Our time in Georgia started out a bit rocky as we waited at the baggage claim at the airport until they shut the doors without releasing our bags. We spent the next 30 minutes in a panicked fury trying to figure out how we could possibly start the trail in two days if Frontier has no idea where our backpacks are. Magically, after what felt like forever, our bags turned up… Phew! I’m done flying for awhile. Thanks to my friend Brooke, the next two days leading up to the start of our hike were stress-free and seamless. We hung out, went shopping for our first few days of trail food, and visited Amicalola Falls State Park to register our thru-hike! Alex and I checked in at the “Appalachian Trail Basecamp” where we received our thru-hiker tags and got a little introduction about what to expect during our hike through Georgia. Checking-in got me so excited to start!
The next day, Brooke drove us up to Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. It was a beautiful day, I couldn’t believe how lucky we were with the weather in February! To make sure we started from the very beginning, we hiked south for a mile to the summit where we signed our names in the register. From there, we headed north on our 2,198.4 mile journey to Maine!
We decided that for the first 2 weeks, we were going to take it slow. Our goal was to walk no more than 10 miles a day with as many breaks or rests as we needed. We both fully acknowledged how out of shape we have become! So we planned to hike about 9 miles our first day, our destination was Hawk Mountain Campsite. Along the way we stopped for lunch at the first of many shelters we will come across during our hike. The Appalachian Trail is famous for its shelter system. The shelters can range from a lean-to to a small cabin and are free to stay inside. They are situated usually no more than ten miles apart along the entire trail and always have a water source and an outdoor privy. Technically you could hike the entire A.T. without a tent just by staying in these shelters and some people manage to do that! Hikers throw their mats on the floor and it’s easy setup. While we may take advantage of the shelters here and there, Alex and I appreciate the privacy and space that a tent allows.
The first day was smooth sailing, but we were both absolutely beat at the end of it. In all of our excitement, I think we hiked a bit too fast. We quickly setup our tent and were in bed by 7!
The next day we slept in and had a slow, relaxing morning complete with instant coffee and oatmeal. We were determined to go slower today, there is really no rush after all. Our destination for night #2 was the Gooch Mountain Shelter about another 9 miles away. It started sprinkling as we were packing up and the drizzling rain followed us on and off all day. As we hiked along, we started seeing familiar faces from the day before. While most thru-hikers start in March/April, there are still a lot of people like us trying to get an early start and beat the “bubble” of hikers as they call it. The large majority of people we have met have been people in retirement age and often couples – love it! Today’s hike was tiring, but we paced ourselves well. Nonetheless, it is always a relief when the evening’s destination is near! We were one of three tents the night before, so we were surprised to arrive to a full shelter and a large scattering of tents surrounding it. I was happy to find a spot! We got set up, whipped up dinner (instant mashed potatoes and beef jerky), and had another early night!
It rained a bit through the night but the sun started poking out in the morning. Just enough to warm us up and dry our tent. All of the other hikers were packed up and out by 8am. Alex and I took our time with breakfast and coffee, appreciating having the place to ourselves. Our goal for the day was Lance Creek, about 8 miles away. Rain was forecasted for the evening, so a short day to get camp setup early was our plan! The hike to Lance Creek was a tough one, with what felt like endless ascents and descents, but we were rewarded with some spectacular views. A friend recently taught me the acronym PUDs, which stands for “pointless ups and downs.” The A.T. is fraught with PUDs and our bodies are already feeling them! The predicted rain started coming down a bit earlier than we expected, drizzling right as we were reaching out destination. We managed to throw up our tent just in time to take cover as the rain picked up! That’s always a good feeling, just in time. During a 30 minute break in the rain, we quickly boiled some water and slurped down 2 bowls each of ramen with dehydrated mushrooms. Super satisfying! And again, right back in the tent as it started really coming down.
(Notice the white stripes in the pictures. These are the trail markers for the Appalachian Trail – we will be following these all the way to Maine!)
It was a chilly night but we woke up early and started our routine, the rest of the camp was already heading out as we were having our coffee. I guess we just aren’t the early risers on the trail! It started sprinkling, so we hurried up and packed our things and were on the trail by 9am. Our destination was Neel Gap, 7.4 miles from our campsite. We had a lot of motivation, we were hitting our first trail town at the end of the day! The hike was foggy and rainy but the perfect hiking temperature. Equipped with basically waterproof everything, the rain didn’t bother us much. While we didn’t get the promised views at the peaks, I found the wet, mossy trail really beautiful.
We reached the road crossing at Neels Gap at about lunchtime where there is a popular outdoor outfitter. They were holding some kind of hiker season kickoff, so there were a handful of booths showcasing gear. We shamelessly scarfed 2 free hot dogs and a couple of coke zeros while we waited for our ride into town. I may have also roasted a s’more over the fire. Hiker hunger is real!! We got our ride into Blairsville where we checked into a cute little classic motel that advertises themselves to hikers. We enjoyed a hiker discount on the room ($5 lol) and free laundry soap! The lobby also had a “hiker box” of free things other hikers discarded. We actually made use of the hiker box and discarded a couple things of our own that we found unnecessary. I like this system!
After doing our laundry (which was highly necessary) and taking some hot showers (also highly necessary), we treated ourselves to a couple of beers and appetizers at a local restaurant. We are enjoying a night in a motel bed before hitting the trail again in the morning. We don’t feel that we deserve a full day off from hiking yet, but a motel night in between is absolutely rejuvenating!
Wandering Between Meals 
So impressed with your adventurous spirt.