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Hello Hiawassee, GA!

It’s been 6 days since my departure from Amicalola Falls State Park where my dad and I climbed the 604 stairs to the top of the falls. At the visitors center I signed in as NOBO (Northbound) hiker 1258 and had my gear cleared and approved by the folks from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.  Dad and I had some great pictures taken, but I don’t have WiFi just yet to upload them all.  We met several thru hikers along the way as we made our way towards Black Gap shelter at the base of Springer Mountain where the Southern terminus of the AT is located. We met a cool guy named Will, now known as Marbles on the trail, who has become one of my two steady hiking partners. He decided to start his hike 3 days earlier with $168 and 48 lbs of gear on his back.  He’s pretty chatty, but the miles tend to roll by each day listening to his crazy stories.

On day 1 Dad, marbles and I chugged to the top of Springer where we had a nice long breakfast as we chatted with some day hikers who gave us cookies for our big day. Despite the rain and fog we made it down the first few miles to the parking lot where my dad said his goodbyes and he hitched his way back to his truck in Amicalola. Marbles and I continued on to Hawk Mountain Shelter 8.8 miles in to set up camp for the night. We met over a dozen thru hikers, some more prepared than others, and had dinner around the fire before the first big storm on the trail that night.

Day 2 we hiked from Hawk Mountain to Woody Gap (mile 20.6) where we found trash cans and bathrooms (no running water though) for the first time. This was my favorite section of Georgia so far, we crossed over several creeks and hiked through a lot of lush green areas. No wildlife yet other than a few snails, birds, and salamanders, but spring has definitely arrived with all the little mountain flowers poking through the thick layer of leaves on the ground. As we made it to the last shelter which seemed a tad over crowded, we decided to hike on towards the next camp site where we found our first trail magic waiting for us! Willy the trail devil was ready and waiting for us with cold beers in hand, and what a beautiful sight that was. While hanging out with some other hikers and drinking our beers a hiker who was hitching to town took beer orders and some money and agreed to meet us at woody gap another 3.5 miles and two mountains further down the trail. Excited for more, we hiked on where we found an awesome campsite along the road.  We stayed up late chatting with hikers over our 30 pack of Miller and my wood burning stove.

Day 3 we hiked from woody gap over blood mountain to Neel gap (mile 31.4). Blood mountain is a big filter for hikers who decide to drop out as it’s the tallest mountain in Georgia at 4,400 (with some change) feet. It was a longer mileage day with some extra company from our friend Nick who had hopped on the trail with his mom to make sure she was ok. After she stopped hiking on day 2 he kept going to Neel gap where he finally called it quits since he originally had plans to tour Europe before joining his mom. The hike was tough, but we were rewarded by tons of great views from the top. We had a cabin rented by Nick’s mom waiting with showers and laundry at the bottom of the mountain so we hurried down the mountain to food and beds. (Thanks again Nick!)

Day 4 began with an enormous breakfast between Marbles, Nick, our new recruit Funky Stuff and I. A dozen eggs, a pack of bacon, a pound of ground turkey, pack of hotdogs, and box of pudding later we showered and hit the trail once more! Nick got a ride to Atlanta airport before we left the cabin and forgot his trail shoes. Keeping up with the Neel Gap tradition, we threw his old shoes into the boot tree outside the hostel and said our farewells as we started chugging along to Poplar stamp gap (mile 44.3) where we camped with Tyler and his fiancee Emily at the windiest spot yet to prepare for another storm.

Day 5 began in a minor puddle as the storm blew water up and under my tent flaps (apparently I should snug those down a bit). As I propped the splash zones closed with some gear I quickly learned to not use my shoes to prevent water from coming in my tent. Duh. So mile 1 of day 5 started with one squishy shoe. I’ve been lucky so far, no blisters and no real soreness, but it’s not particularly fun to hike with one soggy shoe on.  Today was our lazy day. We only planned to go 6 ish miles to the blue Mountain shelter (mile 50.2) just a mile and half from the road where we planned to hitch to Hiawassee on day 6. After aour fiest mountain of the day we came across a trail angel accepting trash from hikers and handing out tips on where Norovirus has been reported on the trail. As soon as he pulled away, Willy appeared woth another round of cold beers for us! Two more trail angels arrived with chips and beer, but agreed to meet us on the other side of the next mountain since we had just finoshed our last round. We planned to avoid paying for a hotel so soon after the cabin, and gave our legs a break by calling it quits early in the day  and enjoying some wine, fruit, cheese and crackers supplied by  another trail angel named Blood Hound (he never hikes without his dogs). The shelter was packed again, but they were all good people and we had an awesome dinner circle where we chatted till bed time.

Day 6! We made it to the first town! We hitched a ride with a lovely gal born and raised in Georgia who kindly picked Funky Stuff and I up on her way into town. Marbles headed into another nearby town to pick up a mail drop and agreed to meet us later in the day at at hiker bash near at local hotel. Funky Stuff and I hung out at the local grocery store restocking and eating food to satisfy that hiker hunger. Half a chicken, a bag of sweet peppers, and a loaf of bread later I’m writing this post! More to come soon folks, and I’ll upload all the pictures I’ve taken as soon as I can.

Summary:

Feeling good! No aches or pains, only a few hotspots on my feet which have already started turning into calluses. I got pretty sunburnt on day 3, and I’m finally starting to peel, but all is well! I haven’t shaved yet, and I don’t have much to show for it, but I think it’s probably coming in the next few days.  It’s been great enjoying the sunny days and seeing all the crazy views of mountains which never seem to end. Im surrounded by awesome people and haven’t felt sketched out at any point. It’s like one big happy family out here, but I’m keeping a level head and making good decisions for once. Till next time!