We Out Here 🤙 – The Trek

So it Begins…

Riley and I rolled up to Amicalola Falls State Park at around 10 am which gave us plenty of time to get oriented and register our hikes. I’m not entirely sure what I expected to find at Amicalola but I was super excited. Throughout our hiker orientation and gear checks I started to get a little down. I suppose maybe I expected the place to be permeated with the thru hiker spirit and excitement. But it felt very anticlimatic.

Pretty soon we were on the Approach Trail and moving! Alex (college friend) very kindly gave us a ride to the trailhead and he hiked the first few miles of the approach trail with us, before praying with us and leaving us to crush some stairs. The stairs were pretty gnarly! But the excitement of starting the trail kept us going quick.

A few miles above the top of the falls we met Jen and starting hiking with her. She was one of the first other thru hikers we met. We started to roll up and down on through the hills approaching springer mountain. The Springer Ascent was conquered pretty quick and we took a nice long shoes off break with a view at the southern terminus of the AT.

Made it to the Southern Terminus!

After that break, we were officially off on the AT! We started to cover the few miles to Stover Creek Shelter when disaster struck. While doing my first water filtering on the trail, I dropped the O-ring that seals my filter to my bottle! We searched diligently for a few minutes and Riley came to my rescue! He spotted the O-ring and I can now filter once again. We met some new hikers at Stover Creek once we arrived and settled in for our first night. Soon after we arrived at the shelter Riley said “Oh there’s a bear…” Incredibly long pause “…box over there.” Which was of course enough to give me a heart attack since he was pointing to a spot just behind where I was standing. Thanks Riley. Body feels good, gear is working, and my heart is full. God’s mercy and grace are immense, his majesty is all around me.

Day 2

Chilly Early Morning

Sunrise for Stover Creek Shelter

Good Coffee in the morning is priceless but not weightless

I was the first one up at the shelter, after a great night’s sleep. I made coffee and watched the sun start to peak into our valley as everyone stirred. We made a new friend at the Shelter, Caitlin! We Jen and Caitlin set out with us this morning and we had a blast. I got bestowed a trail name, Analog, by Riley. Since apparently bringing a compass for backup nav is “so Analog”. Caitlin decided to do more rose smelling than we were and so Jen, Riley, and I trekked onward.

Jen, Riley, and Caitlin

Coming into Horse Gap we had our first trail magic of the trail! Max Forester was set up with camp chairs, sport caps for bottles, ziplocks, bottles of water, duct tape, and a load of other super useful stuff. He’s a real character. We lingered for a while, talking and letting Max do his thing. Then we headed up Sassafras Mountain, which was the first climb that felt truly tiring for me. The descent also put a lot of strain on my joints, which was not appreciated. “Blood Mountain sounds so scary, which is why everybody knows about it, but nobody wants to admit they got their butt kicked by Sassafras” – Chris the Ridgerunner (paraphrased), you’ll meet him shortly.

We were making pretty good time, but Riley and Jen wanted to give their legs a break. So I pushed onward and enjoyed some of my first true alone time of the trip. I passed La Flocka, who was about to finish his fourth thru hike, going southbound this time. He gave me some very welcome advice and encouragement. Good Luck La Flocka and enjoy your rest and accomplishment!

I passed so much Laurel in this section it was great! I made it into Gooch Mountain Shelter well before sunset and got talking to some others. I recognized Cam (Mac) and Bri (Cheese) from the shelter the night before as well as a few others. Also made some new acquaintances, such as Chris the Ridgerunner. Chris is a pretty cool guy, very helpful and full of knowledge of our section of the trail, as well as what lies ahead since he’s a former thru hiker. Thanks Chris for what you do.

Feeling good, spirits are high, God is good and his steadfast love endures forever.

Day 3

I love the trail.

Today I woke up slow, knowing we were taking a NearO. Soon after I woke up I decided that Analog wasn’t really working for me as a trail name, and so I left it by the way side, trusting I’ll get a better one in time.

We decided to slow down for a variety of reasons, including injury prevention for Riley and Jen, and the fact that Hostel Above the Clouds had room available. With rain forecasted in the afternoon, a shorter day to Woody Gap made sense so we meandered to the Gap to catch a shuttle. We traveled with Mac and Cheese today, which was a blast.

Hostel Above the Clouds is pretty great so far as cost and variety of services. I found myself with my feet up on the porch of our cabin, freshly showered. Sitting in borrowed hostel clothes while all my clothes got washed. It’s a vibe.

Tonight I made dinner with a few hostel friends, after we figured out you can instacart directly to the hostel (thanks Sunshine and Odee). We made some gourmet burgers and fries, Mac was cheffing it up, rounded out with some Broccoli from some other hikers (thanks Sunshine and Odee :)).

As we settle in and try to figure out how to keep injury risk down and navigate the world on trail, I am ever thankful that I have a God who shepherds me and watches over me.

Until I post again, happy trails!

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