Days 1-5: Amicalola to Hiawassee, GA

Hi from the trail! I am here at the Top of Georgia Hiking Center around mile 69.2. I’ve had a hot shower, ate a lot (a LOT) of Mexican food, and resupplied for the next few days into Franklin, NC. These first few days have been mostly amazing and partly terrifying and really hard, physically but especially mentally. I have a sore knee and calf, a mega blister on my heel, and an already growing appetite. Every day is packed with so much so here are a few highlights and updates.

My itinerary has been:

Day 1: Approach Trail (8.5 miles) + Springer to Hawk Mountain Shelter (mi 8.1)
Day 2: Hawk Mountain Shelter to Lance Creek Tentsite (mi 23.9)
Day 3: Lance Creek Tentsite to Low Gap Shelter (mi 42.8)
Day 4: Low Gap Shelter to Tray Mountain Shelter (mi 58.2)
Day 5: Tray Mountain Shelter to Dick’s Creek Gap / Top of Georgia (mi 69.2)

SOME HIGHLIGHTS (AND LOWLIGHTS)
My first day on trail I met a family at the top of Springer—a mom, a dad and a young girl (probably around 7) from Alabama. They took my picture and as I headed off I heard the father telling his daughter reverently, “that girl is about to take her first steps on the Appalachian Trail. Which was exactly what was going through my head at the moment.

On Day 2 I spent a rainy night at a tent site, expecting to be pretty much alone. After about three hours I heard a voice say “Person in tent? Are you okay having a neighbor?” I was, of course, happy to have a neighbor. It rained all night and I left early the next morning, so our contact was limited to tent to tent interactions. So Jim from Maine, I have no idea what you look like but I hope you’re having a good hike.

My low point of the trail so far has definitely been at Low Gap: after hiking 19 miles through a second day of rain, I started setting up my muddy tent when one of the teeth on the zipper of my rain fly broke and my zipper came off its tracks. At that point I was wet and cold, upset about my gear and felt overwhelmed that I was by myself without any trail friends. So if any of you were taking bets on how long it would take before I cried on trail: 3 days.

On Day 4 I made a friend! I hiked for the day with a dude named Black Beard, one of the first people I’ve met who is of a similar age and at a similar place in life to me. It felt great to start seeing the same faces roll into camp from the night before. Plus it was sunny and warm so I got to dry out my tent, even though I spent the night in the shelter.

Today my trail friends have started feeling a bit more concrete and permanent: I have the next few days planned out with some folks and plans to split a hotel in Franklin.

SOME THINGS I HAVE LEARNED SO FAR:

• The kale and white bean stew Good to Go Meals are yummy but the Indian Vegetable Korma is not
• A fun hack is to save the backpacker meal bags (Good to Go, Backpacker Pantry, etc.) and cook in there instead of in the pot so that the pot stays clean.
• KT tape is not pseudoscience it does actually work. So does Leukotape (for your feet).
• Harry Potter books on tape really work wonders for powering up mountains, or for cheering me up in the rain.
• Big Agnes is the best gear company out there in my mind right now- my 0 degree bag has kept me warm every night and weighs less than 2 pounds, and they’re shipping me a replacement fly to Franklin for free.

I’m heading to North Carolina tomorrow—can’t wait for a new state and more mountains to walk.