So I survived my first day and it was quite the day. I woke up and headed to the beginning of the Approach Trail at 6AM. My wonderful father drove me 4.5 hours to Amicalola Falls State Park.
My final meals were... McDonald's! And... Subway! But really, they were delicious and we ate lunch over the waterfall. Afterwards, we went to the visitor center and I signed the thru-hiker register and weighed my pack. I am hiker number 996 and my pack (food and water included) weighs 34 lbs.
At that point we took some pictures and I began down the trail. But awkwardly enough, the trail follows the road for about 1/4 of a mile and two cars stopped and asked me, "You thru-hiking?", "Yep!", "Good luck!"
Then I see six or seven HUNDRED steps that go to the top of the falls. And they are part of the trail. Great. After that I am finally in the wilderness. Nine miles later, around 5PM, I summit Springer Mountain and sign the trail register. (Actually, I forgot and had to go back later and sign it.) My shelter for the night was only 0.2 miles ahead so I enjoyed the view for a while.
At the Springer Mountain shelter I met Sarah, a fellow thru-hiker, as well as Slo-Goin' and Dogwood, both of whom have thru-hiked before. Naturally, we asked them numerous questions and they love answering them, so we end up talking and hanging out until 11:30. They really knew a lot and were an amazing resource.
I didn't feel like setting up my tent so I slept in the shelter. It was okay, except for the constant pitter-patter from the mice running around everywhere. It was kinda hard to sleep through that.
That was my first day!
PS. I am only making one post today because I have limited service and don't want to kill my battery. Enjoy!
Adam is a joy to have as a son. We ate McDonalds when we refueled the car and at Dawsonville, your options are really limited to Subway. It was really cold in the Park that day, but Adam was prepared with a jacket. When he began his walk around the reflecting pool, I watched him go and suddenly he was gone and I couldn't see him anymore. But I look forward to seeing him again at the end of his great adventure. God be with you, Adam!! Dad
ReplyDeleteLiving vicariously through you, man. To be sure, this journey will be unforgettable! Make each day a special one--I can imagine these first few weeks will be tough, but once you have that daily routine down, you'll be a machine.
ReplyDeleteHope to see you on the other side and look forward to reading your blog posts!