Stepping out – Stepping off

1. Stepping Out

Full disclosure: I am not a hiker. More of a camper, but I haven’t even done that in a couple decades. I suppose backpacking is a kind of in between thing.  Even that only came on my radar a little over a year ago. 

A week before I left, I got so whipped sawed by the many “experts” I said to hell with it. I am taking what I want, and if it doesn’t suit I will either go to Plan B or go home. I am not sawing my tooth brush in half. I need all the leverage I can get on these 68 year old choppers.

A 3:30 get up for a trip to the airport, a chatty seat mate so no nap. Pick up by a friend for a visit to his home on Lake Lanier, and then Amacolola park. Here we go.

Stepping Off

Overcast, foggy and rainy… for the next bunch of days.  It got better. The approach trail seemed hard to me, but I was in good company thinking that. Around the table that night there was a real international vibe – I would meet a Frenchman, an English lad, a German and Canadian.  Our pack weights ( what else do you ask about having obsessed over it for so long) ranged between 30-39 lbs.

The next two days were good hiking. I started from shelter to shelter, 8 miles a day to work myself in. I didn’t do any training really, and I figured I am in no hurry.  My goal was if there was a side trail to something interesting I was going to check on it.

The 4th day threw us a curveball: Heavy rain, thunder/winds as a cold front began to move through. We got up early, packed our wet stuff, hiked 5 miles to gooch gap and booked a place where we could shower and dry out. You can follow my disorganized, rookie thru hike on: 

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