Day 4, Neel Gap to Low Gap

The wind whistled and moaned overnight, which made me glad I was safe and warm in a real bed with a roof over my head. I slept well.

In the morning, I packed up my gear, ate breakfast, then said goodbye to Donqui and Q-Tip. Our stay at Bear cabin was unexpected but pleasant.

I walked down to the Blood Mountain Cabins office and store, where I hoped to finally publish some of my blog posts. Wireless connection at the cabin had been maddeningly inconsistent. At the office, the experience was just as frustrating, even with WiFi access.

I soon gave up that attempt and walked the two-tenths of a mile up to Mountain Crossings. The store didn't have public WiFi, but two bars of LTE service worked most of the time.

I bought a Gatorade and an employee said I could sit on a bench among racks of clothing to work. About an hour later I was done.

General said he intends to hike to Maine. His daughter is hiking with him occasionally on school breaks and on weekends.

The two looked as though they were thoroughly enjoying their time together.

There would be many such changes through the day, with freezing rain added occasionally for good measure. All the while, the wind blew, with frequent gusts of up to 30 mph.

While this description may paint a miserable picture in your mind's eye, for me it wasn't that bad. In fact, I found it was mostly enjoyable hiking weather.

It helped that I had good clothing, which allowed me to stay dry and warm without overheating as I walked. Temperature and moisture management are key to being out safely in inclement weather.

It often happens that as you hike you continue to see the same people all day long, even if they don't hike the same speed you hike.

I've always felt I was a slow hiker, but here, at least for the first few days, I've been surprised by how frequently I pass younger hikers, as well as hikers closer to my age.

I think one reason for that is I tend to take fewer breaks, and when I do stop, take shorter breaks. I'm sure all that will change in the next couple of weeks. We're all still getting our hiking legs.

Ian and Foxy were stopping frequently, so I caught up to them several times.

While getting drinking water from the spring, it's best to not give any thought to the idea that large numbers of pigs once lived here.

Ian and Foxy stopped here for another of their long breaks. By now, the wind was blowing harder, but it was no longer snowing. I decided to push on for the remaining 4.6 miles to Low Gap.

Leaving Hogpen Gap, the trail entered the only wilderness area named for a cartoon character.

The strip's main character works as a photojournalist for an outdoors magazine. In his spare time, he protects the American wilderness by fighting bad people bent on destroying it.

When I arrived at the gap, there were already several tents set up. There was ample space for me, though, as well as for Foxy and Ian. They arrived about 20 minutes after I did.