Day 3

Wow. 3 days down. No time to post. Apologies.

Tuesday started really terrifying when I went to the gym and thought my pack weighed ~60 pounds. It really disheartened me. Couldn’t really believe it could be that heavy. But, Will and I still headed to Amicalola.

Unfortunately my buddy bailed on me last minute but, I’m here and I’m ready to do this.

We get to the park and register. They weigh your pack. I didn’t want to know and be embarrassed.

With food and water my pack weighed 25-27 pounds. Quite literally a weight was lifted off my shoulders. After some pictures, I headed out on the approach trail.

Those who don’t know, blazes are paint marks on trees. The Appalachian Trail’s are white while side trails are blue.

I looked up and saw a blue blaze. “Oh no… I am literally feet away from this arch and already messed up.” But, remembered I’m on approach so it’s actually the correct color.

Amicalola was beautiful. The approach trail is notorious for its steps. On the steps, I met a man named Steven who was stopped midway through. We chatted. He was out there because of depression and his dad passing away. He and his dad wanted to do the trail together. I tried to encourage him to keep his head up and keep moving but I think he probably turned around.

Got to the top of the stairs and met a kid named Matt. He’s 21 from Long Island. He wanted to hike the trail just for the sake of it, it seemed. His pack must have weighed 50-60 pounds. We decided to hike together and when we stopped for water, he said he had 4 fleeces, 3 hats, and a huge fuel canister. It was crazy! I tried to give suggestions on places to improve but ultimately he was going to either have to mail his stuff home or throw it away. Matt opted to throw it away. Matt did end up falling behind unfortunately.

Next I met Mark from Massachusetts. He was a machinist recently retired. It was his lifelong goal to walk the AT. He was extremely talkative.

Eventually Matt caught up to us after his rest and he had found another partner, Amanda. We all hiked to Black Gap shelter where Matt said he would stay. Mark, Amanda, and I continued on the approach trail.

We finally hit Springer Mountain which is the southern terminus of the trail! 8.8 miles of walking before even getting on the trail was rough. Mark stopped at the shelter on the mountain while Amanda and I continued to Stover Creek Shelter making our day 11.6 miles. Later on, Matt arrived! Super proud of that kid’s spunk.

A man by the name of Jeremy was already there when we arrived. He’s from Wisconsin and was a farm hand. Good guy!

Day 2, we started towards the Gooch Mountain shelter. Volunteers told us it would be tough at just under 13 miles, and they were right. Sassafras Mountain on the way was no joke even at just 600-700 feet elevation gain. However, we made it and were met with a full shelter! It was a blast hearing stories and getting to meet these people. There is a family of 4 on the trail from Tennessee who were hilarious!

We did get some bad news with the weather taking a turn today (Thursday, March 14). Some opted to shuttle to a hotel. Matt and others took a zero at Gooch Mountain. Amanda and I had no idea where we were headed.

We started to hike this morning at 8:15. Our original intent was Jerrard Gap to camp just before bear canisters are required. We got there by 1. We debated about going to Blood Mountain shelter and eventually decided to go even without the canister. We heard it’s an $85 fine if you get caught. As soon as we got to the shelter, guilt fell on us and we decided to push to Neel Gap where resupply and hostels are. We called the hostel and they said they were filling up fast with the weather. Amanda reached out to her friend’s parents who live 30 minutes away. They were more than happy to host us for the night. They are our first trail angels.

Gary and Susan live on a beautiful 4 acre property in Blairsville, GA. They prepared a delicious carb loaded dinner and I got to tour the property. They let us do laundry and shower… That was an amazing shower. Currently, I hear the rain slamming on the roof and thunder. Glad we’re not outside. We’re waiting for the storm to pass tomorrow before going back out on the trail. Resupply is at Walmart!