My dad and I got up early in the morning and left our house to drive to Jarrard Gap. This where we left off last on our last trip. Once we arrived it was around 8:30 AM. We drove around for a little while in Lake Winfield Scott Recreation Area to find a place to park, but we couldn’t find one. We asked the manager, and she told us that there were some down by the lake. The problem was that there was an entrance fee of $5 in cash, but we only had three dollars. The lady was kind enough to take $2.50 instead of $5, as a discount.
After parking our car near the lake, we hiked for about a mile and a half until arriving at Jarrard Gap at 10 AM. We had to hike 2.7 miles up Blood Mountain and then 2.4 miles down to Neils Gap. The hike up Blood Mountain was horrible! I’m joking, but it was no picnic. It was honestly not as bad as I thought it would be. Even though the hike up took 2 hours! It was definitely worth it, the viewpoint was amazing, and so was the achievement. (pic below)
At the top there was a shelter but we didn’t stop there to take a break. Instead we hiked a tenth of a mile to the viewpoint, and stopped there to take a break. After a little bit we started our way down to Neils Gap. The hike down took a while since we were going slow. Once we got to Neils Gap we stopped to rest for an hour, and ate Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches for lunch. This time we didn’t forget the sandwiches! After our rest we got back on the trail and started our 5.5 mile hike to Tesnatee Gap. At the top of Cowrock Mountain, right before the down to Tesnatee Gap, there was another viewpoint. (pic below)
Once we got to the gap I was thrilled to stop hiking for the day and rest. My dad then called our ride and we waited to get picked up. After about 30 minutes there was a family who was coming down the trail. Before leaving they asked us if we needed a ride, and offered to give us one. My dad politely refused, and told them that we already had a ride. Before leaving they offered us a bottle of Gatorade. They were very kind people.
Once we got back to our car in Lake Winfield Scott Recreation Area we paid the manager $5 and thanked her for her kindness.