After listening to the rain hitting the tin roof at Low Gap shelter all night Obi-Wan and I decided to make a run for hwy 75 at Unicoi Gap, get a ride to Hiawasse rent a room and dry out. About 9:30 am the rain let up and we took off. The trails were flooded often ankle deep. There were water falls every spot where there were high rocks. At Blue mountain shelter we took a rest and I called for a reservation at the Budget Inn. By that time Major Tom caught up with us and asked to share a ride with us, he needed drying out also.
At the top of Blue mountain, before I lost cell coverage, I called Joyce and Sally's shuttle service to pick us up at Unicoi. When we arrived, Big Red and Mak were waiting for the same service with the same idea. Sally arrived in her Subaru outback and picked up Big Red and Mak while we had to wait for the next trip. We were kind of curious at the lack of traffic and later found out there was a land slide and flooding just east of us and the road was closed. Sally arrived back at 2:30 and we loaded into her Subaru. Sally was an older lady that seemed to enjoy hikers and didn't mind their smell much. As she drove us to Hiawasse she told us about the road closures, tree falls and flooding river. When we got to town she gave us a quick tour pointing out the restaurants and other businesses. She showed us the two traffic signals on the main Street and then dropped us off.
The Budget Inn was a pretty humble place, (a month before, I probably wouldn't ever stop) but after the wet nights, felt like paradise. I split the cost with Obi-Wan for $22.50 apiece. After showers we went to the BBQ place, ate, and had a couple beers. Then over to the local grocery store for some resupply and a six pack. We turned up the heat in our room to start drying out some gear, put the clothes in the washer, sat outside the room and drank beer. We met another half dozen hikers staying at the motel.
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