in shelters who falls asleep first, snores like a maniac, disturbs everyone else all night, then complains the next morning about a bad night’s sleep. If you don’t know who the disrupter of the shelter is, there’s a good chance it’s you.)