A. T. Day 5 Thru-Hike

Описание: Day 5 (Feb 6, 2026) was a lesson in listening to the trail community. After hearing from several hikers who had a rough time or were forced to turn back due to dangerous ice and blowdowns, we decided to take their advice. We took a shuttle to Neel’s Gap and hiked southbound back toward Woody Gap.

It turned out to be a much safer way to handle the conditions. By coming from this side, we avoided the worst of the icy rock faces that would have been like a "skating rink" going up. I'm just thankful for the intel from the hikers who went before us and warned us to wait.

In this video:

Strategic Pivot: Explaining why we chose to hike southbound to Neel's Gap.

The Summit: Reaching the Blood Mountain Shelter and seeing those rare blue skies.

Winter Navigation: A look at how ice and snow can completely bury the trail markers on the rocks.

The Crew: Shouting out "Sunshine" (Eric), who has been a great lead for us since Springer.

Trail Obstacles: The reality of navigating the "obstacle course" of fallen trees.

Camp Tour: Checking out the tent pads and bear hangs at Lance Creek.

Hiker Notes: Answering your comments about the camera stabilization—doing my best to keep it steady while climbing over timber!.

We’ve now finished the stretch from the Approach Trail to Neel’s Gap. It wasn't the traditional route, but I'm just glad to have these miles behind me and to be moving forward safely.